Since 1999, I've worked from home as a freelance writer and web developer. My biggest 2011 New Year's resolution was to set measurable goals for myself and my income, and to track them in such a way that I could hold myself accountable for meeting them on a daily, monthly and yearly basis. I also wanted to keep a carefully itemized list of all my business expenses each month, so that I could have an accurate print-and-go solution when it came time to do my taxes.
Initially, I searched for pre-existing software solutions, either hosted online or available to install onto my computer, that would meet my needs. Unfortunately, each solution I found suffered from at least one of the following problems that made it unusable for me:
- It was way too complicated to put to use quickly and immediately;
- I had to pay a monthly fee to keep using my data;
- It assumed I had in-depth familiarity with sophisticated tax jargon;
- It was cumbersomely designed for small businesses with employees and inventory;
- I could only input and track earnings from a single source of income;
- My Linux netbook couldn't run it and...
- Neither could my friends' iMacs;
- It was crazy expensive, like, more than it would cost for me to hire an actual bookkeeper;
- It charged me, a single worker, the same amount as a whole brick and mortar business for a license;
- It allowed me to track my goals, set my goals OR track my progress - but never all 3;
- I couldn't track my yearly goals;
- I couldn't track my expenses so I could see at a glance how much I had coming in and going out;
- I could either download it OR use it on the web - not both;
- It was hideous, cluttered and/or had insane navigation...
I could go on here. I had to echo the sentiments of my friend Jill from Optimized Scribes, who was one of the beta-testers of the software, when she told me that she'd tried over 40 different goal and income trackers before trying GoalLancer and not one was ideal.
After I designed something I was happy with using for myself, it occurred to me that other freelancers may be interested in using the software. So from one freelancer to another, I hope that my work helps you increase your productivity, grow your business, and boost your confidence in your ability to set your own goals.
If you have any questions, have any suggestions or notice any glitches in the software, please feel free to contact me.
If you have any questions, have any suggestions or notice any glitches in the software, please feel free to contact me.
