Even before the pandemic began, online jobs and businesses were already everywhere. For most freelancers, working in the comfort of their homes is a great convenience. Payments are reasonable, especially when compared to their daily expenses. Freelance writers earn an hourly rate of $23.89, depending on their experience level. Meanwhile, graphic designers may earn an average rate of $196 per hour.

Taken From Payscale

Now that we are still amid the pandemic, more businesses and employees are going online. With the Great Resignation trend, more freelancers are jumping on the online employment bandwagon as well. As the market continues to expand, more opportunities are cropping up. But, the competition is becoming tighter.

To keep up with this trend, you must have the best resources to entice more clients. Here are the best tools you can utilize for your online side hustle:

WordPress

WordPress has always been a favorite content management system. Over 40% of the Internet is using this tool. It can help you manage your web content using its easy-to-use features for free. It is a robust yet straightforward website-building framework. Moreso, you can add thousands of amazing themes to it for free as well.

LeadPages

LeadPages is a handy tool for those who do digital marketing and SEO content. It makes your content as straightforward and fool-proof as possible. It also helps with its structured HTML, so you will not waste time coding or building landing pages. Hence, whatever page on your website, load speeds, and responsiveness may improve.

The only downside of using LeadPAges is that you must have a budget for this tool. But, you can enjoy unlimited access to all its features for 14 days.

Kanban Boards

From Gantt Charts, project management tools evolved into Kanban boards and other SaaS tools. These tools help you track your workflow and productivity. With or without members to lead, online hustles may require you to complete many tasks at times. With Kanban Boards or other advanced SaaS tools, you can check the progress of your project.

Kanban Boards can work hand-in-hand with time tracking tools. You can determine what aspects to improve to keep up with the fast-paced environment. Their advantages are more visible when delegating tasks and even merging projects. Moreso, these can help you improve time management and make things easier after your 9-5 work.

Docracy

Whether it is a full-time or freelance job, an employment contract is a must. It ensures that the employer provides what we promised to the worker. In turn, the worker must conform to the stipulations there. It maintains trust between the two parties and ensures that both are benefiting from it.

As a freelancer, an online contract is often sent via email and signed by an e-signature app. You can keep it there once you send it back to the employer. But if you are working for multiple employers, it can be hard to track them.

For this reason, it is a must to have a tool that stores legal documents. Docracy is a popular online collection of free legal documents. Here, you can find freelancing contracts, non-disclosure contracts, and the like. This platform also allows you to sign them using digital signatures.

If you are running a business, Docracy is also a great choice. Businesses have more legal documents, so having this tool helps.

In 2020, about 30% of businesses were Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) operating online. Most of them were startups and small to medium-scale businesses. It is becoming a popular trend because it allows safe operations and has lower expenses.

As such, it is no longer a surprise that the number of LLCs is growing. If you are also thinking of forming an LLC, look into Wyoming vs. Delaware LLC. Although Delaware remains the domicile of choice for many LLCs, Wyoming may be better.

Here’s a breakdown of the tradeoffs:

Filing and Annual Fees

Delaware has a  lower filing fee of $90 compared to Wyoming at $100. But, the annual fee of Wyoming is only $50 while Delaware charges $300.

Taxes

Both states do not levy state income taxes on LLCs. Wyoming charges lower taxes, but Delaware provides more tax benefits.

Efficient Process

Delaware has a more efficient registration process. It may be the reason why many LLCs favor it. Moreso, those who want to convert themselves into a C Corp are better off in the state. Meanwhile, Wyoming has less paperwork and has more protection policies.

LLCs have legal documents to accomplish and keep. These include the Articles of Organization and annual reports. If you do not have a registered agent to handle these, having Docracy is a practical move.

Clearbit Connect

If you are new to the freelance world, then Clearbit Connect is a great fit for you. It is a Gmail plugin that can help you find potential clients and their contact info. As you can see, it makes things easy since you do not have to go through many pages. You do not have to check them one by one since all the info you need is available in this tool.

By searching names or job titles, you can get their corporate email address. You can also view social media accounts like Twitter handles and LinkedIn profiles. It also provides their business or company address, capital, and employees. It has payment, of course, but the free version gives 25 free searches every month. Not bad, right?

Blog Topic Generator

Blog Topic Generator is a good friend of many bloggers or freelance writers. No matter how amazing you are as a writer, some days are not as fruitful as others. Sometimes you find yourself running out of fresh ideas and creative juices. Worse, you have deadlines to meet.

With Blog Topic Generator, you will have instant ideas for your content. You may enter three keywords and find tons of suggestions. Hence, it is a great tool to counter writer’s block.

Logo Generator

It is important to have a logo to establish your identity, especially if you have a business website. Hiring a professional logo designer can be expensive. Yet, Logo Generator allows you to create an original logo in a few minutes. Choose your preferred icon and font for caption and download them.

Text Expander 

Text Expander enables you to customize keyboard shortcuts. It saves time when sending emails, chats, and even documents. For example, if you type ‘sig’ for signature, it will populate your name and business name.

PayPal

Most freelancers and online businesses are using PayPal to receive payments. With this app, you do not have to install or create an account on invoice-generating apps. You can create invoices using PayPal and send them to your clients. Moreso, it will notify you via email once you receive the payment. You can check your transaction history to verify your payments and earnings. If your client is from another country, you can convert foreign currencies.

OkayRelax

OkayRelax is an affordable app or tool used as a virtual assistant. It helps you run reports, research companies, and format blog posts. Instead of hiring someone to do these, you can have this app to save more.

Having an online side hustle can help meet your expenses and sharpen your skills. It can be more challenging now, given that more people are doing the same thing. Yet, there are excellent tools out there to help you get ahead of the competition. They can help you improve your performance, reach more leads, and get more clients.

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