Client Services 
Freelancing is the future. If you’re not earning your living now as a freelancer, chances are good that you’ll be doing so in the not-too-distant future. There are 53 million Americans currently freelancing and that number is expected to grow substantially in the next several years.
According to a recent Forbes article, 83% of executives indicated that their companies are increasing their use of freelancers. For most people, that’s good news. Freelancing offers lots of perks that traditional employment can’t match. But as the pool of freelancers grows, lots of people will be experiencing freelancing for the first time. Fortunately there are many wonderful resources designed to help independent workers flourish in today’s economy. Here are 12 of them:
1. Intuit QuickBooks Self-Employed
Managing your freelancing finances can be confusing. QuickBooks Self-Employed is the easiest way to pay your quarterly taxes, track your business finances and maximize those deductions. Start your 30-day free trial today – if you decide to subscribe by July 31, you’ll automatically receive a $75 cash bonus in your WorkMarket account.
2. Freelancers Union
Yes, freelancers have their very own union. It’s free to join, and offers a number of great perks including members-only discounts, access to insurance, freelancing tips, career advice and much more.
3. MBO
Offers a software platform that provides a complete back-office support platform for self-employed professionals.
4. FreshBooks
Provides online, cloud-based accounting services that are very popular with freelancers.
5. Klok
Easy-to-use time-tracking and reporting software. Klok can be synched with certain other services such as FreshBooks.
6. Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator
Not sure what to charge for your freelance services? This will help.
7. Bidsketch
Most freelancers regularly need to create project proposals for presentation to prospective clients. This tool makes the job easier.
8. MailChimp
Used to create and manage an email list of current and prospective freelance clients. MailChimp is a free service for lists of fewer than 2,000 contacts.
9. Carbonite
Losing all the work files on your computer from a hard drive crash can be devastating for a freelancer. Carbonite provides cloud-based, automated backup services for both independent workers and businesses.
10. MindMeister
Need to do some brainstorming for a major freelance project? This mindmapping app can make brainstorming easier, more efficient and more productive.
11. Oh Don’t Forget
Freelancers often have many irons in the fire. It’s easy to forget something. This tool will send messages to your phone to remind you of important tasks – or to just remind you to pick up milk on the way home.
12. RescueTime
Not sure where your time goes during a busy day of freelancing? This tool will tell you.
BONUS RESOURCE: WorkMarket
Don’t forget to check out the WorkMarket blog for helpful articles on everything from market trends and freelance news to tax tips and contractor insurance.
The 12 resources above represent the tip-of-the-iceberg. New resources are springing to life daily as the freelance economy continues to grow. So while you may be a business of one, don’t forget…you’re not alone. Millions of new people are making the leap to freelance life and there’s plenty of support to go around!
