Advice in general
The “right” tools, resources, and workflows all really depend on context. What works for one person may not work for you! It can be really useful to learn how other people do their work, and also, you’ll figure out what works best for you in time.
Invoices
I make all my invoices in a quick google doc template. It’s free, easy, and has worked well for me, since I typically send fewer than 5-7 invoices per month. Make sure your invoice includes a unique invoice number, contact information for both yourself and the company you’re sending the invoice to, and a brief description of the work you did, with itemized and total costs. Contact me if you want to see my template, I’m happy to share it as an example (but putting it online feels like a step too far).
Note-taking
I love Obsidian as a place to keep track of notes — it’s markdown based, I can host it locally, and it’s easy to link notes together. For meetings where folks are comfortable being recorded, granola has been awesome, and I’m continually impressed by how well it captures the details of even in-the-weeds technical conversations.
Programming languages
I’m not a purist about programming languages, at all. In my day-to-day, I mostly use R, Python, and SQL. I especially love ggplot and the python equivalent, plotnine, for making beautiful scientific graphics.
Time tracking
I track my time using the multitimer app on my phone. It’s free, easy, and it works for me. There are more invoiced solutions like Harvest that some friends really like, but I’m happy with my free app, because my time tracking needs are relatively simple as a one-person consultancy. I enter weekly totals into a google doc at the end of the week, to keep track of them.
Saying “no”
This post from Meg Scheding at Strategic Pivotery was super helpful for me. If you, like me, sometimes struggle with saying no, it's worth a read!
Starting a company
I got started consulting as a sole proprietor, and eventually incorporated as an S-corp. It’s been a useful strategy for me, though having an S-corp creates a bunch more work (like running payroll). I found a great lawyer and a great CPA who I trust, and who helped me make this decision — ask around to see if friends doing similar work have suggestions about lawyers and/or accountants!
Contracts
I am not a lawyer and I am far from a contract expert. I am very grateful to have a lawyer who helps review all my contracts. You can negotiate your contract terms (not just your price), and you should!