The digital revolution has seen millions of people become freelancers. 

In a recent study of over 4,000 professionals from across the MENA region 9 out of 10 said they are either already working freelance or plan to do so.

Once fantasy but now a reality, escaping the 9-5 seems accessible to anyone. With the population increasingly becoming computer whizzes who know the difference between spectre vs specter, the freelance world is ready for a change. 

The problem is, not all freelancers have experience managing their own income, especially when it comes to invoicing and digital payments. 

Let’s now explore invoicing and digital payments so you can feel confident freelancing in the digital world. 

Invoicing for freelancers

Invoicing can be stressful. You’ve done all the hard work, but your client still hasn’t sent the money. Sound familiar? 

Often, a gentle reminder is enough, but sometimes the problem lies with missing details on the invoice itself. Include the following to avoid giving clients an excuse to pay late: 

• Issue date and due date. 
• An invoice number. 
• Your name/name of your business. 
• Your contact details. 
• Your client’s name and address. 
• Method of payment. 
• Payment details. 
• Detailed line items. 
• Make sure the invoice fulfills your quote, Pandadoc quoting software is useful here. 
• Payment terms and conditions, including late payment stipulations. 

A digital invoicing service like PayTabs helps you build the perfect invoice and set up recurring invoices to save hassle. 

Not only does this make life easy for you and your client, it displays professionalism and gives you a digital record of all previous invoices in one place. 

Digital payments for freelancers

Digital payments are cashless, contactless, and paperless, and are usually made over the internet. For freelancers and clients, the security, convenience, and speed of digital payments can make them the perfect solution. 

Although most banks allow digital payments, the process is usually slow and frustrating. Why should you have to wait ‘up to 10 days’ for your money? A better option that gives you greater control is a digital payment gateway like PayTabs. 

The benefits and features include of a digital gateway service include: 

• 24-hour onboarding. 
• Pay over social media using PayLinks. 
• Customized reports. 
• Enhanced customer experience. 
• Integration with Shopify, Magneto, and more.
• 24/7 support. 
• Funds in your account within 24 hours.
• Access to invoicing, accounting, and logistics services. 
• Mobile friendly. 

These features offer greater control and functionality compared to traditional banking methods. It’s why digital gateway services are ideal for freelancers. 

PayTabs: invoicing and digital payments made easy 

PayTabs is the perfect all-in-one digital payment solution for freelancers. Find out more about PayTabs Social Commerce platform for freelancers here.

Emily Rollwitz – Content Marketing Executive, Global App Testing
Emily Rollwitz is a Content Marketing Executive at Global App Testing, a remote and on-demand app testing company helping top app teams with continuous integration (CI) and deliver high-quality software, anywhere in the world. She has 5 years of experience as a marketer, spearheading lead generation campaigns and events that propel top-notch brand performance. Handling marketing of various brands, Emily has also developed a great pulse in creating fresh and engaging content. She’s written for great websites like Airdroid and SME News. You can find her on LinkedIn.

With the increasing digitization of business, the freelance gig economy has seen considerable growth over recent years. 

In Egypt alone there are some 14 million gig workers and numbers are rising across the MENA region.

Unfortunately, traditional financial methods aren’t tailored for the modern digital gig economy. Banks are often unwilling to provide services for freelancers, even high earners with different and sporadic income streams. This makes it difficult for freelancers to open accounts and apply for loans, insurance, and other financial services. Launching your very first online store or freelancing career shouldn’t be this hard.  

But luckily, with the rise of Fintech, a new financial solution for the digital era is here. 

The emergence of Fintech in the gig economy 

Fintech solutions bridge the gap and provide workers in the gig economy an alternative financial system. 

Gig workers can earn more than 9-5 ‘traditional’ workers, making it seem unfair that banks view them as a risk. 

Why should a hard-working freelancer have trouble finding medical cover, obtaining a mortgage, or setting up a bank account to pay their bills just because they prefer to freelance?

Banks fail to acknowledge key data about the activities of freelancers and their true potential. But that’s where Fintech solutions come in. 

