If you are a neophyte graphic designer or freelancer then you are probably one-man army, who single handedly manage all the creative as well as administrative tasks.
You invest your valuable time and money to create something striking for your client and anticipate to foster your business. However, designing skills solely won’t reap you benefits; you need to ensure if you’re business is financially secured. Invoicing is totally a nightmare for artistic professionals; they often foul up with the process. At the outset, when you are a budding business with very limited clients, paper invoicing, excel spreadsheets, bills prepared in form of PDF files, may work for you but as your business starts expanding with increased clientele, the manual or excel sheet process will make the task backbreaking. Eventually, you may end up with substandard and flawed invoices that will hamper your business. Thus, it is sensible to invest in online invoicing software that best suits you as a graphic designer.
There is an array of online billing services available on web but you have to opt for the one which makes invoicing easier and useful for the creative professionals. Usually designers are concerned about price-factor and learning the operation. Since they solely look after their business, they desire for something that is cost effective and easy to use.
Factors to consider while opting for online invoicing software:
Hassle-free billing:
The first and foremost factor to mull over while choosing suitable invoicing partner is usability.
- The application which you look for should be easy to learn and use
- Remember you are going for online process, to make your accounting task simpler, so it will be unwise if you elect for service which is arduous and time consuming
- As the business grows, your goal would be to manage all projects and complete it before deadline, including billing
Professional looking invoices:
Just because you want your invoice to be prepared instantly, you cannot compromise on professionalism.
- Invoice should be clean and precise so that it is easily understood by the clients
- All the necessary details should be included in the bill
- Professional looking invoices ensures smooth flow of cash
Invoices that reflect you brand:
Since you are in creative field, it will be favorable if your bills also reflect your creativity.
- Most of the billing softwares allow users to customize their bills, thus you can include your brand logo, signature, email id etc
- You can also add a touch of your artistic power by incorporating fonts and colors of your choice
Affordability:
For a sole proprietor, it is always vital to look for services that are cost-effective.
- Affordability should be on high priority while choosing for an invoicing system
- Go for software that offers invoicing at reasonable price
Time-tracking system:
Time-tracking is a significant aspect to focus on.
- It will be beneficial for graphic designers to charge the clients accurately, thus time-tracking can be a useful feature
- This feature allows designers to charge the clients on hourly basis
Data security:
Is the data safe? This is an essential question to ask when you search for an invoicing app.
- Mostly go for a service that allows to store the necessary information and data on cloud
- Make sure the online service guarantees safety, data security from theft, disaster management and data corruption
The above guidelines must have made perfectly clear that what kind of invoicing app is apt for you. By following this organized and efficient billing technique, you can speed up your work, ensure timely payments and smooth cash flow that will bolster your business.
