Guide to Freelancing - PCG

More documents

Recommendations

Info

HOW I USE PR Public speaking is a useful way of building a reputation provided that you help others by giving useful information, not by directly selling services. Within most communities knowledge sharing is a valued way to behave, while overt marketing is poorly received. Other ways to share knowledge and information include publishing articles, contributing to podcasts, giving webinars and video. In 2009 I invested in the professional production of a video case study about a large project. This was used as part of the entry for an international design award, which ended up taking me to San Francisco for the Awards event with help from UK Trade & Industry. That video keynote, which has been used at international industry events that I could not attend in person, has been instrumental in securing extra business and has resulted in more invitations to speak at international events. Colin Butcher of www.xdelta.co.uk is a consulting engineer specialising in mission critical systems. More advice on building your career can be found in The Freelance Career Ladder: seven business models to help you plan the journey at pcg.org.uk IN A NUTSHELL: WINNING WORK Agencies can be a good way of outsourcing the task of finding clients – particularly when you‟re starting out It‟s important to check the agency‟s credentials – ask for recommendations. Also check the contracts they are using are based on sound B2B terms Finding clients directly usually takes more marketing effort, but can lead to higher rates, a more straightforward relationship and clearer lines of communication People buy people: working your personal network is the most effective way to land work – keep in touch with everyone you have ever worked with LinkedIn can be used as a good alternative to a website and is an excellent way of staying in touch Don‟t ignore the power of PR – are there any opportunities for you to speak at an event or write an article to show your expertise? Remember that in PR, the goal is to give useful information, not to sell Watch the videos at www.nationalfreelancersday.org.uk to get a feel for the wide range of marketing techniques used by freelancers. Copyright PCG September 2011 Guide to Freelancing Version 7.0 68
Freelancers often complain about the fact that their workload is either feast or famine. After a couple of years you will probably start to see some trends. If you are overwhelmed with work, don‟t be afraid to say, “I can‟t fit it in now, however I could start the project in three weeks‟ time”. If the client really wants to work with you, there is a good chance they will agree. If a project mushrooms, don‟t be afraid to discuss an updated budget with the client. If you state your case clearly, they are likely to agree and you will feel more motivated to do a good job. Schedule holidays, business planning and new business activities for the quieter periods and don‟t be afraid to take the odd day off to re-charge your batteries. Some freelancers build time into their schedule to do something completely different such as a training course or even voluntary work. Variety helps you meet new people, which could lead to a new brief. When you sit down to work, concentrate on one thing. Multi-tasking has been shown to be counterproductive. A widely reported study by research firm Basex put a price tag on what they termed the modern “attention deficit”, which, they estimate, consumes nearly a third of each worker‟s productive day: “28 billion man-hours lost annually to unnecessary interruptions cost U.S. businesses $650 billion per year.” It‟s rare for anyone to be able to focus completely on one thing for more than 50 minutes, so it makes sense to work in batches of 50 minutes, or less if you find your attention wandering. Schedule five minute breaks in between and you should find you get more done. Also, rather than wasting time trawling the internet for resources, use the PCG website, help-lines and forum to answers your tax, legal and freelance/contracting related questions. Also, don‟t forget you can download useful documents such as non-disclosure agreements, contract templates and guides – saving you a lot of time and hassle. “I have to make sure that I don‟t bite off more than I can chew, taking on work that I can‟t deliver against. Conversely, it‟s important to keep enough in the forward order book. When there‟s enough work coming in and you can manage it, it‟s not stressful, but if it goes too far in either direction it can get quite stressful – you learn to strike the right balance.” Stuart Mealing, freelance contractor. Read Stuart‟s case study at www.pcg.org.uk/join Here are some suggested stages in the project lifecycle: Nail down the brief before the project starts Ask the client to send you a written brief outlining their end goal – the problem they need to solve. The brief should include parameters such as deadlines, budget and responsibilities. Ask them to convey the details they already know and also any areas of uncertainty. This encourages them to adapt the brief as new information comes to light. If your client is very busy or is a new client, be proactive and make it easier for them by offering to discuss the project over the phone and then drafting the brief for them to adjust as required. It also helps keep momentum and increases the chances of the project actually happening. This works particularly well for smaller projects - smaller projects often lead to bigger briefs. Copyright PCG September 2011 Guide to Freelancing Version 7.0 69
Page 3 and 4:
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION 1. About th
Page 5 and 6:
SECTION 1 Introduction This section
Page 7 and 8:
“I can‟t tell you how much admi
Page 9 and 10:
THE FREELANCE CHECKLIST Time estima
Page 11 and 12:
FREELANCE CHECKLIST CONTINUED... Ti
Page 13 and 14:
Once you go freelance, you enter a
Page 15 and 16:
What the IR35 Intermediaries legisl
Page 17 and 18:
Specify your working relationship b
Page 19 and 20: Although it‟s perfectly possible
Page 21 and 22: • The registered office is the co
Page 23 and 24: Comparison between dividend and cap
Page 25 and 26: PARTNERSHIPS A partnership is a sim
Page 27 and 28: UMBRELLA COMPANY An umbrella compan
Page 29 and 30: SECTION 3 THE BOOKS This section co
Page 31 and 32: Do they come well recommended? If p
Page 33 and 34: KEEPING RECORDS What records should
Page 35 and 36: GET A BUSINESS BANK ACCOUNT Before
Page 37 and 38: Invoicing clients outside the UK If
Page 39 and 40: Debt collection top tips Be courteo
Page 41 and 42: 5. Pay all three taxes (PAYE, Emplo
Page 43 and 44: HOW TO PAY BILLS AND EXPENSES When
Page 45 and 46: Travel If you run a limited company
Page 47 and 48: SECTION 4 Paying the taxman This se
Page 49 and 50: WAYS OF ACCOUNTING FOR VAT Cash acc
Page 51 and 52: You can deduct one percent off the
Page 53 and 54: Upper Earnings Limit (UEL): £817 p
Page 55 and 56: Sole traders, partners and members
Page 57 and 58: SECTION 5 Running the show This sec
Page 59 and 60: 10 Top tips from experienced home w
Page 61 and 62: WORKING AT THE CLIENT‟S SITE It m
Page 63 and 64: WORKING THROUGH RECRUITMENT AGENCIE
Page 65 and 66: Legal Considerations: Agencies are
Page 67 and 68: Building rapport is ESSENTIAL. If y
Page 69: Website In the 2010 National Freela
Page 73 and 74: A good way of doing that is to send
Page 75 and 76: The value of the final pension you
Page 77 and 78: 6 Risk prevention This section cove
Page 79 and 80: EMPLOYERS‟ LIABILITY INSURANCE Al
Page 81 and 82: PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE Pr
Page 83 and 84: PRE-DISPUTE TAX COVER HMRC Officers
Page 85 and 86: BUSINESS INTERRUPTION INSURANCE Bus
show all

Guide to Freelancing - PCG

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?