Freelancers need to protect their work. There are many ways that freelancers can protect their work, but absolutely no one has a 100% foolproof method of making sure that the work they put out into the world will be protected. Freelancers should take some time to find what works for them and do it consistently. Some ideas include saving early and often, backing up files, looking at contracts carefully, and more!
Save Your Files Early and Frequently
Saving your files early and often is one of the best things you can do to protect your work as a freelancer. By saving your files regularly, you make sure that you always have a copy of your work in case something happens to the original file. You can also make sure that you have multiple copies of your work in different formats so that you can access them no matter what happens.
Back Everything Upon a Daily Basis
Backing up your work is another important way to protect your work as a freelancer. By backing up your files regularly, you make sure that you always have a copy of your work in case something happens to the original file. You can also make sure that you have multiple copies of your work in different formats so that you can access them no matter what happens.
Read the Contract Carefully (and the fine print too!)
Contracts are important for freelancers to read carefully before signing on the dotted line, but not all contracts protect freelancers’ interests equally. Freelancers need to be careful when reading contracts before they sign them because some contracts do more harm than good for freelancing careers. When signing a contract, freelancers should read the fine print and understand every single word in the entire contract before they sign it.
Protect Yourself Online
Freelancers need to protect their work online. Freelancers need to be careful about what they post online. Putting information like your full name, address, phone number, and the like out into the world online can potentially put you in danger. This includes not only social media posts but also other types of posts that may contain personal information.
Clarify Your Policies with the Client
Freelancers should always try their best to let clients know what their policies are on changes to the project. Sometimes clients will ask for changes that are outside of what was originally agreed upon. In these cases, freelancers should be sure to let their clients know about any policies they have on making changes.
Diversify What Your Projects and Client Base
Freelancers need to make sure that they don’t put all their eggs in one basket when it comes to business practices. Freelancers should avoid doing just one thing because if that one thing fails, then they could potentially fail as a freelancer and be out of work. To avoid this, freelancers should diversify their client base and the types of projects they take on so that if certain areas stop working, they still have others to rely upon.
Make Sure You Have Rights to Your Products
Tell clients that you have copyright protection for all work that they purchase. This means that if they post the work on their website without your permission, you can take legal action against them. This isn’t just limited to art and graphics, even for software designers, consulting a software patent attorney is important to protect your most valued products.
Know What Laws Apply to You
Freelancers need to know what laws apply to their jobs to protect themselves from legal problems down the road while working as independent contractors or other types of workers who are not protected by typical employee benefits like health care coverage, retirement plans, unemployment insurance, etc. while working in the employment sector.
Always Be Business-like
Freelancers should always try their best to be professional and businesslike when working with clients. Clients want freelancers to be respectful and understanding of what they are asking for, which means that it’s important for the freelancer to speak in a tone that is understandable and down-to-earth for the client. It’s also important to be clear and concise with your communication.
Conclusion
Freelancers need to protect themselves for a variety of reasons. One of the most important reasons is that freelancers are not typically protected by employee benefits like health care coverage, retirement plans, and unemployment insurance. This leaves freelancers vulnerable if something happens and they don’t have another source of income.
Freelancers also need to protect themselves from legal problems. Often, freelancers are working in legal grey areas where the law may not be entirely clear on how to handle a particular situation. By being aware of the laws that apply to them, freelancers can avoid getting into legal trouble with clients or employers.
