Jesse Says It

1. Google 

If Google were to go away tomorrow, I would utterly fail as a freelancer. The majority of my personal and professional life takes place within the Google ecosystem. I use Google Docs as my primary word processor, Google Calendar to organize assignments and meetings, Gmail to manage over a dozen email accounts with well over 30 filters to keep the experience nice and organized, and Google Voice for both my personal and professional telephony services.

Everything Google offers is free and indispensable to my daily routine. Yes, Google knows more about me and my digital habits than even I do, but this invasion of privacy is worth the price because of the interconnected-ness of the Google ecosystem. Everything I do is available from any computer or smartphone with Internet access. I use multiple computers throughout my day and the ability to access my files from any of them – or even on the go with my smartphone – is essential.

2. Tumblr 

Tumblr is my blogging platform of choice. It doesn’t have the most features, and it certainly has its downfalls, but it does what it does really well. I manage several blogs from a single interface. The ability for other Tumblr users to follow my blogs and access my content directly from their Dashboards, as well as its tight Twitter integration, makes it the perfect platform to spread my work without much afterthought.

3. Shoeboxed

I hate paper. My digital life is organized down to the last kilobyte, but I have yet to find an organizational system for my physical documents that works for me. With Shoeboxed, I can scan all of my documents, receipts, expense reports, contracts, or any other document and have it analyzed and organized for me. I use the free option, which allows for 5 automatic document processings (which includes OCR and verification). The service also offers a premium version that bumps that number up to 500. Once you use your allotted processings, you can still upload your documents, you’ll have to manually tag everything. Google Docs can work in a similar fashion, but I prefer the organization Shoeboxed offers.

4. Billing Boss

While I love the freedom freelancing affords me in terms of choosing my work hours, working around my academic and personal responsibilities, and not having to deliver pizzas or up-sell to customers, I really hate having to chase after my paychecks. Invoicing. No one likes doing it, but it’s one of those things that has to be done. Billing Boss is my invoicing service of choice. The service is completely free and offers unlimited invoices (unlike some of the more popular services such as FreshBooks, which only allows a few free invoices per month), and allows invoicers to send unbranded emails, accept payments online, and keeps track of all payments. All for free. It’s really amazing. The one thing the service doesn’t offer that I would really like is the option to pay a small fee for them to print and mail a physical copy of the invoice to your client. Other (paid) invoicing services do offer this feature, but Billing Boss does give you a PDF of the invoice, so it’s not difficult to print and sent it yourself. In short – it makes my life much easier.

5. Cardcloud

It doesn’t happen often (given that I don’t leave my house unless I’m absolutely forced to do so), but every once in a while, I run into a potential client in the wild. I don’t use paper business cards because we all know how well those work. You give it to the client, they throw it in their wallet or purse and it’s never seen again. Instead, I use Cardcloud, an app for iOS and Android that allows you to create a business card and send it to another person. If the other person has the Cardcloud app on their device, you can send it using the app’s location-based connection. More than likely, though, the other person won’t have the application install on their phone. In that case, you can email it to them directly from the app. All you have to do it ask for their email address. They’ll instantly receive a message with your business card in the email itself and as .vcf (vCard) that can be imported directly into their email client’s contact list.

So there you have it – 5 absolutely essential tools for freelancers. Now go be productive!

For those who don’t know, I use Google Voice for everything. It’s the perfect way to organize any phone calls, text messages, or voicemails I receive. 

Its transcription service leaves a lot to be desired, though. But that’s okay because it can provide you with a good laugh I woke up to this voicemail/transcription from a friend:

What’s up there here and we’re just calling to see what’s up. I’m going to give me a hey but I don’t know what I’m saying, emmanuelle International as well and you know miss you and have a small you know that Haitian and It’s Well, I would come out and I’m calling you later bye bye, night is very busy day. So and I was where I will be so I want to commit to coming in by thing that is so you can just was you knew about it. Now it’s those not, and I’m gonna be able to get this man this who Rhode Island Railroad. So anyway, I wanted to know. Norton and we haven’t heard from man reading about it anyway. And my forever. My right now And no I didn’t even really. I’ve read when you get together with Joe. He which means that he will be. Hey more intricate heart. We in main people. Sean what we will be somewhere frequently as well as, and I mentioned excited because I love you see, hey and tell him I have a so i decided i’m going to be. Hey sorry sir. Well and. Hey, I just loved having Nicky, it’s just not going to you know. But I feel like I guess I know that every time I wanted to be here all day last amount street. I would be happy for right now we’re and I read that doesn’t mean Bright Star 11th and my with managers and ask for a while and I read the latest vampire guys both of them spam and for ever, which I’m so I’m on the Pam in a little bit and Cathy about non my phone number if you And lastly it right and I haven’t had a little bit. You know I’m I’m on my voice, Michael from makita. I’m being here in Reliance, but I’ve never actually been and I was because I’ve come to it if you could character, then broke. There’s there’s Not sure what that says about me or something about the male population improved, and there 9 appealed to me. This guy has been playing right now, and I’ve been working at the lab, anyway. All that any anywhere in the wedding ring like the HI, My name is Greg coming to your message in error and I don’t know if I could go for that. Anyway, God, I think I might be a rock that I have. I’m gonna do and i just something to him I do still round of people. I just want to go ahead and I drove around for a I don’t mean anything. But I think, and I’m sort of thing, and something but. This site vessel is locked up tight. And the.

Got your voicemail or like that man house, there is anyway as I was saying, you can. I feel like in town, they’d like a balance. You know where. It’s like if you’d like he’s thinking you people are in 2 through Dish going to Virginia negative balance. You know like it even got the like. 8 fluid ran or whatever degree program. I don’t, but she didn’t her room. It’s my original quality. But I feel like balance out for rules. So if you have no interest. John, Hannah, and I’m curious. And I’m so over Jamal, given my lack of experiences, that I’m like what balances out for probably 2. I’m not really sure about that. I mean, you’re gonna miss is on the kind of stuff, whenever you you. I don’t know. I don’t know if you’re gonna do. But I don’t know if I mess up. I feel like HI I have definitely lack in experience is to make up for everyone. Over experiencing those things and So if you like I should exiting that you know, and just let me and I had and I just, it’s a pardon me that someone will give me anything that’s gonna happen that it wouldn’t go anywhere but what hang out and what it is. But I’m getting while I’m in my fantasy may be more than I should, like. I saw him I would be able Maria with character America and, I think from now on i me around people they never really gonna You know, Matt’s out til like normally would’ve on him over here and he’s Rosenberg from stuff you know which is bad and what and maybe I send me admitting that, but the fear of my and I guess, that I’m afraid that I don’t know. My life is never gonna amount. So what I Phil and I watch T. V show the report and stuff. So I don’t know my name is fans real life tomorrow or if people just really let me down in real life, and I’ve had site resort to fictional characters. But. Hey Sally, for some some like psychiatrist to figure out our but. But I don’t know what you’re up to you, but I hope you’re having a good day and I just want to. And I was thinking about you And I just wanted to say hello. And we should hang out sometime in the next. Louis. I would do it soon, but I’ve been busy lately. And I’ll probably be business and I suppose. Davis, but at some point when you’re not there and I’m not busy. We should be recommend them under walmart or You know like a movie or something that people our age, do, verifying that too late night in seclusion. Hmm, and bedrooms. You know I’m interested in my bedroom. Users will be there as I can do something.