Fintech businesses are uniquely positioned to provide a vital service to millions of gig workers while closing the gap on traditional payment services. Ultimately, both gig workers and Fintech businesses benefit from this arrangement. Gig workers gain access to flexible payment solutions, cheaper fees, optimization, and application integration, while Fintech businesses gain a client base of low-risk freelancers. It’s a win-win. 

AI and machine learning are revolutionizing the Fintech financial game by giving insights into gig workers and calculating the risks involved. Unlike brick-and-mortar stores of the past, financial software also goes through constant tests, like a regression test, to ensure you’re always getting the best service. 

By using pools of data to make smarter decisions, Fintech businesses can provide a more tailored and optimized service that puts users first. Furthermore, by providing a solid service, they spend less on customer acquisition as their reputation grows.  

PayTabs social commerce platform

Paymes serves as PayTabs social commerce platform across the MENA region. Members of the gig economy will be able to receive instant payments over social media platforms, for any services they render.
The micro merchant community will benefit from being able to turn their talent and creativity into payments instantly. Countries Currently Supported include UAE, KSA & Egypt
Find out how PayTabs social commerce platform can help you: here

Emily Rollwitz – Content Marketing Executive, Global App Testing
Emily Rollwitz is a Content Marketing Executive at Global App Testing, a remote and on-demand app testing company helping top app teams on how to build an android app from scratch and deliver high-quality software, anywhere in the world. She has 5 years of experience as a marketer, spearheading lead generation campaigns and events that propel top-notch brand performance. Handling marketing of various brands, Emily has also developed a great pulse in creating fresh and engaging content. She’s written for great websites like Airdroid and SME News. You can find her on LinkedIn.

Managing freelancers can quickly become a difficult job. Especially if you have more than a few freelancers working on different tasks for you. It can be distracting and stressful, leaving you incapable to do your own job.

But how do you actually manage a team of freelancers effectively?

Set clear expectations

Freelancers tend to love clear explanations and expectations. This way they do their job best and become more productive. At the very beginning of cooperation with a freelancer, state what your expectations are and what you need from them.

If you start this way, you set yourself and your freelancer up for success. You can even have a document prepared for every new freelancer to help them learn what you need and want. Have some measurements of quality and productivity as well.

Have regular check-ins

While talking with your freelancers constantly can be counterproductive, it might be a good idea to have regular, scheduled check-ins with them can be useful. Maybe you could have them on a daily or weekly basis.

“Just check-in, see if there are any issues or problems that you need to discuss, if every element of their task is clear or not, and so on. Let your freelancers know when you want to speak with them,” explains Dan Errington, a freelance writer at Assignment Service and Australianreviewer. You can stick to chatting solutions because this way, you don’t interrupt their work too much and they can remain focused.

Have a chat room available

Having an open chat room for all of your freelancers is a great idea because it’s the place they could come into if they face any issues or if they didn’t understand something properly. Other freelancers could help them as well and this is a good solution for creating that team feeling.

Allow flexible work hours

Some freelancers are night owls, some like early mornings. As long as they get the work done every day, as per schedule, be flexible with their work hours. Allow them to work when it’s convenient for them but within reason.

For instance, they can deliver the work within 24 hours of you assigning them a task. It allows them plenty of time to work and plenty of time for their own personal life or obligations.

Track your output

Tracking productivity is important in every industry and with every team. You should constantly check your productivity and find the best ways to increase it as well as the quality of work and the speed of delivery. All of these things mean that your team is functioning as it should.

Test new freelancers with short-term tasks

Before you hire a freelancer, you should make sure that you test them with a short-term task that resemble your long-term tasks. You can also see how fast they work and if their work quality is up to your standards. This is a widely known technique and it works so well for many companies.

Pay them well

People who do freelance work do it just as good and invest just as much time and effort into it – if not more – as people in your office do. Accordingly, they should be paid equally. Always be on time and offer bonuses for quicker turnaround time if you want your freelancers to remain happy and satisfied.

Nurture virtual friendships

Make sure that your freelancers socialize and communicate with each other. This provides them with that office feeling they lack and they will have someone to talk to about everything that’s happening throughout the day.

