So you’ve been downsized. Or you’ve bailed before being booted because you saw the writing on the wall. Or maybe you skipped the steady paycheck for a go at being a freelancer. Whatever the reason you’re out there on your own now, we’ve compiled a list of apps you’ll need to run your web-working business.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, just a sampling of the apps and solutions that we’ve blogged about in the past.
Here’s what the new web worker needs to get the job done well:
Backoffice
1. Invoice management
I can’t run my business without my Freshbooks, but there are many options out there for freelancers to manage invoices and track income and expenses. Some other options we’ve reviewed include:
You can also track expenses with these apps:
2. Time tracking
While Freshbooks does have time tracking, I must confess I’m remiss with tracking my time with a tracker (and yes, even with my cute Freshbooks time tracking widget for Mac OSX). I’ve been a little better lately at guesstimating my time and logging it into my project management system (see No. 7 below), but need to get better at it to understand the profitability of my work projects. Some time tracking solutions we’ve blogged about in the past include:
3. CRM
I have to admit I’m the first to ignore anything that has an acronym. But if you spell it out — Customer Relationship Management — you can see that this is an essential part of building your web working business. I’ve always maintained customer contacts and relationships in an ad-hoc sort of way; now I wish I had started out on the right foot instead of having to backtrack and re-engineer my patchwork system into something more streamlined. Here are some CRM options that are affordable when you’re just starting out. Take a look at our past reviews for:
Some useful apps to complement your CRM efforts include:
4. RSS Reader
A good RSS reader is vital to stay on top of the news, blogs and articles that you need to read to stay on top of your game as a web worker. I am currently using Google Reader and occasionally play with Snackr. Here are some WebWorkerDaily posts offering tips for managing your RSS feeds:
Here are some RSS feed readers, news filtering tools and related solutions we’ve reviewed to drink from the information firehose:
And here are some apps to save something you want to read for later:
ReadItLater, Instapaper, LaterLoop
Communications
5. Email management
Note: I’m a Gmail kinda gal. Won’t touch Outlook. However, my fellow bloggers have reviewed some Outlook add-ons and other email management solutions to wrangle your email communications into submission.
Starting with a good email organization system and the right supplementary tools to manage your email communications is important. As your web work picks up and you juggle multiple projects, you’ll be grateful you set something up early that you are in the habit of using and that keeps your communications in order and easily accessible as needed. Here are some email tips, add-ons and apps we’ve discussed:
and stay tuned for my new post about PostBox.
6. Calls, Conferencing and Instant Messaging
When it comes to video conferencing, I’m toggling between two solutions. Each one works well for me; which one I choose often depends on the other user. Skype was my free long distance call solution for aeons, but now I often turn to Google Talk with video as a quick and easy solution, because it is totally integrated into my Gmail and I don’t have to launch Skype. In fact, I only launch Skype now when I have a scheduled call, rather than running it in the background. Since my Gmail is always open, it is a perfect way for my team members to reach me quickly – usually by IM first and then by video if further discussion is needed.
Here are some voice conferencing and video and voice chat solutions we’ve reviewed:
And check out Four iPhone VoiP services worth ringing up.
Here are some Web conferencing apps worth exploring:
Here’s a helpful web conferencing roundup covering nine tools.
Work Process
7. Project management
For a long time, I was singing the praises of Basecamp, but recently my web working company has outgrown it. I’m no longer flying solo, with a few virtual team members on a couple of projects. I now have a business partner and nine independent contractors working on multiple projects, so we’ve graduated to 5pm. Before deciding on 5pm, we looked at a number of project management solutions, many of which I’ve reviewed in the past. Before you rush over and get an account with the project management system that works for me, check out my post Project Management, Collaboration and How Our Brains Work.
Then take a look at some of these reviews:
And here are some thoughts about alternatives to Basecamp.
8. Calendars and Schedules
I’m currently using doodle for scheduling but my calendaring system is a bit more complicated. Basically, I enter most of my schedule onto my Google Calendar, which is then synced to my iCal on my Mac, which syncs to my iPhone. But I also have my 30Boxes calendar in the mix, although it is beginning to seem redundant as I’ve gotten more used to Google Calendar. Regardless of the app you use, keeping track of your appointments and arranging schedules to sync with others is a major challenge, so having some good tools right away can be very handy.
Here’s a great roundup we did on simple electronic to-do lists, schedulers and reminders, and some ideas for Web-enabling your schedule.
Some calendaring solutions we’ve reviewed in the past include:
And some scheduling solutions:
9. Cloud-based collaboration/doc sharing
These days, I can’t live without my cloud-based workspaces. I’m a Google Docs addict now, and after my business partner’s computer crashed this week, I think she may be a new convert. While some project management tools have collaborative white boards or workspaces, I still haven’t found a solution straightforward and functional as Google Docs.
That said, there are many other document sharing and collaborative space solutions we’ve reviewed in the past including:
And here’s an interesting take on collaboration among dispersed teams, with input from Socialtext’s Ross Mayfield.
10. File storage/backup/sync
I haven’t played around a lot with online file storage or backup and syncing. I’ve been using Apple Time Machine and Time Capsule to take care of my backup needs. In terms of big file storage or sharing, I’ve used YouSendIt to email anything larger than 1MB, but most of my web work doesn’t involved incredibly large files, and when it does, I tend to fall use an FTP site instead.
Here are some online solutions for file storage and backup:
As you can see, there are many solutions to our daily web working challenges. Picking the right solutions for your new web working business sometimes means trying out several – particular if they are free or offer a free trial – to see which ones really work well for the way you like to work. Keep in mind that it’s important to have a scalable system so that, as you grow, you can upgrade easily without having to learn a new, more robust system.
What are some of the must-have applications you’ve found invaluable in your web work?
3jam
Screensharing application 
When I take short, casual-rate jobs I tend to contact the client on a needs basis. But on contract or permanent jobs, I try to be a bit more rigorous. Obviously the need for contact depends on yourself, the client and the work situation. But even if I’m working completely solo, on longer contract jobs I like to try to check in with the client once a day.
Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
