Get Clients NOW Using This Checklist for a Successful Freelance Business [Financial Freedom]
What are the few key essentials needed in order to start and grow a successful freelance business?
If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by the thought of starting and scaling a freelance business, this episode tackles that exact problem by cutting through the noise to show you what truly matters so you can build something reliable, professional, and sustainable.
By the end of this episode you will find:
Clarity on the exact foundational tools and systems you need (and what you can ignore)
A mindset shift that helps you treat freelancing like a real business instead of a side hustle
A practical checklist to identify gaps that may be limiting your growth and income
Play this episode NOW to pinpoint what’s missing in your freelance setup and start building a business that actually works for you.
Connect with Kiri, the host:
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Episode Transcript:
[00:00] Take a listen to this episode to find out the top eight essential items you need in order to build a successful freelance business. Welcome to the Freelance to Freedom Podcast. This podcast helps early freelancers learn how to get more clients with clear strategies that help your freelance business make more money in less time. I'm your host, Keiri Mohan, founder of Flourishing Freelancer. Let's dive in.
[00:23] By the end of this episode, you're going to find out what exactly you need to build a successful freelance business, what you need to do in order to shift your mindset to take this seriously, and what you need outside of just Internet and a laptop. Welcome back to the show. I'm going into something super tactical today, which was a question I had often when I was first starting to freelance, which is
[00:45] what the heck do I actually need in order to freelance successfully? Right? Because there were so many different opinions out there of all the things you need, quote, unquote. But, really, when it comes down to what do I actually need, right, to be successful. And there's a difference between, you know, a successful freelance business and just a freelance business. Right? Or even just being a freelancer.
[01:09] So I have here about eight things that I think you definitely need to have in your business in order to be successful if you're just starting out or even if you've been doing this for one or two years. Just go through this checklist with me and be like, yes, yes, no. I got that. I don't have that because this is gonna really help you.
[01:29] Okay. Number one is you need Internet. No joke. You need Internet. And I know that seems obvious, but really that is the number one priority in order to run any kind of virtual or remote business is Internet nowadays. So make sure you have a steady, reliable Internet connection. And bonus, I would recommend paying for a hotspot on your phone because there are
[01:51] times when the Internet is going to go out. And I have totally regret it. Or I've been at my daughter's ice skating lesson or game or whatever, and I'm like, hey. I could actually get some work done. There's not much going on. And then I tried to open my laptop, and I didn't have a hotspot, and it was a mess, and I was really angry. Anyway.
[02:06] So, yeah, bonus hotspot on your phone, I think. Do you need it right away? No. But Internet, definitely, because that's where all your worker walls are. Number two, invest in a laptop. Okay? And invest in one that's a thousand dollars plus. I know I hate saying that. But I have worked with laptops, and they're not great, and they cannot keep up with you and what you need to do
[02:29] as a freelancer, if you're in the design space or have any heavy software or tech space. Right? Like, you need to have a laptop that it's going to be functioning properly and reliable, and that's gonna be a thousand dollars plus. Alright? No Google Chromebooks here for you guys. No. Thank you. Make sure you're investing in a good laptop, not just your phone.
[02:48] I mean, I know one person in my entire time of doing freelancing who started their business from their phone and was able to get clients, and they completely mastered Instagram. And that's why they were able to do all that. But let me tell you. Mm-mm. Much better to have a laptop. Number three, Internet security. You want to pay for some kind of Internet security because
[03:11] you're gonna be dealing with client information, and you don't want people stealing that. You just like, I don't know anyone nowadays who would work without Internet security. That sounds crazy to me. But I guess if you're trying to save money, that's something you might skip out on. Don't. There's plenty of relatively inexpensive options out there that give you the basic protection that you need. Make sure you invest in them.
[03:32] Alright? Internet security is super important. Number four, get a business name. And if you choose to just use your own name, that's fine. But I would say get an actual business name if you know exactly what you wanna do and what you're doing. And most of the people I coach come from a, you know, a corporate background that where they do know exactly what they're gonna
[03:53] transfer and how they're gonna take those skills and use them in the online business world. So get an actual business name. Alright? Choose one and buy that domain name as well. So when I started out, I had to all the names I thought of were taken. And I was on GoDaddy just typing them in until eventually I found something. Okay? Now you can always do a DBA later doing business ads.
[04:14] That's what I'm operating under right now. But make sure you get a business name because that does a night have a nice mindset shift for you. Number five, register your business. Once you have that business name, register your business. Do either a sole proprietor or an LLC. Now the differences are that an LLC does cost more money. You can do it in a different state, but you need
[04:37] to have a registered agent, but it protects your personal assets. So if a client ever comes after you and decides to sue you, your your house will be protected. Your cars will be protected. All that. To me, that's worth the price. But if you're just starting out and you're like, hey, I don't even know if this is gonna work out.
