Freelance Guidelines

The lifestyle of a freelancer can be very hectic at times. You have to juggle multiple projects and meetings with clients all to make sure your bills are paid. And the only way you’re going to keep ahead is by managing your money properly!

Freelancers don’t often consider the payment process as something to analyze and work out. It is considered an afterthought that you’ll assume payment since the client is happy to work with you. But sadly this is not always the case, and project work can go south very quickly leaving you dry on next month’s rent. In this guide I want to share just a few tips for managing payments and getting your money on time.

Discuss Terms

The only reason you’re working on such a project is to earn money in the first place. You need to make sure you are compensated properly for all your effort. Things can get hairy if you jump right into the work and start discussing funds at a later date. It’s all too easy for the client to lowball your estimate and with much of the work already done, you may feel inclined to just accept it.

Never sell yourself short and never start on any work before clarifying your payments. Even working on some of the most interesting project ideas will not be enough to keep you going. The initial motivation will pass and you’ll want to have an idea in the back of your mind for just how much you’re working.

Use Contracts

Consider your best method of payment either hourly or set per project. Generally you can only choose one, unless you go back for additional work and switch between these two methods. But you should include either the total expected project compensation or your hourly wage and ensure this clause is clearly visible to both parties.

Don’t be afraid to work with your client so you both are signing a contract you can agree with. Always keep a local copy for yourself to look back on in case of issues down the road. Text in print is your best argument against a client who is unwilling to pay. Or even after payment is sent and they come back to you expecting free touch-up work you can refer them to the project contract.

Keep Yourself on Schedule

Based on the amount of work needed you will have to adjust your schedule accordingly. If you think it’ll take 1-2 weeks for a project to be complete it is safer to write in 3 weeks. This gives you some padding just in case you get caught up in other drama. It also looks much better to finish a project early than underestimate the timing and fall behind.

Getting onto a schedule is imperative to keep you and your client on the same page. This may require weekly meetings or phone conversations to touch base on the progress so far. Keep a close professional relationship and be sure to respect your client’s opinion on project details. Ultimately you are in this for a paycheck and cannot get too invested.

Keep Emotions at Bay

It can be difficult removing yourself from a project. Especially if you pour hours and hours of hard work into a design idea. But when you are a freelancer you need to keep your emotions in check and try to limit yourself. I often find myself heavily invested in smaller projects where I’ll get caught up on smaller details.

This can result in re-designing areas of the template which are just fine to begin with. Logos, buttons, banners, marketing e-mails, and other seemingly important page elements are all included based on your project needs. Don’t let this turn into a huge waste of your time! Designers have to invest a bit of their emotional energy, but too much and you’ll find yourself burnt out with little-to-no motivation left.