7 Qualities of Highly Desirable Clients
Self Employed, Small Business Ronika Khanna Self Employed, Small Business Ronika Khanna

7 Qualities of Highly Desirable Clients

When you are a business owner/freelancer, there are few things that are better than landing a great client. Ones that ask great questions, respect our work and make us feel happy to have chosen the entrepreneurial route. Conversely there are bad clients who have unrealistic expectations, are unimaginative and often just plain clueless.

Of course, as the service provider, it is also incumbent upon you to provide an exceptional service. Having a client is not dissimilar from being in a relationship and for both sides to get the most out of it, you must also be responsive, respectful, fair and transparent.

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Employee vs. Self Employed: Criteria and Considerations
Regulatory/Legal, Self Employed Ronika Khanna Regulatory/Legal, Self Employed Ronika Khanna

Employee vs. Self Employed: Criteria and Considerations

For the majority of income earners, employment status is pretty evident.  If you are going to the same place every day,  have an assigned cubicle with a computer and a corporate stapler, and you have a boss that tells you what you need to do, chances are you are an employee.  Conversely if you have several clients, use your own laptop, and are worried about where your next sale is going to come from, you are probably self employed.

There are, however, some workers whose status is not that apparent.  For example you may work from home and use your own computer, but you report to one entity, where someone supervises and directs your work.  In these cases a determination needs to be made as to whether you are an employee or self employed.  It is not enough for the person paying you to determine your classification ; often, payers are biased as they may not want to take on the financial costs and responsibilities of having an employee (explained below).  As such, when in doubt about your status, it is helpful to answer the following questions:

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The Importance of Breakeven Analysis for Business Owners
Accounting, Business Insights Ronika Khanna Accounting, Business Insights Ronika Khanna

The Importance of Breakeven Analysis for Business Owners

When embarking on your new business venture, one of the first and most important concepts that you will be introduced to is break-even analysis which, very simply, is the amount of revenues you need to generate to cover your direct and indirect expenses. A good grasp of this is essential for business owners since even businesses with significant sales revenues can incur losses if they are not able to cover their costs. While break even analysis tends to be used more for businesses that sell physical products, it can also help to the determine the price for services

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Self Employed, Small Business Ronika Khanna Self Employed, Small Business Ronika Khanna

Breaking Up with a (Likeable) Client

Many of us have clients who are annoying, cheap, stupid , high maintenance or some combination thereof.  As a new business owner, we are often stuck with these clients because we need them.  However, we look forward to the day when we will have the thriving business that we so deserve, and fantasize about the spectacular way in which are going to fire them (you can shove your business into your rear orifice etc.)  This is actually a productive fantasy as can help to channel and concentrate anger.  Of course, in the majority of cases, a firing should be conducted with slightly less vigour.

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