Should I Work for Free?
Of course not. But the above flowchart by Jessica Hische outlines the few (if ever) times to say yes, and the appropriate questions to ask yourself when given the ‘opportunity’ to do a project for free.
Click image for full version.
Brillant.
How utterly disappointed am I that I didn’t think of this?
Saltyandsweet has already raised $3,720 (her goal was $2500) for a laser cutter! So jealous . . .
Freelance Tax Resources & Expense Tracking
My least favorite part of one of my favorite time of year approaches: TAXES.
Below are a collection of useful articles and resources on taxes for small business owners:
IRS: Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center
IRS: Self-Employment Tax
About.com: Taxes and Freelancing
Bright Hub: 45 Tax Deductions for Freelance Writers
Freelance Switch: Planning for Next Years Tax Bill
Freelance Switch: Articles tagged – “Taxes”
Affordable or free online services for money management, expense tracking, and taxes:
Mint: for organizing personal finances
Freshbooks: for invoicing and tracking payments
Shoeboxed: for tracking business expenses and cataloging receipts
Outright: for taxes/accounting, essential for quarterly estimated taxes
(Important FYI: Outright integrates Freshbooks and Shoeboxed, easily combining the three business services into a single stop. Rather than integrating my personal credit cards and expenses into Outright, I have maintained my free Mint account to keep personal cash flow separate.)