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  • Jun16

    As you will recall in my last blog post, I shared my thoughts about Billings, an invoicing and time tracking application available for Mac and iPhone.

    Today I would like to point out 3 online services I use to help manage my freelance business.

    Web Forms

    Some time ago, I was looking for a way to capture information from prospective clients who were interested in my video services. Though I don’t remember how i found it exactly – probably through a google search – I found a service called Wufoo. Though it had a funny name, I quickly realized that it had just what I was looking for.

    You see, Wufoo makes it easy to create html web forms. That’s important for users who don’t have access to php or those who don’t understand how to use it. The company has an easy to navigate website, so you’ll be setting up your form in no time. They also have templates that are also helpful. A huge time saver.

    Wufoo has several plans that should fit most users. They even have a free plan so you can try it out for yourself.

    I use Wufoo to design client satisfaction surveys…. Which leads me to the next online service I use for email marketing.

    Email Marketing

    After I found a solution for online forms, I needed away to reach my client base with promotions, surveys and newsletters. So I began my search again and found Mad Mimi, another easy to use online utility.

    Mad Mimi makes it easy to create professional looking email promotions and newsletters. This is key – while I’m happy to learn new stuff, being able to get to work within a few minutes really boosts my productivity (and confidence) and keeps me moving.

    So after i set up a free account at Mad Mimi, I opened up Photoshop and created some fancy web banners and added them to my first promotional email. It really only took me a few minutes and I was sending my first email blast.

    Like Wufoo, Mad Mimi has a few pricing options for the casual user to the power email marketer.

    Book Keeping

    Since I do most of my book keeping within Billings, I haven’t had a real need for another book keeping system.  I simply use reports in Billings to list my expenses for tax season, print them and send to my CPA.  However, this year I began hiring other freelancers to help me with certain projects. Since they’re working for me as freelancers, I’m responsible for filing a 1099 for each person who works for me.

    Enter Outright.com.

    Outright is pretty cool. The company’s focus is to help small businesses and freelancers by providing tools that will help them organize their business and prepare for tax season (quarterly and end of year). They offer tax forms like W-2s and 1099s and for a very reasonable price will do some of the grunt work for you – like send out 1099s in January and remind you of estimated tax due dates.  Another great thing about Outright is that it integrates with Freshbooks, shoeboxed.com and PayPal, among others so you don’t have to worry about manually entering data multiple times. Pretty cool huh?

    Your Turn

    What solutions have you found for managing your small business? Have you considered email marketing and online book keeping?

  • May21

    I’ve been meaning to write the post for several weeks now.  I’m finally doing it.

    Early on as a part-time freelance videographer, I began the search for a solution that would handle my invoicing and accounting needs.  I looked at QuickBooks, but I discovered that was more geared for larger operations.  As a one-man-band, I needed something that was simple and easy.

    So I stumbled on Billings 3. And I’m really glad I did.

    Developed by Marketcircle based in Toronto, Billings 3 handles all of my key needs.  First, like many freelancers, I need to track billable time.  When I’m editing a project or designing a motion graphic, I need to be able to track how long I spend on each task.  With its menu bar timer, Billings makes it easy for me to track the time I spend on those tasks.  I can also pause the timer if I have to take a phone call or get a cup of coffee. Billings even recognizes periods of inactivity and can automatically pause the timer just in case you forget to!

    Secondly, Billings 3 offers a powerful invoicing tool. Though it’s very simple to use right away, it’s powerful enough to grow with you as your needs change.  It ships with several pre-designed invoice, estimate and statement templates so you can get started quickly.  It even allows you to create your own layouts using its design module.  Although Billings 3 ships with some great looking templates, you may wish to design your own templates to match your company’s branding.  That’s no problem because Billings accepts PDFs.  I simply designed an invoice in Photoshop, saved it as a PDF and imported it into Billings.

    Another great thing about invoicing in Billings 3 is that it’s super easy to send an invoice.  When you setup a working slip and complete a task, Billings automatically adds it to the client’s invoice.  When you’re ready to bill your client, you simply click the “Send Invoice” button.

    You can email your client, print the invoice and even send reminder statements.  Before you send it, you can even personalize it with a short note.  Even cooler, if you need to bill a client regularly, Billings 3 allows you to send recurring invoices so you don’t forget to bill a client.  This could be especially useful for web designers who help maintain a client’s website on a monthly basis, or an attorney who works on retainer.

    Billings 3 also gives you a powerful set of reporting tools designed to help you know who owes you, and how much.  During tax season this year, I found the reporting tools to be especially helpful while preparing my taxes. I simply generated a quick report of the years income vs expenses and printed the report for my records.

    Finally, one of the coolest things about Billings 3 is the ability to sync with its companion iPhone app (sold separately on the App Store).  Billings Touch gives you the ability to track time, mileage, and expenses on the iPhone. With the paid app, you even get the ability to send invoice directly from the iPhone.

