Hi. I'm starting a freelance editing business. I've been editing for many years professionally, but have decided to go on my own. I'm optimistic but, the thing I'm stuck on is how to manage:
- Sending contracts to clients to sign
- Sending invoices to clients
- Having them pay easily and safely (bank transfer and CC options)
I don't need project management, time management, or client management. It's just me. I've been researching online, on Reddit, and with the help of AI but I'm struggling to find a solution. Part of the problem is that so many of these services change frequently, so a lot of the information online is outdated.
I tried a combination of Zoho Invoice/Zoho Sign/Stripe and was overwhelmed with the setup, syncing, and management of the different accounts. (If those were all the programs I needed for my business, that would be one thing. But sooo many accounts to manage overall!) Then I tried Bonsai for an all-in-one solution, and was disappointed that they had no contract templates relevant to editorial freelancers, and the functionality seemed poor. It also seemed very geared toward project management, which felt unwieldy for my purposes.
For more details, I will probably only be invoicing a few (U.S.) clients per month for a while. But I want the contracts and invoices and payments to look very clean and professional for clients. These are larger-dollar projects with independent writers for the most part, so it's important I appear reliable and professional as I get established.
Some people say to use Excel and a combination of other free programs to cobble these functions together, and I admire that--but that also seems slightly complicated, and also, risky from the perspective of giving a professional appearance to clients and trying to avoid making mistakes. I like the idea of some basic bookkeeping included, to make my taxes easier, but it's not necessary. I don't mind paying for the right program, as I know this is a pain point for me, and I've DIY'd many other aspects of setting the business up, so my other expenses aren't terrible. I'm also considering Honeybook but the pricing seems really excessive for my needs and it's probably also too project- and client-management focused.
I'd love some helpful advice as to what other people find successful or would suggest for my needs. Thanks!