Many are the fears and doubts that assail us when starting our personal project as a freelancer : from how to pay the fee , where to go to formalize the freelance regime , to the uncertainty of whether you will generate enough income . No matter what activity you dedicate yourself to, the ideal is to fulfill a series of skills that guarantee the proper functioning of the business and that are summarized in the following 5 points:

1. Know how to manage the flow of income and expenses as a freelancer
It is not necessary to have studied Economics or Business to know how to keep an account of the expenses generated and the income that we are having. If you do not leave your affairs in the hands of an agency, it is convenient to find out very well what are all the duties that we have to fulfill with the Treasury and, also, the material that we have to use in the performance of our work .

Also, it is important to speak with the client from the first moment clearly about the budget they have so that you can carry out the task they entrust to you: questions such as their business or the problems they have are key when setting your rates. and working conditions as a freelancer .

2. Know how to deal with different types of customers and suppliers
The relationship with them, in general, is not usually a bed of roses . Perhaps you would never have assumed that having a business also implied having a right hand with customers and suppliers . Many times the deadlines that clients give you for the execution of a project are very tight and you have to ask the suppliers, if you need them, an adjustment of the deadline.

It is possible that as a freelancer you have met clients who have asked you for a job and in the end they have disappeared and do not answer your calls. The handling of the situation and the good achievement of your future projects , goes through how you communicate with them and how you choose the right words to end a professional relationship.

3. Communication is essential for a good relationship with your customers
Before we have commented; In order to balance the accounts at the end of the month, we have to ensure that the client does not delay with the payment , or worse, does not pay you no matter how much you insist. It has surely happened to you that you have had to 'chase' a client to collect or even surely there is someone who still owes you the money for that project that has already been done and he has taken advantage of it .

Often emails are a good means of communication to remind the customer the duty to pay: an email attaching the invoice with the reminder of the interest charges can give way to a second email with a final bill . If you still do not receive a response, remember that you can use a quick judicial process to claim the debts. It is called Monitoring Procedure and it is free for debts that do not exceed 2,000 euros. Still the best thing you can do is use a formal but friendly tone and put aside threats and public allusions in your complaints.

4. Don't feel guilty for saying no

What gives the greatest satisfaction is doing your job in the best possible way and feeling recognized for it. Many are the companies that take advantage of other small and with fewer resources, to ask for proof of their work or to show them a previous service and then not pay. Above all, a lot usually happens in the field of advertising and the so-called contests in which the client asks various agencies to do the work and then, normally, only pay the winner.
Saying no allows clients to see that you are a serious freelancer and that you place value in what you do and will avoid misunderstandings in the future.

5. Innovation is the basis of growth in any company
Clients value small businesses that anticipate their market and have extraordinary decision-making capacity . The key to differentiate ourselves in a world, with more and more competition, is to be able to anticipate the movements of the sector in which our client works.

One way to acquire this knowledge is to work together with other colleagues in the same space: coworkings are ideal spaces to create labor synergies and anticipate trends and the future of other sectors . If you are self-employed and want to find your ideal coworking space or need a space to organize specific meetings, enter our website and take a look at all the spaces that we offer you by the hour.

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