Top 5 Online Tools to Help Freelancers Succeed

Freelancing can be an exhilarating, inspiring, and stressful endeavor. Not only do freelancers have to sell the world their craft and hone their skills, but they also have to be business people in their own right. A huge part of being a freelancer is navigating the various business aspects involved and learning how to achieve multiple objectives and tasks best. Many freelancers embrace the freedom and flexibility that freelance life offers, and many invest in online tools to help them succeed.

John Donne once famously wrote, “no man is an island,” and we would extend that to no freelancer. Happily, with these top online tools at your disposal, you don’t have to do it alone.

Here we explore the top 5 online tools that every freelancer needs to explore to succeed.

1. Canva

Canva is an exciting (and free) online design tool, offering freelancers a fantastic platform to build their brand and create the necessary graphics. Many freelancers want to enhance their imagery but cannot pay for costly graphic design services. This is why Canva has earned such popularity. Entrepreneurs can use the platform to design an array of marketing materials creatively. These include:

• Posters
• Flyers
• Logos
• Invitations Presentations
• Letterheads
• Newsletters
• Social media templates (Instagram and Facebook)
• Infographics
• Labels

With numerous free images and templates at your disposal, it is the perfect platform for anyone dabbling in design. Since it is so easy to use, you do not have to have graphic design training to get the best from the platform. This can save freelancers a great deal of time and money and allow them to flex those creative muscles.

2. Indy

Since freelancers have to be business fundis (as well as artists and creatives), many need to utilize platforms that offer multiple business-related functions. Enter Indy. Indy is the one-stop solution for all freelancers, offering a fantastic way to manage various elements of your business. Freelancers and small business owners can easily access a centralized dashboard to navigate and enjoy a full suite of solutions to streamline business operations and support day to day work. The top tools include:

• Central communication hub and chats
• Online calendar
• Contracts
• Forms
• Files
• Invoices
• Proposals
• Time tracker

Freelancers will enjoy this easy-to-use and professional platform, where success and professionality are guaranteed.

3. Trello

Trello is a fantastic collaborative tool for freelancers and remote teams. The platform helps you to streamline projects and assign different tasks to various team members. This creates a clear flow of communication and keeps everyone on the same page. In the age of remote working – where team members might be in various geographic locations – this is a great way to organize projects and ensure accountability all around. Key features include:

• Feedback cards
• In-line editing
• Drag and drop edits
• Easy upload accessibility (to Google Drive and Dropbox)
• Quick and easy file attachment

4. Instagram

Most small business owners or freelancers are probably aware of how significantly social media can drive business success and promote exposure. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer innovative ways to share your work with the world and interact with clients – all the while staying relevant and gaining greater traction. Utilizing these free sites (or paying for paid advertising) offers a brilliant way through which to advertise your brand.

Freelancers can also combine graphics tools like Canva with social media to enhance their brand and visual profile. Developing a brand keeps your business relevant and enhances client recognition.

5. Udemy

One way to enhance your business profile is to invest in your own learning continually. Udemy strives to ‘improve lives through learning’ and allows individuals to expand their repertoire and upskill.  The online open course provider offers a plethora of courses for students and has various career opportunities for freelancers who might want to share their knowledge and skills. The course offerings at Udemy are vast, and popular modules and subjects include:

• Business
• Development
• Finance
• Personal Development
• Marketing
• Design
• Music
• Health and fitness
• Photography and Video
• Music
• Teaching and Academics
• And more

Whatever area you wish to upskill, Udemy has an array of exciting options. Education is key to staying relevant and enhancing business, and utilizing online courses is a great way to broaden your horizons. As Tony Robbins once shared:

Everything in life and business, you only earn more if you become more valuable. Because if you can do more for people than anybody else does, you can prosper. But you can’t do that unless you’re constantly educating yourself with the cutting edge. My whole life, even when I had no money, I would invest in education.

Online learning platforms like Udemy allow professionals to invest in themselves and, in turn, enhance their business.

The Takeaway

Online tools offer a fantastic way for freelancers to streamline their work and achieve tasks professionally and effectively. Whether you need to organize day-to-day operations like invoicing, calendars and proposals, curate branded logos, or engage with clients via social media; there are numerous tools to do so with ease.  Many online tools also have the added benefit of affordability, ensuring guaranteed return on investment (ROI) as time goes by. When operations are automated and streamlined, time is saved, and energy can be focused on those all-important business tasks.

Online tools can happily streamline business success and free up time so that freelancers can focus on essential business objectives and tasks.