Blog
Notes on invoicing, small business software, and the parts of getting paid that nobody explains properly.
How to check your Mac's temperature and load
Activity Monitor will tell you what is using the processor. It will not tell you how hot anything is. Here is what the sensors measure, what is normal under load, and when heat is worth worrying about.
Job profitability: what did that job really make?
Revenue is what you billed. Profit is what you kept. The gap between them is not evenly spread, and the jobs that feel busiest are often the ones funding the rest.
Getting clients to pay on time
Most late payment is structural rather than personal. Here is what to put in place before the work starts, how to follow up when it slips anyway, and the rule that quietly caps what interest you can charge.
Quote, estimate or invoice: what is the difference?
Three documents that look similar and do completely different jobs. One of them can commit you to a price. Here is which, and what to do when the work turns out bigger than you thought.
What to include on an invoice: the complete list
Some of what goes on an invoice is required. Most of it is convention, and the conventions exist because they remove reasons not to pay you. Here is the full list, and why each piece is there.
GST and HST on invoices: a freelancer's guide
When you have to register, which rate to charge, and what the CRA expects on the document itself. The rules are more specific than most people realise, and the invoice requirements changed in 2021.
Mac invoicing apps: native app or browser tab?
Most invoicing software is a website with a Mac shaped wrapper around it. Here is what you actually gain from a real Mac app, and where a browser tab is the better answer.
Invoicing without a subscription: the real cost
A monthly invoicing fee looks small next to a one time purchase. Over five years it usually is not. Here is the arithmetic at current published Canadian rates, and an honest look at what the fee actually buys.
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