Vocations · Professional Development

Know if it is a good job
before you say yes.

A new inquiry is exciting, which is when freelancers agree to vague scopes, thin budgets and no deposit. Run every inquiry through the same form: the client and who approves the work, the deliverables you can count, your hours and rate against their budget and the terms. The form works out the gap and flags what to settle first.

Log an inquiryWhat you get

Client inquiries

The worked example is made up: a bakery brand refresh with a budget 19 percent under the estimate and no deposit, and a library poster series where someone else approves the work. Records save on this device only.

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What you get

Vocations · Professional DevelopmentFree

What you finish with
A record per inquiry with the client, contact, date, source and who approves the work; the project type, goal, each deliverable with quantity and date and rounds of revisions; rate, hours, budget, deposit and payment terms; seven fit checks; your estimate and the gap to their budget; flags for a short budget, no deposit, a rush date, an approver you have not met and many revision rounds.
Who it is for
Freelancers and people starting freelance work: designers, writers, developers, tutors, photographers and consultants.
Format
Browser form with a saved record per inquiry. Prints an inquiry for your files, every inquiry as a table or a blank form for calls; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Professional Development space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Fill it in during or right after the first call.
  2. Turn their goal into deliverables you can count, with dates.
  3. Estimate your hours before you look at their budget.
  4. Settle every flag: scope, deposit, approver, timeline.
  5. Put what you agree in a written agreement both of you sign.

Log an inquiry

When the budget does not fit

When the budget is short, change one thingTrim the scopeOne menu instead of two$1,100Phase itLogo now, menus inJanuary$675 + $675Hold the priceFull scope at yourestimate$1,350Lowering your rate is the option that costs you on everylater project, so it comes last.When the budget is short, change one thingTrim the scopeOne menu instead of two$1,100Phase itLogo now, menus in January$675 + $675Hold the priceFull scope at your estimate$1,350Lowering your rate comes last:it follows you to the next project.
Example figures from the worked example. Whatever you agree, put the scope, price and payment dates in writing.

Contractor, not employee

A client who pays you as an independent contractor may ask for a Form W-9 with your taxpayer number, and you handle your own taxes, including self-employment tax. Whether someone is a contractor or an employee depends on the actual relationship, such as who controls how the work is done, not on what the agreement calls it.

What a written agreement covers

At least: the deliverables, dates, rounds of revisions and what counts as one, the price, deposit and payment dates, who owns the final files and when, and how either side can end the project. Templates from professional associations are a good starting point; a lawyer can review anything large.

Sources

  1. Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, and its instructions (irs.gov).
  2. Internal Revenue Service. Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee? and the Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center (irs.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Employee or independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act (dol.gov).
  4. U.S. Small Business Administration. Manage your finances and pricing guidance for small businesses (sba.gov).

The worked example is made up. This form helps you decide and document; it is not legal or tax advice. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.