Ace Your Freelancing Business With Basecamp: The Complete Guide
Today’s freelancer has to have many hats, and it’s challenging to juggle your business while also staying organized. When you have a lot of balls in the air, it’s easy for things to get jumbled or neglected. Basecamp can help you stay on top of things so that you can operate your business effectively, with less stress and more efficiency. Transitioning from working for someone else to freelancing can be a daunting experience for any individual. It requires a transition from being managed by others to becoming your own boss and making your own decisions about work assignments. While this is liberating in some respects, it also presents its challenges as you now need to become responsible for managing multiple tasks at once, which is not something most people are used to doing on a daily basis.
What is Basecamp?
Basecamp is a project management software that provides communication and organization tools for businesses and their clients. It allows you to create projects to assign tasks to team members, track the progress of those projects, and view those projects in one central location — whether you’re on the road or sitting at your home office. It offers an integrated calendar, file sharing, and a messaging system so users can collaborate on projects with team members. It also allows you to set due dates, attach files, add comments, and create checklists. You can also create separate projects to help keep your business organized as you grow and add more team members. Basecamp was founded in 1999, and since then it has grown to become one of the largest project management and collaboration tools for businesses of all types and sizes. It features a very clean, easy-to-use user interface that includes a variety of different color-coded features and buttons.
Why Use Basecamp?
Freelancers have a lot on their plates, and keeping track of all your business and project details can be a challenge. You’ll have many things to juggle as you begin your independent business: managing clients, tracking time and expenses, setting and managing project timelines, and communicating with colleagues. This can be overwhelming without the right tools. Basecamp provides a central location to organize all aspects of your business. You can create different projects — such as marketing campaigns, client work, product development, etc. — and assign tasks to team members, such as graphic designers or copywriting contractors. You can attach files, set due dates, add comments, and create checklists to keep track of your progress. Basecamp offers helpful integrations with other online tools, such as G Suite, Dropbox, iCal, and Outlook. It also has an intuitive mobile app, so you can stay organized on the go.
How to use Basecamp to run your freelancing business
- Choose a plan and account type that suits your needs
Basecamp offers three plans for businesses of all sizes.
- The Starter plan is free
- The basic plan costs $9/month, and
- The Pro plan, which offers more features and functionality, costs $19/month. The more users you have, the more value you’ll get out of the Pro plan.
- Create projects - Create projects to organize different aspects of your business: marketing, client work, product development, etc. These can also be useful for keeping track of different clients’ projects and milestones. Basecamp also allows you to create separate projects for different team members, which is helpful if you have many people involved in a single project. Having a separate project for each team member allows you to keep tabs on all timelines, milestones, and tasks involved in the project while keeping all relevant documents together in one place.
- Assign tasks and add comments - Assign tasks to team members and attach files to track progress. You can also add comments to keep track of important information about a particular milestone or task. This is helpful for keeping tabs on your team members and monitoring the status of their tasks. -
- Track projects and milestones - Use the calendar feature to track project deadlines. Basecamp also allows you to attach files and notes to dates on the calendar, which can come in handy if you have important deliverables due on certain dates. -
- Integrate with other tools - Basecamp offers helpful integrations with other online tools, such as G Suite, Dropbox, iCal, and Outlook. This can be very useful if you’re managing several projects at one time and need to switch between them frequently.
Freelance Business Tools and Tips
- Hire wisely. As your business grows and you hire contractors, managers, and team members, be sure to choose wisely. Be sure to check references, use online screening tools, and review any certifications (such as a contractor’s state license) before making a final decision.
- Create a flexible budget. As a freelancer, you’ll have to be flexible and prepared for the ups and downs of the business. Keep close tabs on project timelines and due dates so that you don’t go over budget and incur penalties from clients who expect their projects to be completed on time.
- Stay organized. When you have many projects, clients, and tasks on your plate, it can be challenging to stay organized. Basecamp can help you stay on top of things so that you can operate your business effectively, with less stress and more efficiency.
Summary
When you’re freelancing, you’ll need to be responsible for managing multiple tasks at once. This can be challenging for most people, particularly if they’re not used to managing projects or working on deadlines. Basecamp provides a central location for you to keep track of all aspects of your business. You can create different projects and assign tasks to team members, keep track of project timelines, and view all projects in one spot. This can be particularly helpful if you have several projects going on at the same time, or if you have multiple team members working on different projects. Having a central hub where you can organize your work, communicate with clients and team members, and track important business dates and milestones can make a significant difference in helping you run a more successful and profitable freelancing business.
Visit: https://basecamp.com/
