Business Tools for Editors and Proofreaders

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When you first start your proofreading or editing business, it can be difficult to know which business tools you’ll need to help you run your business smoothly. There are lots of different payment service providers, website hosts, accounting software, etc. you can use, and trying to research them all can make your head spin! In this blog post, I share some of the business tools for editors and proofreaders I’ve used to share my experience and help you narrow down the search.

Table of Contents

LastPass

Do you find it annoying trying to remember all your passwords? Or having to look them up in that super secret place you wrote them down even though you know you’re not supposed to write your passwords down? Me too. That’s why I use LastPass.

LastPass is a popular password management and password storage service that allows users to securely store and manage their passwords and other sensitive information. It offers a convenient way to generate strong, unique passwords for different websites and services, store them in a centralized vault, and automatically fill in login credentials when accessing websites or apps.

Key features of LastPass

Password Generation: LastPass can generate complex and unique passwords for each of your online accounts, helping to improve security by reducing the risk of using the same password across multiple sites. I have been guilty of using the same password over and over again in the past!

Password Storage: LastPass securely stores your passwords and other sensitive data, such as credit card information and personal notes, in an encrypted vault. This vault is protected by a master password, which only the user knows.

Autofill and Auto-Login: LastPass can automatically fill in your login information when you visit websites or apps, saving you the hassle of remembering or typing passwords. My favorite part!

Secure Sharing: LastPass allows you to securely share passwords and other information with trusted individuals, such as family members or colleagues, without revealing the actual password.

LastPass offers both free and premium subscription plans, with the premium version providing additional features like priority customer support, advanced multi-factor authentication options, and the ability to use LastPass on unlimited devices.

Overall, LastPass is designed to enhance online security and make managing passwords more convenient by centralizing and securing sensitive login information.

I’ve been using LastPass for several years now to save my passwords securely. I also use it with my clients who can share their passwords with me without telling me what the actual password is.

PayPal

Freelance editors and proofreaders can use PayPal as a convenient and widely accepted payment method for receiving payments from clients and customers.

It’s easy to sign up for a PayPal account. You can choose between a personal or business account, but it’s a good idea for service providers to opt for a business account for the added features and professionalism it offers.

Key features of PayPal

Link Your Bank Account or Credit/Debit Card: To receive funds in your PayPal account, you need to link it to your bank account or credit/debit card. This allows you to withdraw money from your PayPal account to your bank account or card.

Share Your PayPal Email Address: When your clients want to pay you, they can use your email address to send the payment. Clients do not need a PayPal account to send you money; they can use their credit/debit cards.

Invoice Clients: PayPal provides tools for sending professional invoices to your clients. You can create invoices, add details about the services provided, and specify payment terms. PayPal also allows you to set up recurring invoices for regular clients and send reminders for late payment.

Receive Payments: Once your clients receive the invoice, they can make payments to your PayPal account. You will receive a notification when the payment is received. The funds will be available in your PayPal account balance.

Withdraw Funds: You can transfer the money from your PayPal account to your linked bank account or card. There might be fees associated with withdrawing funds, so be sure to check PayPal’s fee structure.

Use PayPal’s Payment Buttons: If you have a website, you can integrate PayPal’s payment buttons, which allow clients to make payments directly from your website. PayPal provides code that you can add to your site.

Secure Your Account: To protect your PayPal account, enable two-factor authentication and regularly monitor your account for any suspicious activity.

Handle Currency Conversion: If you work with clients from different countries, PayPal can handle currency conversion. You can receive payments in various currencies, and PayPal will convert them to your primary currency. However, I’ve found PayPal’s currency conversion rate to be very bad in comparison to Wise’s.

Keep Records: Keep records of all transactions for accounting and tax purposes. PayPal provides transaction history and statements that can be useful for these purposes.

PayPal is a widely used payment method for freelance editors and proofreaders due to its global reach and ease of use. It offers buyer and seller protection, which can be reassuring for both freelancers and clients. However, be aware of the fees associated with PayPal transactions and currency conversion, and consider these costs when setting your freelance rates.

Wise

Wise is another payment platform that allows you to accept money from clients. Whether Wise (formerly known as TransferWise) is better than PayPal or vice versa depends on your specific needs and preferences. Both Wise and PayPal offer international money transfer and payment services, but they have different features and fee structures.

Key Features of Wise

Transparent and Low Fees: Wise is known for its transparent fee structure, which often results in lower overall costs for international money transfers and currency conversion.

Real Exchange Rate: Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate, which is the most favorable exchange rate available. This can result in better rates compared to PayPal’s exchange rates.

