Are you a freelancer? An independent contractor maybe? Basically, if you’re a self-employed person, in general, who offers products and services to people, there are a couple important documents that you should never forget and always have ready in your disposal. As a determining principle, listed and explained below are three of the most imperative documents that could predetermine the progression of your endeavor.
Contract
Having a contract, by law, is binding. Whoever becomes a signatory of the contract shall by all means have to go in accord to what has been written and agreed upon. While this is often used only in long term service usage, you can also write a template contract for your own freelance business, which you can readily discharge should the need arise. Lets take a look at freelance writing sites as an example. Users register as writers while others as requesters. The company, which is the website, has set its policies and regulations, which would include terms such as the need of an escrow by the requester should he hire a writer for a certain project. You can create something similar and get a better sense of safety to the products and or services requested in an order.
W9
Let’s say you’re an established seller, that you’ve been in the business of selling gadgets online. A customer would come to notice that in the description, there is some value added tax upon making an order apart from the shipping and custom fees. This subjects your legitimacy to reproach. Unless otherwise you are able to secure a w9 form and get a TIN attached to the operationality of your business, it is needless of any explanation that your authenticity not be questioned and giving a more positive effect — a sense of reliability. This gives an impression that whatever additional fees it is that you require for the products you sell, it is because you are capitalizing on them in a way resonant to the full legal process of acquiring consumer targeted items.
Receipt Template
Perhaps the most crucial part of being an enterprise system in general would be the part where you get paid. As someone who goes by proper customer relations and business etiquette, you would want to apply the best approach in requesting clients to satisfy their dues. There is no better way around that than through invoicing. Basically, you need to have a receipt template, which would have the logo of your company and other necessary details such as the business phone number. The receipt must contain the products, the quantity of each, and or services that have been used or ordered. It would also have a breakdown of prices for each item, VAT, and a total amount to be paid. Pass it on to the client and with the formality and the decent approach, they will be obliged to meet their end of the deal and thus constitute to the success of every transaction.
Don’t have any invoice and receipt templates yet? Check out the free templates you can use, download as PDF, and send to your clients. Visit invoicehome.com.
