London calling...

As a freelance worker you are effectively going to be your own marketing, accounts and sales departments on top of whatever it is you have already decided you are going to do to make money.

Communicating with clients, especially when you are in a different country is paramount. Ideally you will want to set up a system that works before you move, whilst you are in the process of moving and once you are there.



My recommendation for this would be to do the following two things:

1. Set up a website and email address.

The site doesn't need to be anything special for now, just clearly state your intentions and list your contact details. You can add blogs, applications and search engine optimisation later. The idea at this point is to just get a domain name registered so you can have a you@yourcompany.com email address.

It's a little known secret but Google will let you register a domain cheaply and as a bonus it will come with gmail and google apps already set up.

Gmail is a great email service and I find Google Apps indespensible for remote working. With Google Apps you can create documents and spreadsheets and invite clients to work on them collaboratively with you.

If you don't like Google for whatever reason try GoDaddy.

2. Set up a Skype account

If you don't already have Skype, you should consider it. The main reason for using it in this scenario is that you can set up some SkypeIn numbers (one as a local France number, one as a local UK number and any more countries you have clients in).

This means that people can call you on a (to them) local number and you can route it to wherever you want. Usually your computer, but you can also set it up to forward calls to your mobile.

You could just give out your mobile number, but once you move this will most likely change and while freelancers are super organised at keeping their address books up to date (ahem!) your clients may not be.

You really don't want someone thinking that you've shut up shop when you're just getting started...

Auto-entrepreneurs

Although the French famously have no word for 'entrepreneur' they have just launched a new tax regime that is worth mentioning if you're thinking of setting up a business in France.

The Auto-entrepreneur scheme allows you to set up your business as a 'micro-enterprise' providing trade, crafts or services as either a main or background (secondary) business. As long as your turnover doesn't exceed €32,000 for services and €80,000 for trading you can register as an auto-entrepreneur. If your turnover does exceed these limits you'll need to become VAT registered and possibly register your business under a different regime. However, it still might be a good place to start.

The main advantage of the Auto-entrepreneur scheme is that you can pay your social charges (cotisations) depending upon your actual turnover either monthly or quarterly. Other tax regimes can require you to pay these upfront. Income tax can also be paid in accordance with your turnover.

You can register online for the regime and a lot more information, including getting started guides can be found on the 'auto-entrepreneur' website.

If you're living/working in France and are already registered as an 'entreprise individuelle' it doesn't appear that you can switch to the auto-entrepreneur status, however you can still get some of the benefits by switching to the Régime "micro social" which will allow you to pay your social charges in line with your turnover either monthly or quarterly.

5 business ideas you can start now (even if you're working for someone else)

So, given that there is no right or wrong time to get started in freelancing. It will be worthwhile spending a little time thinking about what you can actually do to make a few pounds or euros.

In my experience I have found it best to be flexible, if an idea isn't working out ditch it and try something else before you end up demoralised and broke.

The ideas listed below are just to get you started thinking about what you could do. They are all businesses you could set up and run on the side without having to quit your day job and should work equally well regardless of whether you have already moved to France or are still thinking about it.

1. Do whatever you do now.

Many careers lend themselves to a more freelance approach. Examples include copywriter, anything in IT, telesales, journalism, PA/secretarial type roles. In fact most jobs can be done perfectly adequately without requiring your presence in an office.

It's worth asking around your contacts (maybe even your current workplace) and explaining that you're looking to take on some out of hours part time work along the lines of what you're currently doing. You'd may be surprised at how quickly this approach can take off.

2. Sell things online

Consider selling a product or range of products online. eBay is a good place to start and the opportunities are virtually infinite. I managed to turn over quite a nice short-term profit during a quiet period by buying broken items on eBay, repairing them and then selling them on again. The problem with eBay is that there's a lot of competition which can drive prices down, so you really need a unique or niche product/service.

If you are of a more crafty/artistic bent and fancy making your own products you could consider etsy, which allows you to advertise and sell hand made items.

3. Teach/Help people

Do you spend all day whizzing around inside Excel spreadsheets? If so, you could consider offering training courses or one-on-one tuition to people who'd want to know how to use it.

How about setting up ADSL modems or home/small office networks for people or tuition in languages, maths, car mechanics, painting, tree surgery, neuro-linguistic programming... Come to think of it, absolutely anything.

Placing a 'Need help with x,y,z?' advert in the local paper will cost you very little and give you almost instant feedback as to how successful your venture will be.

4. Build websites or software.

These are a bit more technical and require some knowledge upfront. Although, if you're interested you could always learn. But there are a lot of small companies without websites and for a reasonable price you could offer to get them up and running with one. Once you've done a handful of these you have a 'portfolio' of work and should find it easier to find more clients and so it goes on.

