Starting as a Freelancer in the Netherlands: the Checklist

The freelance work wave has been sweeping through the Netherlands as many discover and embrace this modern and flexible working method. But for those who are just entering the field, there can be a few challenges. From accessing the services of financial Institutions like Nationale Nederlanden to finding the right network of industry players to connect with, here’s a checklist that should get most people off to the right start.

Payment Support

Getting paid can be difficult for freelancers anywhere in the world. For those operating from the Netherlands, freelancer-friendly financial institutions like Nationale Nederlanden can help facilitate smooth payment transactions from international sources. These include sending and receiving payments in various currencies and facilitating currency conversions.

Managing Your Finances

Freelancers need to keep tabs on their finances to run successful freelancing careers. This means keeping track of all payments and receipts. This can be a very tedious task, especially since freelancers typically operate on their own. Some freelancers may opt to do this manually, but it can be quite time-consuming and eventually overwhelming. Systems like bunq help to digitize freelancers’ business transactions.

Managing Your Communications

Freelancers thrive on digital communication tools like Skype and emails. Bu messages can quickly pile up and get out of control, especially emails. Effective management of these communication tools is crucial to success as a freelancer. One way to do this is to schedule email maintenance and times to check emails.

Network Another strategy is to check the email only when you are available to work. This allows the freelancer to stay focused on the task at hand as it can be distracting to deal with new tasks or requests while handling one that is currently in progress.

Networking

Networking is crucial. People, including freelancers, need people. In the Netherlands, freelancers can find support by joining professional groups with others in their industry. Social media platforms like Facebook are great sources to find these professional groups. Another method is visiting freelancer meetups in your city or nearby ones. The Netherlands also has freelancer communities that meet in physical locations like PLNT in Leiden, where new and veteran freelancers can find suitable workspaces and an active body of professionals to interact with.

Many freelancers in the Netherlands have established successful businesses. New freelancers who incorporate these checklist items into their business plans are off to a good start.