Whilst being self-employed has a great number of benefits, such as having the freedom to choose your own working hours and being your own boss, it can also be highly volatile when it comes to keeping a steady stream of contracts coming in.

Once one contract has ended, you may not necessarily have anything lined up for the future if you haven’t been proactively planning ahead. This can be a great cause of worry as you don’t know where your next income is going to come from. However, here are three simple things that you can do to help you find your next contract.

Make the most of social media
Advertising online through social media is very cost effective and can be seen by hundreds, if not thousands, of people. You can try setting up a Facebook page for your business or shouting about your services in local Facebook groups. In addition, setting up a Twitter account for your business is a great way to interact with companies that complement your services, as well as potential customers.

One of the best social media platforms for finding new contracts is LinkedIn. This free tool is often neglected, but is an extremely valuable way to network. With LinkedIn, you can showcase your skillset and previous projects you’ve worked on, as well as receive recommendations for your services. This is especially useful in industries where people are keen to understand prior work history, and see examples of your work. In professions such as Project Management, it is a great way to highlight what makes you different to your competitors and provide credibility for your work.

Use business cards
In today’s inter-connected world, many jobs still come from word of mouth recommendations. If someone is impressed with the job that you have done for them, they are more likely to tell their friends and neighbours about you. It is a good idea to have a stack of business cards to leave with each customer so that they can easily recommend you and your work. These sorts of recommendations will be particularly beneficial for contractors in the home renovators industry or air conditioning specialists.

Attend networking events
Although a lot of networking now happens online as a part of social media, you can’t underestimate the power of meeting people and networking in person. Networking events might take up a large portion of your day when you could be working, but it’s the best way to meet people, exchange business cards and get an idea of who your competitors are too.

When you’re busy looking for your next contract, you don’t want to be worrying about your tax affairs or business admin. Luckily, Associate Services can help you to manage your income in a way that enables you to retain more of your hard-earned pay. They can also handle the admin involved in running a business, so that you can focus your mind on gaining valuable contracts. Contact us to find out more about our flexible tax strategies.

Brendan Beeken FInstSMM

DDI: +44(0)1624651706   Email: [email protected]/ www.associateservices.co.uk