Summary: Hundreds and thousands of salaried people lost their jobs after the outbreak and ensuing destruction brought forth by COVID-19. For freelancers that specialize in a specific niche, things have been devastating. However, the coronavirus brought something else with it apart from utter mayhem and chaos. It gave rise to a digital revolution. Since maintaining social distancing has become the new “normal,” digitization became even more prominent and crucial. Naturally, the freelancers that cater to the digital world have no reason to despair. In reality, they are in an advantageous position. They just need a few apps to improve their performance standards.
The outbreak of COVID-19 changed the world forever. It forced hundreds and thousands of business companies to close their doors permanently. The lucky few that managed to reopen are now bobbing up and down in the middle of an ocean of despair and helplessness. Freelancers suffered the worst from it. Business experts say that freelancers should start searching for alternative modes of income at the earliest.
Despite all the pain and suffering brought forth by the coronavirus, some people don’t look at a curse upon humankind altogether. In reality, the virus brought unique opportunities with it. If you think about it, then you’ll realize that the COVID-19 destroyed almost all the barriers that prevented the world from accepting digitization.
Indeed, the outbreak started a silent digitization revolution. Since people want contactless transactions while maintaining social distancing, digitization found the right soil to grow and emerge as the panacea tree. For freelancers that cater to the requirements of the digital world, there’s no need to search for alternate modes of income. Instead, they should divert their attention towards a few smartphone apps that can help them perform better at their tasks.
If you’re one such freelancing professional, then this topic will be of use to you. Before we get into how and which apps are going to be useful let’s take a look at some of the points for freelancers to take care.
Luckily, there are measures they can take to secure themselves and limit the effect of unanticipated conditions, for example, coronavirus.
1. Fortify retraction, rescheduling approaches in contracts
In contrast to the conventional workforce, the independently employed don’t have a HR office to approach when they don’t get paid. To battle the monetary misfortune that might be brought about when customers drop, lawful freelancers stress the significance of obviously characterized wiping out and rescheduling strategies in entrepreneurs’ agreements. As indicated by lawyer Paige Griffith of The Legal Paige, the business standard for which customers can drop or reschedule and relinquish just the retainer is commonly 30 days before the occasion.
In any case, there are conditions that can secure freelancers when they can’t perform benefits under 30 days earlier because of an unforeseeable and unavoidable occasion. They ought to consider adding the accompanying legitimate statements to fortify their current agreements and secure their organizations:
Power Majeure proviso: French for “predominant power,” this statement pardons you from playing out the services delineated in the agreement because of an unexpected, unavoidable or unthinkable occasion, which incorporates plagues and pandemics.
Safe Working Environment statement: Reserves the option to end service if a risky condition emerges, for example, a region being influenced by a transmittable ailment.
Disappointment of Company to Perform Services proviso: Clarifies the method should you not have the option to play out your services.
2. Set up an emergency correspondence intend to oversee desires
By setting clear desires with current and forthcoming customers that recognize and address the current issues, customer and client connections can be kept up despite vulnerability.
To comfort customers during an emergency and improve your opportunity of rescheduling services after, consultants must show compassion toward their clients. An incredible method to do this is essentially to connect and plan a call to talk about their interests. Being proactive improves the probability of arriving at an answer that benefits the two players.
For forthcoming clients, indicating proactive correspondence exhibits readiness for both COVID-19 and other startling occasions that could happen.
To get ready for a likewise basic issue later on, freelancers can pre-make assets, for example, a FAQ page on their site and an email format, alongside internet based life posts or sites that detail their business’ way to deal with the circumstance. Doing this ahead of time will permit entrepreneurs to respond quickly in an emergency and appropriate any inquiries from their customers.
3. Influence national budgetary guide
At this crucial time in the battle against the coronavirus, the U.S. government reported that influenced organizations will be given an extra $50 billion in low-intrigue advances. What’s more, the Treasury Department is conceding charge installments without premium or punishments for specific people and organizations contrarily affected. The individuals who are independently employed get paid wiped out leave as an assessment credit.
Across America, different urban communities are offering money related guide to explicitly support private ventures. Urban communities like New York will offer no-intrigue advances to independent companies with less than 100 representatives that show a decrease in deals since the coronavirus flare-up. Certain urban communities are additionally giving awards of up to $6,000 for organizations with less than five representatives. Consultants can get to this data and check whether they qualify through their city’s Small Business service office.
4. Authorize retainer installments
Regardless of whether a customer decides to drop with 30 days’ notification, consultants are as yet qualified for any retainer installments that were at first expressed as “nonrefundable retainer.” As such, it’s imperative to give close consideration to the detail of stating in contracts. For instance, for certain states it is required to give back stores if services have not been rendered, so “store” will in all probability expect you to discount the sum. Check the standards in your state and develop expressions in like manner.
Regardless of whether a customer decides to drop with 30 days’ notification, consultants are as yet qualified for any retainer installments that were at first expressed as ‘non-refundable retainer.’