Software is trickier and unless you are already a programmer it is going to be a steep learning curve. But it can be worth it, for example some very simple yet popular iPhone apps are making staggering profits.

5. Write

Assuming that you are not already a writer you may be amazed to discover that you can get paid for writing about almost anything. Have a look at popular blogs, magazines, websites, newspapers etc. that you are interested in and ask if they accept submissions. Have some article ideas and outlines ready that you can send to them. Be prepared to keep trying and asking around, eventually someone will accept your idea.

Have a look at openings on sites such as Elance. They regularly list writing, technical authoring and translation projects that you could bid for.

You could even look into writing a book, ebooks seemed to be selling well on ebay last time I looked. Or if you prefer paper books, lulu allows you to publish your own creations and, I think, list them on Amazon.

Or, perhaps, write a blog :)

As I said at the beginning, these are just a few ideas to help you get started in thinking about freelancing. There are thousands of different things you could do and you should be able to get them up and running without investing too much (other than a little time).

When is the right time to start freelancing?

Photo courtesy of Iwerzhon Photo

The truth is that there's probably never going to be a perfect time to start your new freelance career. There is always bound to be some personal or global event that makes it seem like you are considering the craziest thing in the world to most people.

For example, when I started freelancing we were in the middle of an economic boom, the industry I left was paying record rates for the work I was doing and times were good. Surely quitting to set up on my own was insane, to do so abroad even more so. Conversely, now we're told that we're at the beginning of a long recession, times are going to be hard and we should tighten our belts. Surely anyone setting up thier own freelancing business now is doomed to failure?

You see, either way blaming the economic climate would have seemed the sensible thing to do at the time. 'I can't quit now, it's stupid to give up on all this money' vs. 'I can't start up now, it's stupid to waste time on that I need to find a job.' In reality, both are excuses.

It's very easy to set up a straw man argument and convince yourself that things are impossible now and that if you wait another six months you'll be in a much better position. Whenever you think of or are given a reason why you shouldn't do something, try to work out what the exact opposite scenario would be. Could this argument also be used against you if circumstances were different?

So, what should you do?

I'd suggest starting right away. Whether you're still in gainful employment or you've just been made redundant and are looking for a new job. Whether you've already moved to France and are wondering how to make some money or you're planning to in the future. None of these situations preculde you from getting going with your new freelancing business. Every situation is unique and you will have to make the best of the situation you are in.

I started my company in my spare time (lunchbreaks, evenings and weekends) and I didn't expend a great deal of effort doing so. All I wanted to acheive was some level of comfort that I could attain new clients, generate interest in what I was doing and get the word around that if any work came up I'd be interested.

Bootstrapping a company, that is to say starting up with very little overhead is one of the easiest and quickest ways to get up and running. It has the benefit of not costing you much (if anything) and allowing you to try out the business before you commit all your time and effort to it. If it fails or it turns out you don't like it try something else, you will not have lost anything and you only stand to gain in experience.

In the next post I'll enumerate some useful resources and things to think about to help you get started in bootstrapping your new freelancing business.

5 things to think about before you drop everything and move to France.

Before we get down to the nuts and bolts of freelancing abroad I'd like to spend a little time exploring France, it's culture and it's people. I suppose you could call it 'setting the scene'.

If you're thinking about moving abroad and haven't yet done so this list should give you a few things to think about before you book the ferry. Some of the points may seem a little negative and I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but over the last couple of years I've seen and heard about many unhappy English speakers here and even seen quite a few return to their home countries. Most of their unhappiness would probably have been preventable and the major causes that come to mind are listed below.

1. Very few people are going to speak to you in English.

Most of the French population learnt English at school but you probably won't find many outside of tourist areas that are willing to admit that they remember it and even fewer who are prepared to actually converse with you in it.

It is possible to 'get by' without speaking the language, but it's painful and hard going. Simple tasks such as trying to explain that you've been short changed in a shop or phoning for roadside assistance because your car has broken down can become an ordeal.

I'm not saying that you need to speak French absolutely perfectly either (I don't), but you will need a working knowledge and be able to understand most of what is being said to you. Personally I think this is fair enough and most people would expect the same of anyone moving to the UK.

Unfortunately, unless you're three years old, learning a new language is going to take quite a bit of effort. I'm yet to see anyone 'just pick it up by living there' so it helps to think of this as an investment in yourself. It will pay dividends when you want to find work or friends and I've found the locals much more receptive to those few who even try to speak than those who don't.

Learning from a book and/or tapes is going to be a good start, but you'll ideally want to sign up for some lessons and practise as much as you can in an entirely French speaking environment.

