Unsure? Insure!

By Ashley Baxter

After so many years helping freelancers stay in business, I’m no stranger to the kinds of problems you face. But freelancing doesn’t mean having to face these problems alone. A lot of the time there i... more

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FAQs about Unsure? Insure!:

How many episodes does Unsure? Insure! have?

The podcast currently has 52 episodes available.

Unsure? Insure! episodes:

November 16, 2020The season finale
With Jack
Episode #2: What's a freelancer doing that requires insurance?
Episode #7: Client wants me to finish our project and is asking for damages
Episode #48: Having a law firm on retainer
Episode #50: A first-hand account of pursuing a payment through small claims court
Episode #46: Be a confident freelancer
Episode #37: Keeping projects on time and managing client expectations
Episode #16: Professional indemnity insurance teardown
Approach every single project with solid processes in place. Processes will help you manage common problems that arise in freelance projects
Approach each project with confidence. Confidence in your skillset, confidence in your pricing, confidence in your workflow. If you aren’t confident some clients will take advantage of that
Consider insurance if you’re providing any kind of professional service to clients because most problems stem from the unpredictable nature of clients or things happening outside of your control
...more
13min
November 09, 2020A rise in payment disputes
With Jack
Payment disputes are on the rise (possibly due to the impact COVID is having on businesses) so make sure you have processes in place to handle these problems if they arise
If a client asks for a refund, refer to the contract to show that you’ve adhered to the terms and have done your job therefore a refund isn’t due
If the refund request is accompanied with a legal threat, it will trigger your professional indemnity policy so notify your insurer
Refunds aren’t covered under your professional indemnity insurance, but the threat of legal action means the insurer will help you defend the claim
Another course of action if there is no legal threat as yet is to use the legal advice helpline that’s available as part of your legal expenses insurance. Legal experts are available to help you talk through your payment or client disputes
Document everything (client communication, contracts etc) so that the insurer can easily help you defend your claim, or so that you can refer to it when defending yourself. It's a lot harder for your client to argue against something that's in black and white that they agreed to
Be a confident freelancer. You shouldn’t have to suffer because a client has changed their mind or has experienced problems internally with their team. Get paid for the work you've done
...more
7min
November 02, 2020A first-hand account of pursuing payment through small claims court
With Jack
Instagram: Stckmn
Twitter: Stckmn
Website: Stckmn
The legal expenses product includes a debt recovery service and legal advice helpline to assist you with late payments
Chris now starts all projects with a contract and makes sure the scope of work is clear. He takes 50% payment upfront and has milestones in place for client sign-off. He also has professional indemnity insurance
Circumstances in business can change so Chris recommends getting everything in writing—no matter how small the project is! If the scope changes midway through the project have written confirmation of this
Episode #48: Having a law firm on retainer
...more
12min
October 26, 2020How do freelancers manage their liability?
With Jack
Episode #48: Having a law firm on retainer
Have a contract. Get insured
There are industries that invest a lot into pursuing copyright claims so be aware of licensing agreements when using third-party assets
Creating a document that lists the resources you often use for images, video, music etc and categorising them by licenses can keep you and your clients on the right side of copyright laws
Document everything. The job spec, details around the project, all client communication
Have confirmation of clients signing-off on work. This doesn't have to be anything formal—confirmation via email is OK
If clients ask to have a call about anything they’re unhappy with, suggest they put their concerns in writing instead
If things do escalate via small claims court or your business insurance, you’ll need to gather evidence to defend yourself and this is why it’s important to document everything throughout the project
It will be difficult for the client to argue if you can show that you’ve adhered to everything in black and white
...more
9min
October 19, 2020Having a law firm on retainer
With Jack
Squidge Inc
Client not paying. What are the next steps to take?
The legal advice helpline is part of the legal expenses product. It's like having a law firm on retainer because you can call the helpline as often as you like to ask general legal questions relating to business matters
Due to the company winding down, David was having trouble getting paid
David wanted to explore the option of small claims court. The legal advice helpline guided him through everything from the potential cost to filling out the paperwork
David suggested writing down a list of questions you want to ask the helpline so that you can end the conversation knowing exactly what your next step should be
Because the helpline assisted David with the legal jargon involved around recovering debt, it showed his client that he was serious and knew what he was doing
David's client rejected the claim, but whilst in the midst of preparing all of the evidence he needed to pursue the payment with the help of the legal advice helpline he asked the client to resolve things amicably. They agreed
Client disputes aren’t always going to have the perfect outcome, but David was happy to compromise on an agreed rate so they could avoid small claims court
From his own experience and speaking to other freelancers, David thinks that the tipping point of having a client pay your invoice is showing them you're serious about going through small claims court
Document everything to show you've done the work, there was an agreement in place and there was a good relationship
...more
14min
October 12, 2020How worthwhile is freelancer insurance?
With Jack
It’s not for you to decide how much liability is associated with a project
If a claim includes loss of income, compensation for hiring other freelancers and other costs incurred, it all adds up
