I thought I would share a little bit about my workflow and some of the tools I use day in and day out to run my business. As a web designer, a good part of my day is spent online, so it makes sense that all of my tools are web applications themselves.

Invoicing – Pancake

Like a lot of freelancers I started out using Freshbooks to handle invoicing. I soon discovered that in addition to their monthly fee (about $20 a month which is reasonable), there were other limitations that came along with a hosted solution. Not only did I not completely “own” my data, I discovered I couldn’t truly delete invoices or make other changes that I thought I should be able to make. That’s where Pancake comes in. Pancake is a self-hosted app (installed on my server, not theirs) that lets me customize everything to my hearts content. The best part is I pay a once-off fee and that’s it.

Time Tracking – Pancake

Another feature that Pancake takes care of for me is time tracking. I can set up a project, create tasks within that project (design logo, create HTML) and track the amount of time it takes to complete each of those tasks. After I’m finished I click a button and an invoice is created for me automatically.

File Sharing – Dropbox

Whenever I start a new project with a client I’ll have them install Dropbox on their computer and set up a shared folder. This way, any content that I need for the site is automatically made accessible through an easy to use folder system that we’re all familiar with already. It’s a free service for up to 2GB storage and is really a seamless way to manage files across different computers and devices. You can sign up here through my affiliate link (I get a little bit of extra storage).

Google Reader

Google Reader has two purposes for me. One is to keep up with the latest design and web news from tons of blogs, and the other is to have an aggregate list of freelance job postings that I can submit my portfolio to. Sites like Freelance Switch, Authentic Jobs, Krop, Smashing Magazine, and even Craigslist can have high quality work opportunities for experienced freelancers. Google reader allows me to sort through them all in a timely and efficient way.