[04:52] Go with sole proprietor. That's also what I did. And I also was like, I don't know if this is gonna work out. And guess what it did? So then when it became successful enough, I decided to shift to actually, you know what? That's not even true, guys. So it wasn't when it became successful enough. It was when I made a huge mistake for a client and I thought he
[05:08] was going to sue me. And I was so nervous about that that I ended up being like, oh, God, I should have done an LLC. What was I thinking? I shouldn't have done an LLC, especially since I had money from my corporate job. Why was I trying to be cheap? Really, I recommend an LLC at all times because you never know.
[05:23] Right? You never know. And it's better to have your personal assets protected. Number six is I do say have a separate bank account. Again, a lot of these things go into the mindset shift. Do you need it to start out? No. But do you wanna be taken seriously? Yes. I had a client go with me because my business was registered as an
[05:45] LLC. That's kinda going back to the last point. But she was like, oh, I saw that you were serious about your business and your future. And then attach that is the business bank account. As you grow, you're gonna get more busy. You're gonna have more things to do. And the last thing you wanna do is go get a business bank account. Now a lot of people say to
[06:02] me, but, oh, there's fees. Guess what? A lot of local banks, like so not Bank of America, not Santander, not MT MT big, whatever, Citizens. A lot of those are big. Go for a local bank that is nearby, and a lot of them will give you a business bank account with no fees or they'll waive them entirely because they wanna support you as a local business.
[06:22] So that's my pro tip there. Go get a business bank account. Make sure that, you know, you're set up with no fees and do it early as opposed to later on. Now I I do not think you need a business credit card right away. Like, there's a lot of people who might maybe recommend that for points. And, yeah, eventually you probably should. So you can get more points.
[06:43] However, a debit card works fine in the beginning, and they'll give you a debit card with your business bank account if it's a checking account. Right? So just make sure that you have that business debit card that you can use. Number seven, contracts. Often overlooked, and I feel like newbie freelancers just take the client's contract and don't care. But without your own contract, when you get clients, your
[07:06] boundaries and guidelines and how you're gonna operate your business, you have nothing to stand on. And I've done episodes all about contracts and why you need them, and they're there if you wanna find them. We'll link it in the show notes for, like, what you need in your contracts. But having your own contract shows the client that you're serious, that this is your business, and you have rules on how you're gonna
[07:28] operate this business, and you have boundaries that they shouldn't step over. Okay? My flourishing freelancer program has tons of great templates that you can just plug and play and put in what you need with all the essentials in there that I talk about. So join the program, and you'll get access to all of those. Number eight, how are you gonna get paid? A lot of people don't really think
[07:48] about that right away, but each payment system takes different amount of fees. Right? So PayPal takes pretty high fees. PayPal wise, if you're international, is not so bad. Payoneer, not so bad if you're international. Stripe, the fees are pretty hefty as well. If you're gonna have them pay you by check, is the client okay with that? A lot of clients, if they're hiring some virtual remote, don't wanna pay by
[08:11] check. So maybe you add an fee to that. There's invoice systems like Invoice Ninja where you can send invoices out for free and connect it to Stripe and other bank accounts where people can pay that way. So just make sure you do that research and find out exactly what you're going to be using. I know people like Wave as well and Fresh Those are popular ones.
[08:29] QuickBooks, obviously, but QuickBooks can be a little bit pricey. But there are free options. Just realize that when they pay you, there's probably gonna be a fee taken out. And you can ask for direct deposit. I ended up getting confident enough that I did start asking for direct deposit. That's something that you can do as well. Those are my eight essentials.
[08:47] The eight things that I think you really need if you're gonna start a successful freelance business and be in this for the long haul. Those are the eight items that I think are important. So to recap, you need your Internet. You need a laptop, preferably a good one. You need internet security. You need to have a business name.
[09:05] You should register your business and have a separate bank account, right? That's important. You don't need a credit card, but a separate bank account. Make sure you have contracts that have your boundaries in them. And then finally, know how you're going to get paid from clients and do your research on that. We've got a tip of the week coming up, and it's a
[09:23] marketing technique that I think will help shift your mindset so that you're able to scale better and get more clients. And next week, the big lesson are going to be the invisible signals that make clients trust a freelancer instantly. So there is less back and forth, less resistance so that you know that they want to work with you when they contact you. My name is Kiri Mohan, founder
[09:45] of Flourishing Freelancer program. I'm so glad you listened to this. If you wanna set up a call with me, I'd love to hear from you. There's a link in the show notes for a free chat. Talk soon. Are you struggling to get the income you desire as a freelancer? Download my money mapper for a clear view of the earnings you need to achieve
[10:02] your dream salary. It calculates monthly income while factoring in taxes, expenses, and the best part is that it grows with your business to include contractors and a SEP IRA. Head to the link in my show notes to calculate what you should be earning to start increasing your income.
