We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
You’ve been dancing around this for a while now. But you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and start an online side hustle so you can eventually work from home.
It’s really no secret that more and more people are turning to freelancing instead of the traditional career. In October 2017, Upwork with the Freelancer’s Union put out their annual “Freelancer’s in America” survey. It shows that freelancer’s make up about 54 million Americans.
According to the study, by 2027 the majority of the workforce will be freelancing. & 50% of millennials are already freelancing so we’re leading the way.
So first of all, congrats! This is an exciting moment so take a second to bask in it. Ok now, what next?!
Over the past few weeks or months, you might have been doing research on what you need to get started. Today, I’m going to be providing some of the tools that I use that will be beneficial when you’re starting out.
Don’t worry! It’s not too complicated.
#1 A computer/laptop
This might seem like a given but believe me, some people don’t even give it a thought. You don’t need anything fancy but it does need to be reliable. I started with my HP laptop from when I was in college and it’s still plugging along for me pretty well.
As a subtopic under this one, I’d like to include internet. Again, if you’re trying to start an online business I feel like this is a given. I read a story about a girl who started hers by going to the library every day and using their computers and internet though. So whatever you can use to get your hustle on, do it.
#2 Email account
If you’re starting a service based business you’ll especially want an email. It’s how you will communicate with your people. Your audience, your clients or customers, and your team if you build one.
You can always start with a free email like Gmail, but if you’re setting up a website you might as well get a professional one. Mine is tia@livingwellmillennial.com.
I personally love the Gmail interface and have been using it for years. When I found out I could connect my blog email to my Gmail account I was over the moon. & it’s free! I will show you how to do it soon.
#3 Website
Now, this isn’t a requirement but it definitely helps. When you’re looking for and reaching out to potential clients, this will serve as your portfolio.
You’ll direct them to your website where they’ll learn more about you and your services. Here is my freelancing website. Feel free to check it out to get a feel for what you need to include.
When you’re building your website try not to get caught up in the design so much. You’re just starting out and will get better at it.
You can definitely start with a free website but I highly suggest creating a self-hosted WordPress website. Plus there are more options and flexibility for a website that you self-host.
It’s relatively inexpensive to start a website. With Bluehost and Namecheap for your URL, it’s less than $70/year. This is a basic cost though. If you want things like a premium theme or other bells and whistles it’ll cost more.
You don’t need these things when you’re starting out. Here is my guide to walk you through setting up your website.
#4 Project Management
When you get started you’re going to want to have a system in place to track your projects, clients, work your doing etc. I use an online tool called Asana that I absolutely love. It’s a free tool that you can use online or on your devices. I have the app on my phone and iPad.
Tools like Asana will help keep you organized when switching between projects or working on your business
I have several different “projects” on my workspace dashboard. Then I break down what I need to do as small as I can. I have a weekly to-do project where I put the things I need to get done during the week.
This tool helps me really stay on top of what needs to be done. There are several other free options like Trello and Freedcamp.
#5 Google Drive
If you already have a Gmail account then you already have a Google Drive account. Google Drive is a cloud-based storage system through Google. I love their tools within the drive. The main three are Google Docs, which is a word processing tool like MS word, Google Sheets, which is spreadsheets like excel and finally, there is Google Slides where are like PowerPoints.
I love working within Google drive because it automatically saves the document as I work in it. I’m a freelance writer and blogger so writing is kind of my thing. There is nothing worse then getting to the end of a blog post, having something go wrong and you lose all of your work.
You can also store other files like photos and PDFs. I have a whole file dedicated to opt-ins to I use for learning purposes.
# Accounting software
When you’re working for yourself, you got to get paid.
In order to do that, you’ll need a way to bill your clients. I know that it seems scary to do but most of the software programs have a invoice template so you just plug in the info needed.
There are several options out there. I’m going to touch on a couple.
Dubsado
First up is Dubsado. Dubsado is a client management online based software. It helps you track your leads, invoice your clients, and contract templates. You can send contracts directly from your dashboard and clients and sign right there online.
This takes a couple steps out of the process and will make it easier for your client.
The best part? It’s free for your first 3 clients.
Freshbooks
Freshbooks cloud accounting is another popular option among freelancers.
It’s similar to and hailed as Quickbooks alternative. It does invoicing, time tracking, expenses, reporting and tracking projects and also integrates with PayPal.
You can get it for free for 30 days to try.
Quickbooks self-employed
Quickbooks is another program that is popular. It can be especially helpful to learn if you are offering bookkeeping as a service.
It’s internet based so you don’t have to download any special software. It will automatically track your mileage, separate your business and personal expenses, invoicing, and more.
Check it out and get a free 30 trial.
BONUS: LinkedIn Profile
Leveraging your LinkedIn Profile can be helpful when trying to prospect new clients. First, you should optimize your profile. Then you need to look for potential clients. Gina Horkey has a great pitching course that shows step-by-step how to do this. It even includes some pitching templates.