Multi-Currency Account: Wise offers multi-currency accounts that allow you to hold and manage money in different currencies. This can be convenient for freelancers and businesses that deal with multiple currencies. I find this very handy when working with companies that pay all their invoices on a set day using a specific software and that don’t want to deal with making separate arrangements for different freelancers. I just give them my US bank account details through Wise (or whatever currency they pay in), and they add them to their system.

Local Bank Details: Wise provides local bank account details in various countries, making it easier for clients and customers to pay you as if they were making a local bank transfer.

Transparent Conversion Fees: Wise provides a clear breakdown of the conversion fees, so you know exactly how much you’re paying for currency conversion.

No Hidden Fees: Wise does not charge receiving fees, and their pricing is generally straightforward.

One drawback to Wise is that you can’t create custom invoices, whereas PayPal offers invoicing tools for freelancers and businesses, which can help streamline the billing process.

If you prioritize low fees, transparency, and excellent exchange rates for international transfers, Wise is often a better choice. However, if you need a widely accepted and convenient payment solution with added buyer and seller protection, PayPal might be more suitable. Many businesses, including mine, use both services to cater to different client preferences and needs. It’s advisable to compare the specific fees and features of each service to determine which one aligns best with your freelance business.

TextExpander

TextExpander is a text expansion tool that allows you to create custom shortcuts (snippets) that expand into predefined blocks of text when typed. Freelance editors and proofreaders can use TextExpander to improve their client communications by automating repetitive tasks, which allows them to save time and ensures consistent and error-free messaging.

Key Features of TextExpander

Create Templates: Build a library of email templates that you frequently use in your freelance work. These could include introductory emails, project proposals, contract details, and thank-you notes. Use TextExpander snippets to expand these templates with a few keystrokes.

Standard Responses: If you often find yourself responding to common client inquiries or addressing standard questions, create snippets for these responses. This can save you time by avoiding the need to retype the same information repeatedly.

Customized Greetings: Personalize your client emails by creating snippets for common greetings and salutations. You can include the client’s name and other specific details to create a tailored message quickly.

Signatures: Set up TextExpander snippets for your email signatures. This ensures consistency in your email signature format and lets you easily switch between different signatures if you have multiple freelance roles or projects.

Project Updates: If you regularly provide project updates to clients, create snippets for various update formats, such as weekly, monthly, or milestone-based updates. This allows you to provide consistent information and progress reports.

Client Information: Create snippets for important client information, such as their contact details, project specifics, and payment terms. This can be especially useful when preparing proposals or contracts.

Common URLs: If you frequently share links to your portfolio, social media profiles, or other web resources, create snippets for these URLs. This ensures you always share the correct links and saves you from searching or typing them out each time.

Testimonial Requests: Create snippets for testimonial requests that you send to clients after completing a project. Customize these requests based on the type of work you do.

Keyword Tags for Organizing: Use keyword tags within TextExpander to categorize your snippets, making it easier to find and use the right text expansion when needed.

By incorporating TextExpander into your client communications, you can streamline your workflow, reduce errors, and present a professional and consistent image to your clients. It’s a valuable tool for freelancers looking to improve efficiency and enhance their client relationships. I’ve been using it for a couple of years now, and I don’t know how I got by without it before!

TextExpander offers a free 30-day trial so you can get a good feel for it before you commit. However, you can save 20% on TextExpander with this link!

How Editors Can Save Time with TextExpander

Lyrical Host

Lyrical Host is a web hosting company that specializes in providing hosting services for websites, particularly those in the blogging and content creation niches. The company is known for its focus on offering hosting services with a personal touch, tailored to the specific needs of bloggers, writers, and small businesses.

Key Features of Lyrical Host

Managed WordPress Hosting: The company primarily offers managed WordPress hosting, which means they take care of many technical aspects, such as server maintenance, security, and updates, allowing customers to focus on creating content.

Eco-Friendly Hosting: Lyrical Host is committed to environmentally friendly hosting practices and offsets its carbon footprint through reforestation projects. Every year, they plant a certain number of trees in your honor, based on the number of years you’ve been a customer!

Customer Support: Lyrical Host is known for its customer-focused approach to support. They provide personalized assistance to customers and aim to build relationships with their clients. In my experience, Lyrical Host is hands down the best company in terms of customer service that I’ve ever worked with. They are extremely responsive, and I get the impression that they genuinely care about my website.

Security: The company emphasizes website security and includes features such as SSL certificates, daily backups, and malware scanning to help protect customers’ websites.

Domain Registration: Customers can register domain names through Lyrical Host to complement their hosting services.

Educational Resources: Lyrical Host offers a variety of educational resources and guides to help customers improve their websites, blogging skills, and online presence.

Community Engagement: The company actively engages with its community of bloggers and content creators in its Facebook group, offering opportunities for networking and support.