Know the difference between soft and hard deadlines

“Some deadlines cannot be missed,” says an HR manager, Sacha Benson from Simple Grad and Best Essay Services. “Some are softer than that. Instead of wasting your time and your nerves on these soft deadlines, allow your freelancers to be late if something isn’t urgent but be stricter when it comes to urgent work. Also, let them know for how long they can miss the deadline and tell them that while it isn’t a perfect situation, it’s sometimes understandable.”

Create workflows

Workflow mean that the work gets done faster and more efficiently. Create workflows and instruct your freelancers to stick to them. These are simple yet effective tools in achieving better productivity

Effective Freelance Team Management

Your freelance teams are just like your office teams. Only it’s sometimes much more complicated to run them. Hopefully, these tips will be helpful to you and your freelance team.

Want your freelancers to get started with their services today? Consider adapting Paymes! Paymes is a social commerce solution that allows freelancers to get paid for the services that they provide. It’s a great way to give your freelancers the business and financial independence that they need to get their feet wet in the industry!

Jenny Han
Jenny Han is a recruiting analyst and writer for Top essay writing services and Via Writing. She loves writing articles about latest trends in business and helping companies handle their management and teams. Also, she is a proofreader at Academadvisor.

Have you struck out on your own and become a freelancer? There are more people than ever before working for themselves, thanks to the pandemic and a real rethinking of work should be. As such, there are new freelancers out there such as yourself that may be making common mistakes. Here are some of the mistakes you should be avoiding as a freelancer, and how to do so.

1- Starting Off Without Savings

One of the first things you should have in place as a freelancer is savings. When you’re working for yourself, you won’t have the security of an employer paying your wages for you, on time every month. If you have a dry spell, you need to be able to cover your expenses. So many freelancers start out without having that in place.

As a freelancer, it’s advised that you should have around three to six month’s worth of funds saved up and ready to use, should you need to. If you’ve already started and haven’t got those funds, you can start saving now as the sooner you start, the better. As you’re most likely working on your own, you’ll have small overhead costs so you should be able to do this.

2- Going With The First Customers You See

As you’re a freelancer now, it’s so easy to start taking on any work you can get. After all, you don’t want to go a day or week without work coming in, so it’s tempting to take work even if it’s not your forte. That’s a mistake for new freelancers though, as it dilutes your work, and you’ll likely be taking on work you’re not enthusiastic about.

If you do need to keep work coming in you can take the first client you see, but you shouldn’t make it a habit. You should look for clients whose interests and values align with your own.

3- Not Charging Enough

This is is such a common mistake that so many freelancers make. As you’re brand new to the business, you feel as though you should charge less so you can get those customers. However, as the saying goes, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Some customers may even avoid you, as they’ll feel those low prices are suspicious.

Do your research, and find out what your work is worth. “It’s so important not to underprice yourself” says Anna Stevens, a freelance writer at OXEssays and Revieweal. “Good customers will understand the importance of paying for good work.”

4- Not Being Strict On Payments

Another common issue freelancers have is getting payments on time. It’s so common for invoices to be sent out, and you’ll be waiting for payment weeks or even months later. That means that you have to keep chasing those payments up, which takes precious time.

There are ways you can get around this. Putting payment time frames into your invoices is one way of getting paid on time. Using an online payment gateway like Paytabs is another, as all payments can be handled on one platform. Ensure you’re strict about getting payment on time, so you don’t miss out.

5- Not Managing Your Time Well

Now you’re a freelancer, you’re the only person responsible for the way you manage your time. As such, time is very much money, and you need to ensure that you’re managing your time correctly. If you have periods of time where you’re not actively working on projects, then that will affect your bottom line.

“There are lots of ways that you can manage your time as a freelancer” says Adrian Savidan, a business blogger with Assignment Service and Stateofwriting. “You’ll need to find the method that works best for you.” For example, only accept realistic deadlines, and ensure that you take breaks so you don’t burn out as you’re working.

These are some of the most common mistakes that new freelancers are making right now. As a newcomer to this way of working, use the advice here to take care of yourself, and ensure that you get the most out of the work you do. Avoid these mistakes and you’ll be ready to rise to the top.

Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller is a writer with Education Essay and Essay Help. where she covers freelancing and time management. She’s also a blogger for Big Assignments.