Hi Everyone,
I'm after some advice, I read through some other threads about charging rates and the like which was great but I have a couple more specific questions.

First of all I'm considering doing some Freelance work outside of normal business hours, to see what its like and get an idea of what else is out there. Ideally I'd love to quit my current job (but need to pay the bills first).

From a service point of view what do I need to provide my clients?
I'm thinking
- Invoice
- Work / Product / Service (Of course)

Do I need to register a business name to start doing work? I'm not originally from Ireland so not sure what the legal requirements are.

I guess what I am asking for in a nutshell is what's required of me to get started and what advice can anyone else who's been there done that give me?

Oh and what would a fair hourly rate be for Google Adwords PPC management / set up / maintenance?

1: register a business name ... (not sure how easy it is if you are from aust ?? )
go to CRO - Home ... straight forward enough .. cost you 20 quid

2: if you've registered a business name approach your bank and tell them you want to open up a sole trader business account
(you will need a bit of a business plan but I think AIB have one available for download ... maybe just give them a buzz and ask) separating business money and personal money a good idea ... if you're planning on going full time it makes sense to "pay" yourself X each month based on what you've earned and the rest stays in the kitty (spelling) .. for purchases / expenses and so on

3: once you have your business name I'd recommend you get your .ie domain and .com if you can ... 30 quid and 10 quid roughly ...

4: start doing work for clients ... don't charge too little .. don't charge too much I guess if you're starting you'll be trying to get the name and the business for yourself .. but it really is harder to start charging more later on.

quick books ... with inuit.com .. last year had a starter pack program which allowed for 20 customers ... its basic but its handy... I Might add it was Free

I signed up tonight with goplan.org ... handy for tracking projects ... and you are able to give clients access to see whats happening / add files / add tasks / comments and so on .. could be handy .. I'm going to stick with it for a bit .. and see how it goes

Other advice ... if you're doing local business go local with your hosting ...

any questions just ask ... made mistakes last year .. made good moves .. (first year in business as forbairt media)

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Forbairt Media | Web Design & Development Galway / Dublin, Ireland - coming soon ... ( vague but descriptive isn't it )
Recent Work: Safari Club African Safari Holidays - South Africa Safaris
Other Stuff: FluffyLinkulator Rapid Inclusion Service Tools

Free Starter Version -
Free Accounting Software - QuickBooks - Overview

allows up to 20 customers ... allows you to add logos to your invoices ... not the greatest thing ever but cheap and cheerful

Apart from that you'll want your business cards (I've not used them but vistaprint.ie might be another cheap and cheerful option)

Maybe have a dedicated "work" mobile number as well (though having two mobiles eventually gets to be extremely annoying) At least with it though you can separate work / social life and advertise the work number on your site.

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Forbairt Media | Web Design & Development Galway / Dublin, Ireland - coming soon ... ( vague but descriptive isn't it )
Recent Work: Safari Club African Safari Holidays - South Africa Safaris
Other Stuff: FluffyLinkulator Rapid Inclusion Service Tools

If you're living in Ireland you can register a business name without too much trouble.


I'd strongly recommend that you have a chat with an accountant at some point, as you may miss out on things that are specific to Ireland.

I'd also recommend that you get partial payment upfront, as Irish businesses are notorious for taking liberties with "credit"

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Thanks for the Feedback. I appreciate the advice.

I'll look into registering a business name and possibly speak with an accountant depending on how things go.

I'd strongly recommend this as well ...

depending on the volume of work you're doing I'd hold off on contacting an accountant .... 200 quid to say hello can be a bit pricey

__________________
Forbairt Media | Web Design & Development Galway / Dublin, Ireland - coming soon ... ( vague but descriptive isn't it )
Recent Work: Safari Club African Safari Holidays - South Africa Safaris
Other Stuff: FluffyLinkulator Rapid Inclusion Service Tools

As would I, but I also have a habit of "minding" the domains of clients who dont pay within 30 days of work completion. Unless it's a personal job I normally ask for 25% deposit, with a final just after launch, keeping a seperate FTP login for yourself.

I need to register for self assessement for my nixers and it's hurting my pocket...

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