Being someone that is self-employed or working freelance can be really fun. You can set your own hours, choose the clients that you work with, and can generally create a better work and life balance. But because of the nature of it, it can also be stressful, especially if you are not super disciplined and have the potential to procrastinate.

When you’re self-employed, you will want to optimize the working hours that you have, so that you can boost your income without having to waste time, which can help to boost your morale and make it all worth it. So here are some tips to help you to boost your self-employed income, so that you can enjoy what you do, not work crazy hours, and get paid well for it.

Put Money First

If you are a freelancer, no matter what you do, you might think that talking about money isn’t a good idea. But, wrong! Money is what makes the freelance world go round, and it is what pays for your home, life, pension, and so on. Having some low paid jobs can be something quick and up-front to cover groceries, but they aren’t the kind of thing that will pay for your mortgage. So instead of working all hours in the day doing smaller things, chase some bigger jobs. Then you will be getting paid more, even if it takes up the same amount of time. You need to think about balance, though, as a small job may come up  with a great client, that is likely to lead to bigger paid work down the line. So evaluate each job, and learn how to prioritize.

Market Yourself

If you are self-employed, no matter what industry you work in, you need to market yourself in order to get new business. One of the best things that you can do is to find something that will work with the industry that you are in. If you work in freelance SEO, for example, then it makes sense to market your business digitally, using a blog and links back; showcase your SEO skills. If you are a plumber of a builder, for example, then looking for used Toyota Tacomas for sale local to you, and then getting the car painted with your logo and details can help, as the customers you want need to be local to you. So think about your ideal customers, and where they are based, then you can go from there.

Tighten up Your Expense Claims

When you are self-employed, you can maximize your income by the expenses that you claim. But there are a whole host of things that you can legitimately claim for, from things like stationery, travel costs, utility bills if you work from home, and so on. It is important to remember that the more legitimate expenses that you claim, the lower that your tax bill will be. And when you are able to lower your tax bill, it can be just as effective as being able to grow your revenue, because it means that there is more money in your pocket at the end of the day.