According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on May 2015, approximately 15.5 million people in the United States were self-employed.
That number has been steadily rising as there are now more ways to work remotely than ever before. In a report done by Key Findings, they found that about 57 million Americans freelanced in 2019.
That represents 35% of the workforce.
With the continuous upsurge of independent contractors in the U.S., it is crucial to be aware of some useful tools to help you to start, grow and make your freelance career easier. My goal in this article is to compile a short list of the best tools for freelancers that I’ve come across.
And without further ado–here is a list of the 7 best software for gig workers.
#1: Project Management
As a freelancer, you have to be well organized. Period.
Most freelancers don’t have to show up to an office every day and have the luxury of working anytime they want. However, this perk comes with a daunting problem within itself…
You are responsible for staying organized with everything. That is where Trello comes in. Trello is a project management software that is a must-have for freelancers to manage various tasks, plans, and designs.
The interface is extremely user friendly and it is free to use. Use this tool to arrange and coordinate all of your jobs and duties.
#2: Cover Your Taxes
When I first became an independent contractor, the first thing all of my peers warned me about was paying hefty charges at the end of the tax year.
After all, when you are a freelancer, you get all of your income non-taxed. So, you will owe Uncle Sam some money when tax season rolls around. To mitigate how much you owe in taxes, it is vitally crucial to track all of your business expenses to write off.
Keeper Tax is a software that helps freelancers, 1099 contractors, and self-employed workers automatically find tax write-offs among their purchases. This software automatically scans your bank and credit card statements for tax-deductible expenses.
Independent contractors who use this software save on average $800 – $2,400. They have a free 1099 taxes calculator tool which helps you calculate how much you owe.
#3: Invoices
As a freelancer, you need a method to collect payments from your clients. If you are looking for a fast and simple software to help you do so, try using Simple Invoices.
This software will ensure you get paid on time and accept credit cards and PayPal payments in seconds.
This tool will save you a load of time because they include the basic and necessary accounting details you need to charge clients for your work. They’ will streamline your documents so they are easy to create and simple to understand.
#4: Proposals
If you are a freelancer, you know that attracting new clients can be quite tedious. What might put you ahead of all the other freelancers, are beautifully created proposal pages.
Qwilr helps you design stunning proposal pages you can send to potential new clients on the work that you will be completing.
This software enables you to design-perfect proposals, quotes, client updates, and more so you can tailor your pitches to perfectly suit your client. They offer a free 14 day trial so you can test it out without giving away your credit card.
#5: Schedule Meetings
Communication is essential for any good business relationships. To make it easier to find times to schedule a meeting with your clients, try out Calendly.
This tool is 100% free can help you create super-easy online appointments. No more fretting about phone calls or what times work best for each party. The software lets you show what day and times work best for you and lets your clients pick from those times based on their own timezone.
Using this automated tool pretty much eliminates the old school way of scheduling appointments and is a no-brainer to use for optimizing communication with your potential and current clients.
