Blog

Ever thought about what would happen if you were too unwell to work for a long time? Find out how much income protection you need (if any) with Anorak.

It’s been one whole year of producing weekly Unsure? Insure! episodes. We look back at the most popular episodes, common themes, recurring patterns and the all important takeaways.

Payment disputes are on the rise. How should you handle a client asking for a refund when you've done your job, and can your insurance help you?

Chris ran into problems with his first freelance product design job after leaving university. He shares his experience of pursuing a late payment through small claims court. What did it involve? Was it worth it, and what can you learn from his experience?

For the first time in his career, David experienced a client refusing to pay his invoice. He shares his experience of using the legal advice helpline to guide him through the unfamiliar and uncomfortable process of pursuing a client through small claims court.

At With Jack we see a lot of scenarios where client relationships have broken down and the situation reaches a point where it may escalate. The way you respond to these situations is important because it can be the difference between a smooth project that ends harmoniously, and one you regret accepting.

We've had our fair share of copyright claims at With Jack. Where can these issues stem from and how can contracts and insurance help you navigate an argument over copyright ownership?

Some freelancers think they don’t need to be insured if they have a contract. They believe that a contract relieves them of liability if something goes wrong. We'd like to dispel the myth that having a contract is enough to protect you if things go wrong, and that having a contract and insurance should go hand in hand.

A lot of the claims we see at With Jack follow the same patterns, usually centered around poor project management. Knowing these common issues exist we asked other freelancers how they keep projects running on time and manage client expectations.

The mitigation costs clause is one of the most used features of the professional indemnity policy. If your client isn’t happy with the work you’ve delivered, refuses to pay your invoice and accompanies that refusal with a threat, the insurer will pay you the money owed to you.

Projects that you do as favours have a tendency to become difficult projects. It’s because there isn’t infrastructure in place to treat it like a proper job. For example, a contract and statement of work. We look at how these situations can go wrong and if insurance can help.

Working with insured professionals is a safer way of finding good talent to collaborate with, which is why we’ve created this free customer directory. You can use With Jack’s directory to find a designer, copywriter, illustrator, photographer and more for your next project. Find the help you need and have confidence in who you’re working with.

This innocent mistake resulted in a client's database being deleted and a threat of legal action. Whether it was the hosting company or the freelancer at fault, the client was expecting their migration to go smoothly and blamed the freelancer when it didn't. We look at preventive measures and how insurance could help in this situation.

If a client hires you to design "just a simple website" don't assume it's a straightforward job. Irrespective of how simple a website is, if design expectations aren't discussed and understood in advance it can lead to problems. In this story a designer was hired to create a simple website that ended with their client threatening to sue them.

There are consistent benchmarks of projects that go wrong. Client ghosting, unfavourable payment terms and scope creep. We look at a project that involved all three and resulted in a client feeling like they didn't get what they paid for. Could this have been avoided? How can insurance help in this situation?

Red flags can lead to problem clients and badly run projects, but what red flags should you look out for? If ignored these can cause the kinds of problems that contribute to claims against freelancers.

From projects delivered late leading to claims of loss of income, to clients threatening legal action when the work hasn't met their expectations. There are common factors that contribute to situations where projects or client relationships gradually break down. We highlight these common factors so that you can have a better chance of avoiding bad situations.

Non-paying clients is an issue many freelancers face. Some of you may have reached the breaking point of asking yourself if it's time to threaten your client. We want to highlight some alternative methods to handling non-paying clients.

There has been a huge impact on the mental wellbeing of freelancers during COVID-19. We want to take this opportunity to remind you of the confidential counselling helpline you have access to with your legal expenses insurance.

If your business has been impacted by COVID-19 and cashflow is a concern, you can pause payments for 60 days and still remain covered.

What do you do if a client ghosts you, refuses to pay your invoice, yet pops up on the radar several weeks later to demand the work be completed? We look at spotting red flags, ensuring projects run smoothly and how insurance can help in a situation like this.

We share the story of how two different insurance products—contents insurance and professional indemnity insurance—helped a filmmaker when their hard drive failed and client footage was lost.

After spending most of last week answering customer emails and phone calls about Coronavirus, it feels right to go into a bit more detail. There isn’t much help we can provide in terms of the products we arrange and the impact COVID-19 is having on freelancers, but this blog post can be a refresher on what the insurance you’ve arranged through With Jack can help you with.

We revisit an old topic on avoiding copyright infringement claims. This was inspired by a recent spike in copyright claims, as well as my own experience of having my photos distributed illegally.

Clients requesting refunds because they're unhappy with the quality of work isn't uncommon. We look at how you can protect yourself in this situation and if your insurance can help.