2. Making friends

Think of France and you think of countryside and vast open spaces. If it's your dream to live 'au fin fond de la France' (in the middle of nowhere) don't be disappointed when you don't immediately meet lots of new friends and become the center of the village social scene.

It takes a while to get to know people when you move anywhere and in France it will probably take a little longer. On the day we moved here I happened to meet one of my new neighbours walking down the road and I asked her if she knew a local farmer I had just spoken to, 'Oh no', she said, 'we've only lived in the village for ten years and we don't know many people yet.'

The rules of engagement are slightly different to what you may be used to and will probably seem a little formal and standoffish at first. On the whole though I've found people to be nothing but polite, warm and very welcoming. The onus will be on you to make the effort and at times it may seem a bit disheartening but keep plugging away and I can guarantee that you'll make some excellent friends.

3. Cost of living

It's a well known fact that booze and property are both cheaper in France than in the UK. It's less well known that most other things are about the same price or even more expensive. It's tempting to think that you're going to be able to live your new life on virtually nothing but you will need to be realistic. Second hand cars, for example, will sell for a lot more than you'd imagine.

Also, here is a graph of the Pound versus the Euro over the last five years.



As you can see there's been a bit of a downward trend since mid 2007. If you're going to be bringing in any income in pounds stirling from whatever source (sale of house, invoicing clients, pension funds) you'll need to keep in mind that it's not going to buy you as much as it once did. The same thing applies if you're planning to bring in income in US dollars or any other currency, you will, to some extent, be at the mercy of the foreign exchange rates. There are ways to mitigate some of the effects of this that I will cover later.

4. Taxes

You're going to have to pay them and, in many cases, they're probably going to be more than you're used to. As in the UK income/corporation tax is based on how much you earn and there are some quite reasonable schemes of payment with relatively low rates which we'll cover later. Opting not to pay income tax and 'working on the black' is an approach that I would strongly advise you not to take, not only is it unfair on those who do pay their cotisations it could end up with you getting into quite a bit of trouble. I know of one English fellow currently residing in a local prison for tax evasion related crimes. It's also worth remembering that it's illegal to knowingly employ someone working 'au noir', so the really cheap english odd job man building your new pond could end up as a false economy in the long run.

Regardless of whether you own or rent a property you will also need to pay 'taxe d'habitation' and if you own your own place then you'll also need to pay 'taxes foncières'. It's worth finding out what these will be upfront as it differs from department to department and can be quite high.

5. Don't rush

If you're coming from the UK or the US you'll probably be used to a certain pace of life and have expectations of how and when things should and will be done. You'll discover that local businesses probably won't share your expectations or sense of urgency and may find yourself forced to adopt a holding pattern whilst things get done. You may find that many businesses seem to be permanently closed and others will shut their doors at exactly the time you'd imagine they'd be busiest.

There is no point fighting this, it's just the way things are and once you've got used to it you may even come to appreciate this more laid back aproach. The only alternative is to grow increasingly frustrated and disillusioned and you don't want that.



Hopefully that hasn't scared you off, none of these are major challenges for most people but it is worth a little time thinking about them now before jumping in. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

It's easier than you might think...

Two years ago, depressed by the spiraling property prices and daily commute into London (UK) my wife and I decided to decamp and move abroad. Specifically to France, although in retrospect probably anywhere would have done.


Photo courtesy of Iwerzhon Photo

For a while I've been meaning to write about the experience of quitting the 9-5 job (although often it was 7-7), going cold-turkey on city life and moving a small but profitable consultancy to a different country.

This blog is my attempt to rectify that intention. As this is the first post (first post, yay!) I'm deliberately not going to give much away, but here are a few of the topics I'll cover :

1. Freelancing in France and abroad- How to find and keep work, what work works (and, more importantly, what doesn't). Although I'm in France most of the advice will translate to working from anywhere (even just working from home)

2. Productivity & Time Management - I know it's been done to death on the internets, but with any luck you won't be in London or San Fransisco. Time is different here and there's almost certainly no wi-fi hotspot in the village bar - I don't even get a mobile phone signal in mine.

3. Paying taxes abroad - Demystifying the bureaucracy, what happens if you still have income back home, tips on paying less.

4. Language - A fascinating but occasionally frightening topic for some. I don't want this to be a blog about learning French - there's plenty of that around - but there are some important things you should know.

5. Companies - Do you need to set one up, can you keep an existing one in a different country, are there any alternatives?

6. Culture - What to expect, will the locals be happy to see you? It's great for a holiday, but could you live there?

7. Interviews and Opinions - Over the last couple of years I've met quite a few people working freelance in France. What are their stories?

8. Moving - How do you get into the position of being able to quit your day job, sell up and move? Do you even have to quit or sell anything?

All that and more will be coming soon.

A bientôt,

Richy