Freelancing Archive

5 Personal Finance Tips for Freelancers

There are many benefits to being a freelancer. You have no boss to answer to, you can work from the comfort of your own home, and your income is only limited by the amount of time and effort you want to put into making money. However, being a freelancer also comes with a certain amount of serious responsibility – responsibility that you wouldn’t have if you did have a boss, and worked for a company, and had a regular paycheck. This is especially true when it comes to financial matters.

Should I Quit My Job?

Over 3 years ago, I hit a tipping point where I could no longer handle working at an office job. I remember this experience like it was yesterday because I wrote a post about hitting my tipping point, where I wrote out my feelings and what was going through my head while I sat in my cubicle. Luckily I was able to make a change for the better and haven’t looked back since.

Since then, I’ve continued to work for myself and am soon going to be celebrating my 3 year anniversary of being self-employed. It’s been an interesting journey but I have enjoyed it and have learned more about business (and myself) than I ever would have anticipated.

However, the thing I find most interesting is that since writing that post, more than 230 people have stopped by and left comments (and stories) explaining how they no longer enjoy their jobs and are looking for a change in their life. It amazes me how many people feel the way I did and how the stories vary from person to person.

Life After the Cubicle: How To Escape Your Job And Work From Anywhere

It has been almost two years since I quit my office job and escaped the cube farm. I must say, they were two of the greatest years of my life. Not only have I learned a ton about business and life in general, but I’ve also been lucky enough to live the lifestyle of a digital nomad and experience a bunch of new places.

If you are unfamiliar with the lifestyle, check out my post – What Is A Digital Nomad? It covers some of the basics about being location independent and will give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

More or less, it’s all about using the power of the web to make a living. Whether it’s through freelancing, internet marketing, blogging, or running an online business. The possibilities are literally endless.

With that said, I would now like to introduce to you a book that I have been working on for what seems like forever. Life After the Cubicle is guide on how to use the web to earn income, as well as how to escape your current job situation.

Bookkeeping And Tax Tips For Bloggers/Freelancers

This weeks episode of Digital Nomad Radio is all about bookkeeping and taxes. I agree, it’s the most boring part of having a business. Unfortunately, it’s something we all have to do at some point.

The reason I chose this topic this week is because I spent about 8 hours (at least it felt that long) last night printing and scanning receipts, entering invoices, and catching up on all the books. It took me a lot of researching before I had any idea what I was doing. I have a feeling some of you are in the same boat as I was and are clueless about what to do.

Teaser:

Some of the topics I will cover include:

• Accounts Receivable - How to keep track of all your income.
• Accounts Payable – What you should be keeping track of for business expenses.
• Tax Deductions For Bloggers/Freelancers – I’ll share some of the tax deductions that you might be able to take if you are a blogger or freelancer.
• Invoicing Software - I’ll share a really useful tool I use for invoicing.

That pretty much wraps it up for this weeks episode. Click the continue reading link below (or the post title above) to listen to this weeks show.

What Is A Digital Nomad?

Imagine what life would be like if you could work from anywhere. You would no longer be confined to your 9 to 5 work schedule and you could go out and do the things you enjoy. The good news is that this scenario is completely possible. How?

By becoming a digital nomad.

One of the first things people ask me when they visit my blog is “what’s a digital nomad?” Many people have heard the term but have no clue what it means. Is it someone who spends time on …

Quitting Your Day Job

It’s Monday once again and that means it’s time for another episode of Digital Nomad Radio. In this weeks podcast, I answer the common question: How do I quit my day job? I discuss how I did it and what I experienced as a result. I also discuss what you should do to make it as easy as possible. I cover things like dealing with benefits, savings, and stress. You can’t miss it!

Length:

20 minutes and 45 seconds to be exact…

Teaser:

Here’s a quick peak at some of the points I make in this weeks episode:

• Have An Existing Blog/Website – I talk a little about how important it is to already have an existing blog or website before you quit your job.
• Be Ready To Work A Lot Harder – I give you some insight into life after quitting and why it’s more difficult at first.
• Take A Look At Your Benefits – I discuss benefits and what you need to think about before you quit. A very important step, especially if you have a family.

So click the read more button below or the post title above to listen to the podcast. I hope you enjoy it!

Life As A Freelance Blogger

First off, thanks for checking out the first ever podcast here on Life of Justin! I really hope you enjoy it. For each podcast, I will feature the mp3 link along with the built in player. Simply click the play button and you’re good to go.

I will also try my best to type of the podcast or include some notes. That way if you don’t have speakers or a place to listen, you can still read it. As my podcast get longer (which they will), I will most likely start summarizing them instead of writing them out in full.

Anyways, lets get started. Click read more below to listen to the podcast.

Read It Instead:

As you all know, I quit my office job back in October and have not had a job since. Its been a long and winding road ever since then. When I first quit, I had a full-time blogging position with a company here in Phoenix. I got paid to write blog posts, market the blog, and do all the design work. This was a great step in the right direction because it gave me the income I needed to live off of and still let me work from home.