I thought it might be interesting for other freelancers to see behind the scenes of a freelance business. I hope it allows for some helpful comparison for other established freelancers, and as inspiration for those starting out that freelancing can provide a reasonable income.

I originally posted about the finances behind my business in 2016, and I thought it would be helpful to provide an update. These facts and figures are for 2019, prior to COVID. I’m currently projecting our income and profits for 2020 will be about 25% — 30% lower as a result of COVID (hence why an emergency budget is so important).

First, a little history. My wife and I have been running a freelance business for the last 14 years. Until 2016, we focused purely on proofreading and copy editing. In 2016, I decided to add freelance writing to what we offered, mainly to diversify revenue streams. Between 2016 and 2019, we managed to up our revenue each year, both due to taking on more work and raising rates. We work exclusively from home.

Here’s an overview of how we did in 2019, starting with the financials. All figures are approximate, rounded, and shown in US dollars.

Here’s an overview of how we did in 2019, starting with the financials. All figures are approximate, rounded, and shown in US dollars.

Total revenue: $146K

• Revenue from proofreading / editing: $25K
• Revenue from freelance writing: $120K
• Revenue per day from writing: $500
• Revenue per day from editing: $100
• Total revenue per day: $600

Total business expenses (excl taxes): $24K

• Health insurance premiums: $11K
• Accounting fees: $3K (I had some complex tax matters that I resolved in 2019, fees are for that and EOY filings)
• Computer software and subscriptions etc: $2K (SaaS subscriptions, web hosting, etc)
• Bank and credit card charges: $2K
• Office costs: $2K
• Business donations to charity: $1K
• Internet and phone: $1K
• Other expenses: $2K

Total profits (pre-tax): $122K

Taxes (payroll / self employment, federal, state): c. $33K

Take Home Pay after Taxes: $89K, $7.5K a month

Living Expenses: $4.5K a month, $55K a year

• We have paid off our mortgage and don’t carry debt.
• We don’t have kids, which significantly reduces our expenses.
• We do have “emergency” savings to cover six months of expenses.

Disposable Income: $3.3K a month, $39K a year

• We spend 20% — 30% of this on charitable donations, larger projects, and fun stuff.
• 70% — 80% of this disposable income is invested over the medium to long term, mainly in retirement accounts. Only 15 years away from retirement and need to build those funds up!

2019 Revenue by Major Clients

• Currency exchange business: $30K
• Marketing agency for business formation: $26K
• Fiverr Pro freelance platform: $19K
• Marketing agency for cybersecurity and other clients: $14K
• Marketing agency for SaaS: $12K
• Supply chain business: $10K
• Ecommerce marketplace: $8K

Lessons learned

• Diversification — Diversify among niches and clients as much as is reasonably possible. Don’t rely on one particular client for the majority of your income. Needless to say, the currency exchange business that was my biggest client in 2019 has not used me at all since March 2020, due to COVID. I definitely recommend multiple revenue streams for any freelancer, so you can protect your income.
• Independence — The only freelance platform that we use is Fiverr Pro which we were invited to join. Fiverr Pro is for professionally priced freelance services, so we can charge as much on there as we do for off-platform work. We haven’t used other freelance platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.
• Specialization — A narrow focus on specific niches and topics was key to success. On the proofreading / copy editing side, that means non-fiction, medical, and training. On the writing side, that means tech, business, and finance. Specializing means you can often charge more, and helps you get work in the first place.
• Confidence — If you’re good at what you do, have the confidence to ask for higher rates. My B2B clients are happy to pay my rates for the level of service they get. The ideal position to be in as a freelancer is that you set the rates, not the clients.
• Pricing — We always price by the project or per word — That works much better for our clients than hourly pricing. Additionally, if you can work fast and maintain quality, that often results in higher per hour fees. For example, if you can write a 1,500 word blog post for $200 in 90 minutes, that’s an hourly fee of $125. Additionally, I started writing at 10c a word and slowly increased the rate every year, until the c. 35c a word I am on now. That feels like a sweet spot for my current level of expertise, and works for clients.
• Automation and efficiency — Automation is really important. Less time spent on admin means more time that’s chargeable to clients. Key efficiencies for us include IFTTT for scanning job boards and emailing leads, Zapier for transferring information between online services, FreeAgent for accounting, invoicing, expenses, payroll etc, TickTIck for project and task management, and Google Docs for working with clients.
• Finances — It’s really, really important to stay on top of finances, so you can see where you’re making money, your key expenses, your financial outlook etc. We also have around six months of household expenses as an “emergency budget” which definitely helps our peace-of-mind!
• Professionalism — This is vital. Presenting yourself as a professional businessperson, with confidence and poise is vital. In other words, it’s not just about the work itself, it’s about everything around that. Good communications, suggestions to the client, getting contracts in place, always meeting deadlines, following up — It all makes a difference.
• Clients — Do everything you can to find regular clients. One of the biggest time sucks for a freelancer is seeking out new leads and applying to them. If you can get clients who use you on a regular basis, that’s good for your bank balance, and for reducing time you spend looking for new gigs. For me, the revelation was marketing agencies, who find clients for you!
• Finding leads: Find a lead generation tool that works for you. Much of my lead generation came to applying for very specialist jobs through job boards that I was highly qualified for. In 2020, I completely rebuilt my website and portfolio to concentrate solely on inbound leads, and get between 3 and 5 serious inquiries a month.
• Work and life balance — Through all of this, it’s important to keep a good work and life balance, especially in times of COVID!
• Puppies — Pets are a wonder for freelancers. Perfect for the breaks you take, the love you share, and the need to get out and take them for walks (at least for dogs and wombats.) They’re great for mental and physical health.

That’s it! I hope you’ve found this helpful and illuminating, and that it inspires you to success with your own freelance business.