5. Record for reinforcement help in your agreement
In any event, for the independently employed who work alone, building a system of expert help is a significant piece of a business readiness plan. Each freelancer ought to recognize a go-to industry peer that they can acquire for help if an unanticipated condition emerges.
Industry-based social networks are an incredible spot to assemble a system of expert accomplices that can be approached for help. Entrepreneurs should then make their customers and clients mindful of this chance by laying out it in their agreement.
6. Assemble that home
All freelancers are concerned nowadays whether their homes will be sufficient to get them through these difficult stretches.
Obviously, this home is a stormy day finance. Also, every monetarily educated consultant knows the significance of having a back-up pile of money in some place.
It is anything but difficult to state that one ought to consistently have a back-up subsidize just if there should be an occurrence of a crisis. In any case, it’s shrewd to discuss strategies that can help over the long haul.
Along these lines, the primary tip, for this situation, must be this straightforward saying — never check your chickens they incubate! Try not to rely on an entirety of cash before it is credited into your record.
When you get an installment, you should be cautious while designating those assets for your requirements. As it were, it is insightful to devote an aggregate that you need to spend. This is typically the cash you use to purchase food and different necessities.
At that point have a piece of the cash kept into your bank account. An investment account is something that each consultant ought to have when they arrive at 30.
At long last, spare some money for your backup stash. This is the thing that may very well make all the difference in the event that the emergency hits harshly.
Rehash this arrangement each time you get cash from your customers. This can have any kind of effect should something terrible occur in a brief timeframe.
7. Make a referral program
It’s the ideal opportunity for solopreneurs to comprehend that dependable clients are the life saver of their organizations, not the possible new ones. That is the reason most consideration must be set on the current clients in the hour of emergency. Not on obtaining the new ones.
Nobody is stating that you shouldn’t attempt to discover new clients, yet all things considered, you will discover money related salvation during the emergency in the clients that normally work with you.
All things considered, it requires more exertion and even costs more to locate another client than to keep a current one. As a matter of fact, it is multiple times increasingly costly to discover new customers.
For Emails and Messaging
The best messaging and emailing apps include the following.
- Slack: Slack isn’t a business invoice app for freelancers but a messaging app. Both content managers and business organizations love it. It lets you interact with everyone at once with ease. You can even control how your channels appear. Just change the priority of your channels under “Preferences” to ensure that see the most important conversations first.
- Gmail: This app doesn’t require a thorough introduction. More than 60% of people all over the world have Gmail accounts. The reason behind Gmail’s popularity is that you can do more than just check your inbox and respond to messages. You have access to several add-ons. With them, you can enhance your Gmail account beyond your expectations. For instance, there’s an add-on feature that reminds you to follow-up a client after a specific period.
For project management
The best project management apps include the following.
- Moon Invoice: As the name suggests, it’s a business invoice app for freelancers. Of course, it isn’t a project management app, but it can take care of several aspects of the same. For instance, you can use this online invoicing portal for small business to send invoices to your clients. You can use its expense-tracking system to maintain your expenses. There’s also a time-tracking system that lets you keep tabs on the amount on time that you spend on every aspect of the project.
- Trello: If you can combine the freelancing invoice making app mentioned above with Trello, then managing a project would be a piece of cake for you. By using Trello along with a freelancing invoice making app, you can create projects, add tasks, and organize everything in due date order. In Trello, every task appears in the form of a “card” that you can move to other team members after completion. Freelancers can set up separate boards for project or client, and then add cards as they receive tasks.
For networking
Here are the best networking platforms for freelancers.
Facebook: You shouldn’t make the mistake of believing that Facebook isn’t as important as an online invoicing portal for small business. As already mentioned earlier, social distancing would become the new “normal.” How do you expect to reach more clients if you don’t socialize? For that purpose, Facebook can come to your rescue. It’s one of the best tools that currently exist for professional networking.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn comes right after Facebook, especially for freelancers. Where Facebook lets you connect with other professionals in a relatively informal fashion, LinkedIn is all about maintaining formality. It serves as your web-based resume. Potential clients will inspect your LinkedIn profile and judge your worth. You can also receive work from this particular platform.
All-in-one apps
If you can use all the apps mentioned above, then you won’t need anything else. However, it’s worth ending this list by discussing an all-in-one app for freelancers.
ClickUp: Just like any project management tool, ClickUp lets you divide your projects into individual tasks. The ClickUp app designates those tasks as Spaces. You can create Spaces for every project. ClickUp also lets each of your team members customize how their Space appears even after sharing the same with other team members. After signing up, you can set your dashboard to track your time, view your projects, inspect your documents, manage your calendar, and interact with people through emails or text chatting systems.
Final words
Most freelancers are desperately searching for ways to survive. That’s why you should count yourself lucky that you cater to the requirements of the digital world. If you wish to improve your performance standards and attract more clients, then start using the apps mentioned here.
At the center, Moon Invoice – free invoice generator app is driven by the vision, sharpness and flourished leadership quality led by none other than the founder & CEO: Mr. Jayanti Katariya.