Partner Article

How to manage your finances as a freelancer

I have been a Voiceover artist for 10 years, and over time I have built up an international client base, the majority of which are regular clients. It’s a highly competitive industry so delivering a quality service that is streamlined and simple is key in order to me earning repeat business.

As a freelancer I manage my own finances, which at times has proven very difficult, but I have also leant some valuable lessons.

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One of the biggest challenges for me as a freelancer is to manage my finances. In my industry irregular paydays, potentially irregular clients, and having to keep track of my own invoices can be really hard work. I’ve been working as the voice of Virgin Media now for seven years and it’s a weekly gig, I also do a number of radio and TV ads, I voice documentaries and links for one of the big networks so that provides a regular income too, but there are also smaller jobs that come up every so often and these can be from completely new clients each time.

I would say having a system in place lies at the heart of managing your finances efficiently is having branded documents either on paper or online that you can just go to when you need to invoice clients. You can find simple and easy templates online, or with a large budget have them designed and made up for you.

On the go solutions

Part of my job is being able to be flexible with my work hours and also flexible with where I work. Sometime I am in a studio working with a team of people, other times I am working from my home recording studio and never actually meet my clients face to face. I have a real passion for voicing projects; I enjoy everything from the people I get to meet to the variety of places I get to go whilst still maintaining a healthy work life balance.

I need a system that allows me to work on the go, so a mobile payment app like Zapper.com is a lifesaver, especially when long train journeys or travelling means I can have my weeks invoices complete by the time I get home. Zapper.com is a QR based mobile payments system which does all the hard work for both businesses and customers. It means that whether the code is sent by invoice, email or just shown on a mobile phone at the time, the client can simply scan the code with their free Zapper app and the payment is made using a debit or credit card. Both parties then receive their remittance or receipt and the payment is recorded in their account.

Being Flexible

Whatever your payment solution or financial system you prefer, be aware that it may be not be right for every client. There may be occasions when you have to work around your clients preferences.

What works for smaller clients may not be suitable for larger ones, so its about finding a middle ground that will save both you and your clients time and effort. Simplicity is really the key though; you need to be able to mesh your preferred payment method alongside that of the clients you work with. I really am an advocate of making my clients lives easier from start to finish using a finance model that can realistically be used by organisation is beneficial for both of us.

Keep up with me on my blog, to listen or see samples of my work at:

www.rachaelnaylor.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rachael Naylor .