With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing millions of people out of their jobs, we have seen an increase in freelancers starting their businesses. As more people become disenfranchised with the corporate world, the idea of becoming your boss can be appealing. Working on your schedule, offering up your unique talents on your terms has become a common pursuit.
Although many freelancers are brimming with talent and experience, many aren’t thinking about the bureaucracy that comes with running their businesses. There is a variety of essential paperwork that business owners need to run their ventures smoothly. These documents, including invoices and contracts, protect both the customer and business owner as you expand your company.
Working with templates that can be formatted with repetitive information like your company name and logo are a dream to work with. Save time and effort by entering only new data for each customer and being able to present a professional and binding contract for your company.
Every professional business requires certain documents from editable templates for contracts to copies of your terms and conditions. Let’s take a look at a few templated documents that freelancers should be using to help them run their business.
Contracts
Your contract will be unique to your business. It’s essential to choose a template that can be easily customized to suit your location and business type. Where you live and what type of freelancing you are offering will determine the style of contract that you need. Every state has its own laws that must be followed, and each niche has its own formalities.
Your basic contract is meant to protect you and your customer in cases of argument. Essential aspects of your business or service contract should always include pricing, an exact payment schedule, any copyrighting information, and a copy of your terms and conditions.
Invoices
Being able to bill your clients professionally with a templated invoice can help you track your work and build a reputation. Your invoicing template will be unique to your business. Using a customizable template can help you save time when doing your invoicing. Your invoices should have auto-accumulating invoice numbers, your company logo, company information, the date, and the amount due. You can also include accepted payment methods, your deadline for payment, and interest rates on overdue payments.
Ensure that you leave enough room on your invoice’s main body for a descriptive breakdown of your services. It’s essential that you itemize all of your services so that your invoice is straightforward and less likely to be argued.
Resume
It may seem strange to think about your resume as a customizable document. However, when you work with a variety of clients, being able to highlight parts of your resume that most suit the needs of a potential client can help you win the job. Start with a complete and detailed version of your resume and then remove or highlight your areas of experience that are most likely to get your clients’ attention.
Proposals
Once a potential client contacts you about using your freelancing services, you will need to prepare a proposal for them. Freelancing proposals are similar to the estimates that service businesses provide for their customers. In your proposal, you will outline your services, your prices, and your availability.
Every proposal will be different depending on what your potential client is looking for, but there are certain aspects that can be prepared in advance on a template. Your company name, your terms and conditions, and your contact information should all be included in every copy of your proposals.
Confirmation
Clients may accept your proposal, but could ask for some conditions to be added. In these cases, it’s imperative to follow up with an order confirmation. This document can lay out all of the agreed-upon details that may be different than your original proposal. Your template can be similar to your proposal but with space to add any necessary changes or limitations.
Payment Reminders
As a freelancer, it will be your responsibility to track your payments. Unfortunately, not all clients will pay on time. When this happens, a payment reminder should be sent out immediately. These simple reminders can prompt clients to send out a check right away for invoices that have been simply overlooked. Your template can be the same for each customer with a space for the name and amount due to being customizable.
Freelancers want to spend most of their time focusing on the work and not on the paperwork. Although it’s essential to set up a functioning documentation system, using templates for your invoices, contracts and proposals can help you save time and headaches as you grow your business.
Signing contract -DepositPhotos
