Six essential steps to effective freelancing

How to successfully work from home

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy, founder of Tapoly, suggests the six essential steps you should take to ensure success in freelancing.

Here are Janthana’s top six essential steps to be successful in freelancing:

Make sure you’re protected

When working as a freelancer, it is important not to underestimate the importance of obtaining the right insurance. At some point you may have a client who refuses to pay an invoice, or who is unsatisfied with the outcome of your work. If these scenarios do occur, having the right insurance in place will allow you to protect yourself, and keep your business going.

With Tapoly, you can get on-demand insurance cover – whenever you want it – within two minutes, taking in a full range of commercial insurance products to choose from, including professional indemnity. The ability to customise insurance to the specific needs of your business and match it to your contracts means you can save money too.

Understand the data

The recent implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – which replaced the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC – means it is increasingly important for freelancers to remain stringently compliant.

There are an array of important steps you can take as a freelancer to ensure you stay on the right side of compliance. We would recommend that you have the necessary encryption on any work or personal devices that would have access to client data, and review your mailing lists to ensure that everyone is fully opted in.  You should also be prepared to respond to client enquiries about how you store their data.

Get up to speed with technology

We’ve all been there – you’re in a meeting with a client, ready to wow them with your latest project, and you run into a technology hiccup right at the important part.  Or even worse – you can’t get your device to display on their screen at all.  While there is no foolproof way of avoiding these situations completely, it pays to keep your own devices up to date, and test connections beforehand, as much as you can, to ensure things run smoothly on the day.

Keep your business profile up to date

In this day and age there are a plethora of platforms that offer the perfect opportunity for a freelancer to showcase their work, for example People Per Hour.

Make an effort to keep your LinkedIn profile current, and don’t be afraid to ask previous clients and colleagues for endorsements, to add credibility.  If you can, create a website or blog containing examples of your previous work, along with testimonials from the clients, and include a link to it in your CV.

Keep your eyes open

You never know when your next opportunity will materialise. Job boards and freelance sites can be set up to send you alerts, and you should monitor these even while on your current gig, with a view to lining up your next contract in good time.

Networking is vital

Lastly, networking can have a massive impact on your job prospects, so don’t be shy about handing out business cards, or letting your previous clients know that you are in the market for similar contracts. They may be happy to recommend you to a new client, if the opportunity comes up.

About the Author

Janthana Kaenprakhamroy is founder of Tapoly, the first on-demand insurance provider for the gig economy in Europe and Top 100 European Fintech Award winner in 2017.  A former investment banking professional and chartered accountant, Janthana has worked for a number of top-tier investment banks and is one of the authors of The InsurTECH Book.

Tapoly was created from Janthana’s vision to make sure that everyone in the sharing economy can get access to a comprehensive insurance solution at a fair price. Since inception, Tapoly has gained recognition for its work as a pioneering on-demand insurance provider for freelancers, contractors and others working in the sharing and gig economy within Europe.

For more information, visit www.tapoly.com

Visa - WeAreTheCity - Pioneer 20 - nominations open
WeAreTech Festival 2024 advert

Upcoming Events

march, 2024

Job Board Banner

Related Posts