Here on FreelanceAdvisor we make numerous references to freelancers, contractors and small businesses – after all that’s who we’re here for!
But what are the defining characters of each? What follows is a no-nonsense guide to who’s who and why. Beware: stereotypes abound.
For the UK’s freelancers and contractors these are uncertain times. With fears rife of a double dip recession and the scrutinous IR35 legislation coming under intense scrutiny, it’s difficult for micro-businesses to know exactly where they stand.
The latest tax planning seminar for freelancers and contractors, hosted by financial planners Wealth Matters, will offer a timely, in-depth insight into all the big issues facing your business. But be quick, it’s coming up very soon.
Toby Buckle | Managing Business,Training
Poor customer service can kill a business and it is absolutely vital to get client and customer service right, particularly when handling complaints. If you don't handle complaints well then not only are you likely to lose the customer who is dissatisfied, but they are more likely to tell others about bad service than they are good service, so you stand to lose many more customers by getting it wrong.
Business Mentor Toby Buckle shares his top ten tips for crushing your customer’s quibbles.
Clare Evans | Guides,Managing Business
We all need good time management skills but if you are feeling that there is too much to do and not enough time then it is especially important to take a good look at your time-management and productivity habits.
Most freelancers could do with a little more time in their day, so we’ve asked Clare Evans author of Time Management for Dummies for her top ten tips to help you get back on track and stay in control.
Andy continues his talk with credit control experts Rob Warlow and Adam Home and Darren Fell of Crunch about credit control and debt collection. In today’s show we ask: What should we do if it all starts to go wrong?
Podcast 26: Credit Control and Debt Collection (part 2) [26:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Michael Rose | Editor's Blog,Technology
74 unread emails! Since last night? Are you kidding! We all know what email overload feels like, especially if we’ve been away on holiday or if our American cousins don’t realise that Bank Holidays are sacred. It’s hard enough working out what work has priority but even worse when client email are hidden within an inbox cluttered with newsletters, calendar reminders and “special offers”.
If you use Gmail you might be interested to know that Google are working on the problem.
Gmail is great at filtering out spam but today the Google gmail team announced that they will use similar technology to automatically sort your emails by importance.
Well that’s the question being asked after it was announced that HMRC would adopt a new strategy in dealing with tax disputes.
Instead of taking a ‘black and white’ approach, resulting in court proceedings or no action at all, they will look to be more pragmatic in seeking agreements with individuals.
Leif Kendall | Lifestyle & Time out,Managing Business
As part of our Freelance Stories series Leif Kendall talks with former Freelancer of the Year winner and founder of Callender Creates, Jim Callender. We find out how Jim juggles work in London and Brighton and hear how he found a work/life balance that works for him and his family.
Ian Ozsvald | Guides,Resources
Monetising your knowledge is a core skill for freelancers – making money whilst you sleep is a necessary step forwards as you build your freelancing career.
Professional Screencaster Ian Ozsvald shows us ways of making money by screencasting. This post follows the earlier tutorials on Communicating more effectively and raising your profile through screencasts.
Alick Mighall | Marketing Yourself,Starting Out
If you have a great idea for a business, service or a website, one thing you’ll want to do is to secure an appropriate domain name as soon as you can. This is a good idea. Domain names are inexpensive, so it doesn’t matter if you buy the name in advance of starting work on [...]
Mel Dixon | Accountancy & Tax,News
Over the last month the coalition government has been taking suggestions from the public on how they can save money quickly and effectively. Some have argued for the scrapping of the digital switchover while others have suggested making MP’s use hostels rather than a have a second home.
A number of people have also taken the opportunity to argue for the repeal of IR35…
