Every month we run through a series of questions to help you run your freelance business like a bigger business—“self-coaching” your way to better results and a better life. 

Hey!

SOPs are a freelancer’s best friend…but too few of us make good use of them. That’s why this month, we’re taking a look at “standard operating procedures” and how to apply them to our freelance businesses. 

4 Tips for getting the most out of SOPs 

So let’s say you’ve found an area in your business that you think would be a good fit for SOPs. There are a few things to keep in mind. 

• Know the purpose and scope of the document. If you’re writing an SOP for onboarding a client, make sure that’s all it is and that you’re not including parts of your sales process or production work. 

• Keep it digital. I’m a big fan of letting people use what works for them, but you’ll probably be updating SOPs a lot, and possibly eventually sharing them. Digital is your best bet. You can also use SOP software (I just use word processing documents, but it might be worth it for you.) 

• Think of your future self. As you’re working, think of it as a gift to tomorrow’s freelance self. Make it easy, clear, and helpful. Include links and visuals when they might be useful. Don’t make future you go hunting for resources. Be kind and go above and beyond for yourself. 

• Also, if you’re struggling, consider using AI. I played around with a few through DeepSeek and when you specify creating an SOP for freelancers, it put out some pretty good results. 

Play around with it and you’ll figure out an approach to your SOPs that’s the best fit for your needs. 

Stop by the BlackFreelance Mastermind Discord if you need some help creating your first SOPs.