Freelancers are becoming a major part of the American workforce.
A study from Freelancers Union showed that more than 57 million Americans identify as freelancers...which is equivalent to 35% of the country’s entire workforce (that’s more than a third!)
The number of freelancers in the US is continuously growing, too. Data predicts that the number of US-based freelancers is expected to exceed 64.6 million in 2020 and will reach a whopping 90.1 million by 2028.
This isn’t a fad, either. Freelance job openings increased over 25% during the April to June quarter of 2020 — compared to the first three months of the year according to the Freelancer’s “Fast 50” report.
For writers, this is great news: Writing is one of the top seven freelance job categories according to Flexjobs and 64% of writers in the US identify as working in a freelance capacity.
The question is: How do you run an effective and efficient freelance business, anyway?
Why do freelancers need tools?
There’s no real guide to freelancing. It’s not taught in school, so you have to learn everything through trial and error.
You also have to be a jack of all trades, so having a “tech stack “(or a few handy tools) to help you along the way is a major key to success.
Do these need to be fancy and expensive? No, they don't. But it is wise to work smarter, not harder, with software, platforms, and tools that make it easier than ever to run a freelance business in 2020.
Let’s look at some of the freelance tools I use as a professional freelance writer to land more freelance gigs, to be more productive, to stay on top of the business side of my operation, and generally retain my sanity.
My favorite freelancing tools
These are the best freelancing tools I’ve found to be effective that I still use on a day-to-day basis.
Let’s get to it, shall we?
1. MarketerHire: MarketerHire is a high-end match-making service for professional freelance marketers and top brands. They accept less than 5% of applications, and those accepted into the network are then matched with top-tier brands like Netflix, Quip, Thrive Market, Tushy, and Verishop.
Types of freelance marketing roles they source for include things like: Amazon Marketer, Brand Marketer, CMO, Content Marketer, Email Marketer, Growth Marketer, Paid Search Marketer, Paid Social Media Marketer, SEO Marketer, and Social Media Marketer.
I like them because they handle many of the operational headaches that hold people back from freelancing: sourcing roles and opportunities, contracts, billing, etc. Most freelancers who are accepted onto their platform get matched to a project within one month. From there, the freelancer has control over availability and the types of engagements they’re open to (hourly, part-time, or full-time).
2. Crowdcast: This is my favorite video broadcasting tool to use for live video trainings. The reason: it’s super easy to use and it’s affordable.
In 2020, I’ve focused on doing one live training session per month to add a new revenue stream to my business and to teach more of what I know. It’s also what most freelancers I know/work with also use for their live demos/webinars.
3. Squarespace: My website runs through Squarespace, and was built out by my business partner/husband/bff, Brandon. It’s simple to use and update, the hosting is very reasonable, and it’s completely customizable.
4. ConvertKit: For years my newsletter ran through Mailchimp, but I migrated over to ConvertKit because it was better suited to my needs. So far, my deliverability and open rates are way up, and I’ve finally got an *actual* welcome sequence in place.
5. Fathom Analytics: My good friend Paul Jarvis developed this as an alternative to Google Analytics, and it’s a great analytics option without the creepy personal data collection.
6. Wave: I use Wave for all of my invoicing and electronic payment processing. It’s free (aside from the standard payment processing fees), it allows me to brand my invoices, and it helps me track my income with a clean, organized dashboard.
This year I finally signed up for their bookkeeping service and am LOVING it. I used to spend a few hours every month recording everything by hand, and this makes it a breeze. Tax time is going to be so easy this year!
7. Slack: Another freebie tool, but great for going back and forth with content teams and fellow freelancers (to fight the lonely feels.)
Bonus: It keeps your email inbox a whole lot cleaner. I love when the content teams I’m part of use this, as it saves us tons of phone calls and makes open communication and project updates so, so easy.
8. Grammarly: The Chrome extension is a must-have. Great for catching errors and suggesting improvements that make your writing stronger (as well as saving you from the occasional spelling/grammar error in a tweet.)
9. Harlow: Harlow helps freelancers get organized, save time, and look professional with automated invoicing, proposal templates, and much more—all from one centralized hub.
10. Podia: I haven’t made my storefront public yet on Podia, but I'm building it out and will have digital resources laughing here soon. I’ve been a loyal customer for years (just need to get this baby live!)
11. Loom: Loom is awesome for video recordings, which I use to give quick summaries to clients as we work on a longer project so they know where we’re at as things progress. I also use this with my coaching clients sometimes when our calendars don’t line up but I want to share some feedback or insight. Perfect for asynchronous communication.
12. Brain.fm: I don’t know about you, but I can’t work with much background noise. I do, however, love working with headphones on while I listen to brain.fm’s focus-inducing soundscapes. They help get me in the zone.
13. Data vault: A curated, growing database of 150+ reports and studies (that's 5,000+ quotable statistics!) you can use in the content you write for clients. If you're tired of spending hours looking for the right statistic to quote, grab this database of fresh, original reports.
Use smart tools to tune up your freelance business
Regardless of the type of freelance work you do, there are some handy tools, platforms, and resources out there that can help you work smarter, not harder.
I hope you’ve found a few recommendations here that help you out and make your freelancing operation more efficient, effective, and overall less stressful. They’ve certainly worked wonders for me!