    One criticism I have about the invoices in Billings Touch is the lack of options or capability of designing custom invoices.  You’re stuck with only 3 options.  For that reason, I only send invoices from Billings 3 and use Billings Touch to track time and expenses when I’m away from my Mac.

    Billings 3 is one of the best solutions I’ve found for tracking time and invoicing clients.  It’s simple to use and since it takes only a few minutes to create invoices and statements, I can do what I do best and let Billings handle the rest.

    UPDATE: Marketcircle has plans to release a multi-user version of Billings.  Visit their website for more information.

  • Feb26

    Ever tried to carry a couch by yourself? Kinda tough right? I mean, there’s just no easy way to do it. Sure, you can lift one end. You can move it around the room by yourself, but there’s just no practical way to lift the couch and carry it.

    So what do you do? Go out and buy a fancy lifting device with wheels? Nope, you ask a friend for help.

    The Project

    I recently completed a video project for a client across the globe. My initial estimate for the project was 18 hours from start to finish, including organizing material, editing, color grading, and 2 modifications. I got to work and quickly realized my client needed updates at each stage of the project and requested changes at each stage before moving to the next stage.

    Suddenly, 18 hours didn’t look so accurate.

    Since the project was heavy with text/graphic elements, each change required a render/export. The dilemma: the rendering/exporting process was about 2 hours each time. I needed a way to share the load – fast.

    The Research

    Thinking about my options, I researched the topic and realized I could utilize my multi-core MacBook Pro more efficiently. Here’s what I found: apparently, my Mac wasn’t utilizing all of the available resources, making my export times slow. And, by making one simple change, I could potentially speed up the process.

    Here’s the deal: In his article at kenstone.com, Tom Stitzer described the process of turning a multi-core MacPro into a workhorse by enabling multiple cores. I’ll let you read the details, but he enabled 7-8 of his available cores on his dual quad-core to achieve faster export times from Compressor.

    The Test

    So I took this into account and applied the concept to my MacBook Pro (it has 2 cores). Instead of using one core to export my 4 minute sequence, I tried using both cores (I increased the number of instances from 1 to 2). The result: export time dropped from 45 minutes to 34 minutes. Not bad.

    What are some of the ways you save time in your workflow?

  • Jan16

    when the idea strikes, you may be tempted to jump right in and start your project without a game plan.  while you can approach some projects this way, others will need more careful planning to be successful.

    WHAT’S YOUR POINT?

    your key message must be precise.

    for a media project to be effective, your audience needs to know what you’re trying to say. there’s no room for being vague.  either you know what you’re trying to say, or you don’t.  if you don’t, write it down, brainstorm, talk it out – whatever.  but don’t move forward until you know what your audience needs to know.

    ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?

    guys, have you ever seen a commercial that was clearly intended for some one else?  you know, you’re watching a game and an ad for one of those “ladies products” comes on…  the point is, if your message is clear, but you’re not telling the right people, you’ve wasted a lot of time and energy.  before moving forward with your project, it’s a good idea to pin-point the group of people you want to reach.

    CONSIDER THE BIG PICTURE?

    sometimes getting your ideas on paper can really help set the perspective.

    think about it. some ideas are huge.  maybe your idea of a commercial will require multiple actors.  not just the two or three doing the talking, but also the people in the scene walking down the sidewalk, or sitting at the next table in the restaurant.  maybe you’ll need explosions or a rain truck or people dancing in the street…. whatever that big idea is, have you considered all of the details?

    i’ve had clients come to me with huge ideas only to realize it was too big for the budget and time constraints they were working with. consider the big picture… write it down.

    FINALLY, WHO CAN HELP?

    if you’re a business owner, you probably know the importance of getting the right people for the job.  instead of pulling people from your office who may not have the expertise for the project, consider hiring a freelancer to handle your project.

    freelancers have the tools they need to do the job well. the right freelancer for you business will be a motivated expert in the field and have plenty of experience doing the job you want him/her to do. and your business may qualify for tax rebates for hiring a freelancer to handle the project.

    before tackling your next media project, be sure to slow down and plan a little.

  • Jan15

    There has been no other couple I’ve enjoyed working with more than Ben and Erin for their wedding video. Erin is a distinguished disigner (link below) and her company has been featured in many magazines. Erin and Ben gave me much freedom in capturing and presenting their wedding video. (Trailer coming soon).

    Lucky-Luxe.com

  • Jan15

    Clint Barr, owner of Raising the Barr Fitness, asked me to produce a fast-paced video for his website that reflected the intense bootcamp program his fitness center would soon be starting. With one phone conversation and a one-week deadline, we planned the project out. I shot the video and the next day, Clint had it – well within the deadline.

    Check out his website here or view the video here

  • Jan15

    Welcome to my blog! Here I’ll share ideas regarding new media, and how organizations and small businesses can utilize it to improve communication and increase exposure.  I invite your feedback.

    The blog is the first to go live.  Later, I’ll post a resources page and some other cool stuff.  I have some more things to do before the site is complete, so bare with me.

    Until then, I welcome your feedback and I hope you enjoy my articles.