We've all ignored a client that showed red flags. In my experience these projects are never worth the hassle. Let's delve into a project that exhibited red flags from the start. We'll look at preventive measures, what options the freelancer has and how insurance can help.

Professional indemnity claims can be quite complex. They either involve a legal threat or a client claiming monetory loss. It can be a scary and stressful experience for a freelancer. In this blog post we take you behind the scenes of a professional indemnity claim.

Why should you have a dedicated insurance policy for your business contents? Home contents insurance will often exclude business equipment. Find out more.

There's a spike of interest in IR35 insurance because of the off-payroll working rules that will affect freelancers who operate under a limited company. Let's look at what IR35 insurance is, how it can help and how much it costs.

At some point in your freelance career, you’ll experience a project that doesn’t go to plan. It doesn’t matter who or what is to blame and what the specifics are, some projects just don’t run smoothly. We look at what to do when a project doesn't go to plan.

Contrary to popular belief insurers do want to pay out claims, but there are some occasions where claims don’t get paid. I want to take a look at the common reasons why and share tips to help you get the most from your insurance.

This freelancer's client asked them to submit the work they'd completed for a project that had missed its deadline, and then asked the freelancer to pay damages. What could this freelancer have done differently to have a better outcome, and what role could insurance play in this situation?

When I was a freelance photographer I bought insurance that required me to have my clients sign a contract. However, not all insurers make contracts a stipulation of getting insured. We look at if your insurance will be void if you don't have a contract.

It’s a common misconception that the only time you should contact your insurer is when lawyers are banging on the door because you’re being sued. This isn’t true. Let’s look at when you should contact your insurer and how they might be able to help you.

A freelancer's client threatened to invoice them after being unhappy with their level of work and service. We take a look at what could have been done differently to have a better outcome and the role insurance would play.

Projects get derailed for a number of reasons. Sometimes the client hasn’t provided the deliverables that you need or maybe you’ve had circumstances outside of your control affect how much work you’ve been able to do. We look at how you can keep projects moving, and how insurance can help you if your client is unhappy with the project's progress.

A lot of freelancers have the assumption they don't need insurance because they aren't doing anything high risk. They also think that having a contract is enough to protect them. We look at what exactly freelancers are doing that insurance could help them with from missing project milestones to clients misunderstanding briefs.

Your client isn’t paying you, so what are the next steps to take? It’s a common problem with freelancing, but how do you deal with it in a way that increases your chance of getting paid for the work you have done?

Being a photographer carries a lot of risk. CF and SD cards fail, equipment breaks and some clients can be difficult to please. Today we look at how insurance helped a photographer who lost client work due to a failed hard drive.

Have you ever had a project grind to a halt because the client didn’t provide the assets you needed to complete it? We share a real story of how insurance helped a freelancer when a client project stalled.

If you're using third-party content in marketing material, customer's websites or your own site, this can leave you vulnerable to copyright infringement claims. We've got a few of these claims under our belt, so let's talk about how to avoid them happening to you.

There are many benefits of insurance, but they're buried within policy documents and dressed up in legal jargon. Today we share some of the problems insurance can solve for freelancers.

We asked the insurer, ARAG, to share stories of customers they've helped with the legal expenses product and the cost of each claim.

Today we've added a new product to our line called legal expenses. This product will help you get paid, give you access to legal advice 24/7 and more.

This is a familiar story in the freelance world. Freelancer receives payment, completes and delivers work, client asks for refund. Sometimes client relationships or projects just don't go to plan. The question is, how do you handle clients who want a refund?

When Simon had an accident on his bike and broke his laptop, he was worried about two things; will his insurance cover the damage and how quickly can he get back to work? Here's how With Jack helped him.

Most wedding photographers will face a difficult client at some point in their career. We've compiled the dos and don'ts if you find your client is unhappy with the photos you have (or haven't) taken on their wedding day.

After two years trading as an appointed representative in an InsurTech incubator, With Jack is now authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

We caught up with freelance photographer and With Jack customer, Ryan Johnston, to talk about his path to freelancing. Ryan's new to freelancing, having made the jump to full-time a few months ago. He can name Biffy Clyro, Red Bull and Travis as some of his clients.

From manual processes to instant quotes and a fresh look. Find out more about how With Jack is changing.

Unpaid invoices are the bane of any freelancer's life. We share tips and resources on how to deal with a client that isn't paying you.

Accusations of IP theft don't just happen to big companies. We share the story of how insurance helped a freelance developer who was accused of intellectual property theft.

Think of professional indemnity insurance as legal protection for freelancers. It's there to help if you make a mistake, cause a client loss of income or fail to meet their expectations.

