Freelance Clearing House

I would recommend a fee based on a percentage with a monthly minimum, all structured on the bundle of services used. (i.e., $10 for invoice tracking; $10 for billing , $10 for HR, etc.)..

^^Interesting idea. I charge per hour, but then I have to track the hours. Doing it by hour does account for time dealing with emails and creating the spreadsheet etc. I need to think about more. Thanks!

Throwing out ideas off the top of my head…

Restaurants call the kitchen the “back of the house” and the waiters, etc are the “front of the house”. You’re the back of the house.

You’re their agent.

You are the accounting dept or back office or staff for the front line people.

You give them a framework or structure.

The name Basecamp is taken, dammit.

Neat business! That sounds really interesting.

So figure out
a) how much your time is worth
b) how much time you spend on average for different tasks
c) convert the product of a*b into a rate for services.

I’m not sure I have a good handle on what you actually do but it does sound like back office work. Maybe something like “Back Office Systems”. That may give the impression that your doing way more than you actually do but as I said, I don’t have a good handle on that.

@Jaxk I know what I do for my current clients, but what I feel I don’t know is how I might be able to expand on it. What I do now I never would have thought of as a job, I didn’t know the need was there until I started doing the work. The owner of the company found me so to speak. We were friends in Jr. High, and we were talking one day and she thought my skills might help her get rid of some of the work she was doing that she hated, and barely had time for.

I especially don’t know how my husband’s HR capabilities might be helpful to companies. Especially, small companies that would probably be our target customer.

I just feel like there might be opportunity here I haven’t realized yet. I want to tap into it if I can.

I’m not surprised that your friend would see the need. I have a payroll company that does a lot of this kind of work for me. I know I can do it myself in Quickbooks but I hate it and I like the added insurance that all the payroll taxes etc. are being done properly. They also provide HR services for me. Most small businesses don’t fail because the product or service isn’t done but rather because the financial work doesn’t get done (or at least done right). Keep in mind that small business owners are cheap bastards. The initial cost will will deter many that need your services if they perceive it as expensive or a long term commitment. You may be wise to offer some minimal service to get in the door and add services as they are needed. Just a thought.

Liberation Unlimited. Two words say it all.

OK, now that that’s settled, let’s talk about rates. Hmm….I’m thinkin’ quantity breaks here.

1 hour per week $75.00
5 hours per week $55.00 per hour
10 hours or more per week $40.00 per hour

You’re welcome. You’ll get my bill in the mail…...

Building on the suggestion from @Jaxk, you may want to call it Back Office Systems Services, or B.O.S.S.

@Jaxk I actually use a payroll service for the business I own with my husband. I’ve thought about doing it myself, but then I would want the more expensive quickbooks, and at that point it’s not worth it to me, because of how many employees I have.

My clients wouldn’t have a contract with me that binds them to stay with me long term. I could just set them up with spreadsheets, and help them organize, and they can do it themselves from there. Or, I can teach them basics on quickbooks if they want to go that route. Depends on their business. I’m not an accountant, it’s more putting in place a system to keep track of everything, and have the information easily available for the accountant at the end of the year.

I used a Book Keeper for a year to do pretty much what your doing. It didn’t work out to well mainly because the book keeper didn’t understand my business. I made sure that when I got an accountant he was familiar with and had several accounts for Gas Stations. You may want to continue to specialize which will give your customers a little added comfort. Of course that also limits you audience.

Thanks everyone for your ideas and opinions. GA’s for everyone.

@Jaxk I went through a big learning curve with the media/reporter world. I’ve worked in construction, retail, real estate, and now the media outlets. It absolutely help to understand the business. Everything from the jargon used in that business, to typical billing practices. Things do vary from one industry to another. What I currently do also entails paying subcontractors around the world, which I had zero experience with previously.

I’m thinking if I do a website maybe I should name the industries I’ve worked in, it might limit my market, but it might be for the best for the customer and myself. I can list my husband’s experience also in telecom, consumer products, and banking.