If insurance doesn’t seem worth the price, ask yourself if you’d rather pay £14 a month for legal help, or thousands of pounds in upfront fees?
Remember that contracts don’t stop a client from making a claim against you, even if you include a liability clause
Episode #40 - Why having a contract isn’t enough to protect you
With every project there is always the risk of a client being unhappy with the work you’ve done or a project being delivered late
Your client may go into a project knowing that there are risks, but the whole reason insurance exists is to protect your business from the risks you face and ensure you don't come out of a situation worse off if the client holds you responsible
Sometimes there is little control you have over the situations that lead to claims as well as, more importantly, how your client reacts to those situations
...more
12min
October 05, 2020Be a confident freelancer
With Jack
Most of the claims we see are to do with poor project management, either on the freelancer or client's side
This can cause friction in the working relationship and lead to clients feeling like they haven't got what they paid for
A difficult client relationship can also be down to a bad apple client who is always going to be difficult to please
One of most important aspects of a fulfilling freelance career is to learn how to set and stick to boundaries so have a contract, include a statement of work, have set hours you're available etc
However, the real test is how you react when clients try to take advantage of you
The way you respond to bad situations is important because it can be the difference between a smooth project that ends harmoniously and one you regret taking on
If you don’t set boundaries you’re teaching the client that it’s OK to undervalue you. If you do that certain clients will continue undervaluing you, pushing you closer to burnout and putting you under pressure
Some freelancers struggle with setting and sticking to boundaries because they don’t want to deal with conflict and feel uncomfortable telling a client “No”. Or there’s a fear of losing a client so freelancers are willing to overstretch themselves to accommodate their client
Being insured should give you the confidence to stand your ground with clients who try to mistreat you or extract more from you than has been agreed
If you stand firm and the client doesn’t back down, saying they'll take things that little bit further with a threat of potential legal action, that’s when your professional indemnity policy is triggered so you'd have help to navigate that situation
The practical element of insurance is getting affordable legal help should you need it, but it’s the aspirational element of being insured that most freelancers benefit from
Insurance should give you the confidence to stand firm with clients who are trying to take advantage of you, knowing that if they do push things that little bit further you have the help to get you through it
...more
11min
September 28, 2020Can I be blamed for my client's clueless actions?
With Jack
Even as someone responsible for the website and not the product itself, there is nothing stopping an unreasonable client from blaming you if they get into trouble for their online presence
Whatever your role and the service you offer, with every project there is the risk of a client being unhappy with the work you’ve done. However, that risk is heightened with clients that have exhibited red flags like this one
Whilst you should have processes in place to ensure client's sign-off on your design, copy etc, there is nothing stopping the client from saying "That was your job and why we hired you. You didn't do the job we expected you to do"
When things go wrong, it’s easy for people to become defensive and shift the blame elsewhere. Clients are no different
At With Jack we've seen similar case where the freelancer's copy had a typo and, despite it going through quality control by the client, they didn’t pick up on it and blamed the freelancer
This is one of the reasons why professional indemnity insurance exists—to defend you against claims of actual or alleged negligence
Your professional indemnity policy might be able to help you defend these allegations by giving you access to legal experts who will negotiate with your client on your behalf. If damages have to be paid, your insurance could cover the cost of those too
...more
9min
September 21, 2020Developers, here's how insurance can help with scope creep
With Jack
Keeping projects on time and managing client expectations
Scope creep is when the project scope of functionality changes mid-way through a project, often resulting in more cost and implementation time
Some clients may not factor the extra time additional work will take into the project’s timescale, and they may expect the developer to complete the additional work for free
The most common scenario is that the client is unhappy because the project runs over the expected timescale. This can lead to accusations of breach of contract
Another scenario is threats from the client when the developer highlights that a change of scope requires the budget and timescales to be revised
If accompanied with a refusal to pay the developer for the work they've done, this could trigger the policy's mitigation costs clause
Even if you don’t have to use the legal help that comes with your policy, being insured will give you confidence when dealing with clients and help you to stand your ground if they’re being unreasonable
...more
10min
September 14, 2020I'm taking a work break. Do I still need insurance?
With Jack
Professional indemnity policies are on a ‘Claims made basis’, which means the policy covers claims that are notified during the policy period. This is why it's important to maintain insurance even when taking a break from work
With some professions like web or software development, it’s more common for a mistake to be discovered weeks or months after the job is completed. This is why it's important to maintain insurance even after a project ends
You can lower the level of cover or remove cover you don’t need in between project, or put the policy into run-off. This covers work completed prior to the date your policy was put into run off and should reduce your monthly payments
Whatever you decide, just remember that you need to have an active policy in place when making a claim
...more
7min

FAQs about Unsure? Insure!:

How many episodes does Unsure? Insure! have?

The podcast currently has 52 episodes available.