Independence is a wonderful thing. Being able to stand on your own two feet as a freelancer or contractor is no mean feat, and should be praised to high heaven. Saying that, it’s a lot of pressure to take on – managing other aspects of business while delivering services to clients can put a strain on your time and patience.
Outsourcing some of the load could be just what you need for a happier work schedule, so let’s examine the top four tasks every contractor and freelancer should hand over to someone else.
- Legal support
Small-print is easy to overlook, but even the smallest oversight can come back to sting you if anything goes wrong. Data protection and contract stipulations can massively affect how profitable, secure, and trustworthy a contract turns out to be.
Insurance, too, is a pain to pin down when you mightn’t have a designated work premises. By finding competent legal support, you’ll know you aren’t being taken for a ride.
- Accountancy
Tax is the hidden enemy stalking a freelancer’s battlements: get it right, and you can enjoy some breaks for business expenditure. But a wrong move will hit you hard and fast, as HMRC doesn’t mess around when it comes to flagging up incorrect tax returns.
Cut the hassle out of your life by taking on a dedicated accountancy service. Our comprehensive packages leave no stone unturned in your self-assessment, so that you pay no more than you owe.
- Bookkeeping
Being your own boss means being in control of your finances. However, it’s easy to lose track of receipts, invoice dates, and the rigmarole of payroll, which is why we recommend bookkeeping software for assistance.
An online platform that’s easy to make sense of – like FreeAgent, our favourite online tool – can really organise your projected income into a manageable timeline. If this still isn’t enough, consider reaching out to fully-manned bookkeeping services.
- Marketing
It’s hardly a revelation to suggest that many freelancers and contractors are already versed in marketing magic; how else, after all, do they manage to get exposure? Your actual job might even be to make other ventures resonate in their market.
But even if your trade falls within one or more pillars of marketing expertise – copywriting, photography, social media – you’re unlikely to be great at everything. Take a hard look at your business, and decide what shades of your promotional efforts are taking too much time away from what you’re best at. If you can identify some weak links, you may want to outsource them.
Being free doesn’t mean being frivolous with your time and energy. Sometimes, we can fool ourselves into never surrendering complete control – a dangerous mindset to maintain. Outsourcing really can make all the difference to your quality of life, and these tasks will be done to the utmost efficiency by people who know what they’re doing.
Did we mention that we’re experts too? Call us on 01661 669 4221 or email Info@biaccountancy.com to rid yourself of a burden that could be holding you back.