Lyrical Host is a smaller, independent web hosting company, and it distinguishes itself from larger hosting providers by focusing on the specific needs of bloggers and small businesses. They aim to provide a more personal and user-friendly experience for their customers, making it a suitable choice for those who want hosting services tailored to their blogging and content creation endeavors. I can’t recommend them highly enough! Use the code TP10 to save 10 percent on hosting.

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Proofreading Business?

Namecheap

Namecheap is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar and web hosting company that provides a range of services related to domain management and website hosting. I purchased my domain names (e.g., turnerproofreading.com) from Namecheap. I chose to host my website and domain name with separate companies, but you can use the same company for both if you prefer.

Key Features of Namecheap

Domain Registration: Namecheap allows individuals and businesses to register domain names for websites. They offer a wide range of domain extensions, including popular ones like .com, .net, .org, and country code domains (e.g., .ie, .uk).

Domain Transfer: Namecheap provides a straightforward process for transferring domain names from one registrar to its platform.

Domain Management: Customers can easily manage their domain names, including DNS settings, domain forwarding, and domain privacy features, through the Namecheap control panel.

Web Hosting: Namecheap offers a variety of web hosting services, including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. Their hosting plans cater to different needs and budgets.

SSL Certificates: Namecheap offers SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates to help secure websites and protect sensitive data. They provide both domain-validated and extended validation (EV) certificates.

Website Builders: Namecheap offers website builder tools and templates to help users create websites without extensive technical knowledge. Their website builder is designed to be user-friendly.

Email Hosting: Customers can set up email accounts with their own domain names using Namecheap’s email hosting services.

WHOIS Privacy: Namecheap offers WHOIS privacy protection to shield personal information from being publicly accessible in the WHOIS database. This helps protect domain owners from spam and unwanted solicitations.

Marketplace: Namecheap has a domain marketplace where users can buy and sell domain names.

Customer Support: Namecheap provides customer support through various channels, including live chat and a ticketing system. They also have a knowledge base with helpful articles and tutorials.

Renewal and Transfer Pricing: Namecheap is often recognized for its transparent and competitive pricing, including affordable renewal rates for domain names.

Namecheap is known for its commitment to customer service, affordability, and ease of use. It’s a popular choice for individuals and businesses looking for domain registration and web hosting services. The company is often seen as a reputable and cost-effective alternative to other domain registrars and web hosting providers in the industry.

FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a popular cloud-based accounting and invoicing software platform designed for small businesses, freelancers, and self-employed professionals. It offers a range of financial tools to help users manage their business finances, track expenses, create professional invoices, and streamline other accounting tasks. FreshBooks is known for its user-friendly interface and accessibility, making it a valuable resource for those who need to manage their finances without extensive accounting knowledge.

Key Features of FreshBooks

Invoicing: FreshBooks allows users to easily create and customize professional invoices. Users can add their branding, set payment terms, and send invoices to clients electronically. The platform also supports recurring invoices for subscription-based businesses.

Expense Tracking: Users can track business expenses by uploading receipts and categorizing expenses. FreshBooks provides tools to help with expense management and tax deduction tracking.

Time Tracking: Freelancers and service-based businesses can track billable hours and manage their time. This feature is particularly useful for professionals who bill clients on an hourly basis.

Client Management: FreshBooks enables users to keep a database of client information, making it easy to access client details when creating invoices and managing relationships.

Payment Processing: FreshBooks integrates with payment gateways, allowing clients to pay invoices online via credit card, PayPal, or other payment methods.

Bank Reconciliation: Users can connect their bank accounts to FreshBooks, making it easier to reconcile financial transactions and keep their books up to date.

Financial Reporting: FreshBooks provides various financial reports, including profit and loss statements, expense reports, and tax summaries, to help users understand their business finances.

Project Management: The platform offers basic project management features to help users organize and track project-related tasks and expenses.

Mobile Apps: FreshBooks offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, allowing users to manage their business finances on the go.

Collaboration: Users can invite team members or accountants to collaborate on their FreshBooks account, making it easier to work together on financial tasks.

Integrations: FreshBooks offers integrations with a range of third-party applications and services, including popular tools like PayPal, Stripe, and GoogleWorkspace.

FreshBooks is a subscription-based service, with different pricing tiers based on the number of clients and the specific features required. If you’re earning enough to graduate from an Excel spreadsheet or you want to make your accounting as streamlined as possible right from the start, FreshBooks is a great choice. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial.

Final Thoughts on Business Tools for Editors and Proofreaders

I hope you found this blog post useful in helping you identify some of the business tools out there that can help you invoice and collect payments from clients, streamline your communications, create your business website, and protect your passwords. These are some of the tools I’ve found useful since I started my business in 2017.

If you’re wondering what proofreading tools I recommend for proofreaders and editors, check out this blog post next.