Has your client added an insurance clause to your contract that's a bit overboard? We see this happen a lot, and whilst it's important to be professionally insured there's room to negotiate.

Short, snappy explainer videos to demystify insurance for freelancers. Introducing our new YouTube channel.

We share another example of how insurance could have helped a freelancer in a time of need. Instead of asking for advice on Reddit, they could have called upon their insurer to solve their problem.

Take a behind the scenes look at the new quote system. Instant quotes and account management.

A lot of freelancers are dishing out terrible advice about not needing insurance. Whilst it isn't a legal obligation, there are very good reasons why you should have it.

Rab shares his experience of lens theft on PayPal and eBay, and how the only help he received was from his insurance company.

Sometimes project deadlines are missed or the work isn't what the client expected. This happened to one of our customers, which lead to claim on their professional indemnity insurance.

GDPR is almost here and businesses are preparing for it. We take a look at how insurance could protect you with the new legislation.

Digital marketer, Briony Cullin, reflects on her first year as a freelancer. Going into her second year freelancing, we talked about the challenges she's faced and the impact her personal projects have had on the business.

A guide for freelancers thinking about insurance. This guide is compiled with a list of questions we're reguarly asked about business insurance for freelancers.

When Emily's client relationship broke down she decided it was best to walk away. What happened next threatened to put her out of business.

For the freelancers who think they don't need insurance, we debunk the common misconceptions freelancers have about business insurance.

How do you convince clients to get on board with your service and set aside the budget? Andthen tell us how they do it.

We've been growing our partners to get you even more discounts and freebies on tools you'll love.

A recent survey of self-employed professionals suggests small businesses could be doing a better job of treating their business like, well, a business. Here's how to avoid being a statistic.

How do you make the leap from agency to freelance? Graham has some great tips on transitioning to freelance.

What is business insurance and how can it help? We share insights into when a freelancer would use their professional indemnity policy and how to get insured.

Katherine Cory and Rachel Shillcock talk candidly about building a freelance design business while dealing with chronic illnesses.

A true story of how insurance paid a developer £9000 in unpaid fees and provided legal support when a client became threatening.

Want to learn more about what we're building at With Jack? Watch our new promo video.

Not sure when or how to make a professional indemnity claim? We offer tips to help you when dealing with your insurer.

We can now arrange business insurance for photographers, digital marketers and mobile app developers.

Martin Bean, a web developer from Newcastle, talks about how he went freelance after the shock of being made redundant.

There are loads of online courses vying for your attention. How can you teach yourself a new skill with online courses?

We've used customer feedback to improve our onboarding experience.

A collection of true stories when designers, developers and creatives would have benefited from having business insurance.

We'll give you an idea of the insurance you should consider based on the type of business you run.

You can now customise your policy with public liability and contents insurance. Say hello to the perfect policy.

Jack is offering more types of cover. Now freelancers can customise their insurance for their business.

If you provide a service or give advice to clients, you should have business insurance. We look at 4 reasons why freelancers should have insurance.

Ashley shares her recent experience of being burgled and having her equipment stolen.

Ashley shares her story of the moment she realised she needed insurance as a freelancer, and that she was putting herself at risk by not having it.

Jack was featured in The Sunday Times article on building a startup in Glasgow

Shopping for business insurance when you work with global clients doesn't have to be a problem.

The challenge freelancers face is knowing what type of insurance they need to have. We demystify the common types of cover and what you can expect to pay.

Use our business health checkup tool to assess the strength of your freelance business

A collection of lessons learned from Jack's customers, as well as the goals they've set for the year ahead.

Success at the Post Digital Insurance Awards 2016 as Ashley wins an award

Scope creep, unhappy clients… Most of the common problems freelancers face can be resolved with business insurance.

Rohan from Mindfulness Everywhere talks product validation and building a best selling, award winning app.

Jack reached top 5 on Product Hunt. We look at the numbers, and provide tips to get the best results from your Product Hunt feature.

You get what you pay for, so why are people programmed to choose the cheapest policy?

Ashley has been Shortlisted for two awards at the Post Digital Insurance Awards 2016.

Become a better freelancer with Jack's hand picked special offers for freelancers.

Learn how Mikleo produce beautiful designs while working in a remote team, what tools they use and how they find their clients.

Policy wordings can be hard to decipher. What exactly does professional indemnity cover you for?

A client relationship gone wrong, unpaid invoices… With Jack looks at why a freelancer needs professional indemnity insurance.

Ashley shares elements of the talk she gave at Hybrid Conf, 'Idea To Launch In 11 Years'

Choosing your level of cover doesn't have to be a stab in the dark.