Some Completely Free Tools For Freelancers
Most entrepreneurial websites write endless list articles about “What you need to succeed as an X.”
Somewhat unsurprisingly, those lists tend to be populated with things that you don’t need but happen to contain links with juicy affiliate commissions.
Hands up if you’ve read one of these list articles that recommends a Macbook Super-Pro-Air-HD+++ laptop… because if you’re an online entrepreneur, you need a laptop that’s powerful, stylish and… really thin?
Jokes aside, I’m not judging those lists. There’s no harm in making money as an affiliate if you believe in a product, and there are plenty of reasons to choose a premium product over a cheaper alternative.
That said, the truth is that there’s very little you need in terms of compulsory purchases when you get started with an online business.
Depending on what sort of business you start, there might be slightly more overhead than others, but you don’t need business cards, dedicated servers for a website or T-shirts printed with your logo on them. (Or a logo for that matter.)
Example: Freelance Writing
I started freelance writing in November 2014. (I think.)
Regular readers know the story by now, but I took a $10 course. I thought, “Why not?” and started.
I signed up for a couple of freelance sites and got to working.
Total Expenditure = $0.
But I did use things in the first few months, didn’t I? After all, I had to provide a service using something.
I had Microsoft Word, but my first client didn’t have Microsoft Word so couldn’t open the file. Realising that this was a problem, I decided to save all my client’s articles in .rtf format.
If you want to get started with freelance writing, you can use Wordpad.
It’ll open in most things, and if your client says, “I can’t open that” then save it as a text file.
Of course, if you have Word, then you can use that too.
Providing you have a laptop and a word processor, you can write articles and sell them online.
You really don’t need much else.
The Most Important Tool In Your Business Arsenal
The most important tool in your business arsenal is probably going to be a note-taking system. I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about this and playing around with things, both free and expensive.
Here’s my run-down of almost completely free things you can use for note taking.
Pen And Paper. The only thing that costs any money on this list. It costs pennies, and you can have a near unlimited set of ideas using no electricity. I’m not going to patronise you here… you know how to use pen and paper.
Evernote. Free. I mean, you can use the premium option, but I never have. I use this for note taking on my devices, because it’ll sync up when I connect to the internet so I can get all my ideas on whatever device I’m on.
Also, you can use Evernote and IFTTT to back up all your blog posts and other online stuff. Simply create an IFTTT recipe that sends your WordPress Posts to an Evernote folder. That way, you’re backed up. For additional backups, use IFTTT to send the Evernote backup to somewhere else; like your email or something.
This doesn’t cost anything.
Mindmap Software. I’ve just written about mindmapping software because it’s new to my process. It’s helpful but I won’t repeat myself; read this article.
Smart Voice Recorder. This is a free app from the Google Play store. It’s a basic Dictaphone app for when I can’t be bothered to type. I can store ideas and half-written articles by speaking them aloud to transcribe later. I have it on my phone and tablet.
Contact Points and Billing
Some people will suggest you sign up for emails, websites and other assorted things. Really, you just need a professional sounding email for the most part. Get a Gmail account with your name and that’s that. Free and easy.
For billing, you can use Paypal to start with. Again, there are per-transaction costs, but you don’t have to pay anything upfront for Paypal.
I think I’ve covered everything you really need to get started as a freelancer (or freelance writer at least.)
Caveats
If you’re a web designer or a graphics guy, then you’ll need to spend money on software upfront in all likelihood. Even so, Photoshop is a monthly expense now, and a lot of web design packages are similar. You don’t need a lot to start up, and getting those first few easy clients will give you some financial leeway for improving your service through buying stuff.
If you’re looking to get started with e-commerce, then you’re best off getting a website (although I know people who have started by dropshipping to Amazon and eBay customers, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that.)
That said, I don’t recommend starting with e-commerce, because starting a freelance service business is better. There are no overheads and an easier chance of success.
Even if you do want to start something a bit more substantial, you’re looking at spending a couple of hundred on a domain and hosting.
That’s all.
Final Thoughts
When you start a business online, it’s easy to think about all the different things you can spend your budget on. You think you need a flashy email list. You want to spend money on gadgets, tools and software that’ll make everything easier.
Really, all you need is the ability to perform a service and deliver it.
Outside of that, there are hundreds of options for everything from websites to writing apps to social media management services that are completely free.
I’m not saying that spending money on things is necessarily bad, but if you’re ever wistfully staring at an email saying, “You need this one thing to be an entrepreneurial success,” then chances are that one thing isn’t necessary for you to make your business a success.
Buying things – no matter how good they are – will never make a business viable on their own.