Sometimes clients will ask you to have insurance. Whilst it can feel like a barrier to accepting the project, it isn't an unreasonable request. We look at why a client asks you to be an insured professional.
One of the biggest causes of problems for freelancers is client expectations not being met. Agreements can help you discover problems in advance so you can keep clients happy and ensure projects run smoothly
Ever wondered how much help a contract really is if things go wrong? Or what measures you can put in place to prevent a client from paying late? We answer your questions.
It can feel like a minefield when you first learn about all the different insurance products available. Public liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance are two very different products, so make sure you're buying the policy that suits the type of work you do.
The professional indemnity policy is triggered if there's a legal threat or demand for compensation, but legal expenses insurance can save the day before a situation has reached that stage. Here's why it's something every freelancer should consider.
Answering the risk questions is the final step to getting insured, but some of the questions can be confusing. We break down the risk questions by profession, what they mean and why the insurer is asking them.
Before I worked in insurance I was a freelance photographer. This is my personal story about a client being unhappy with the work I delivered, how I handled it and the lessons I learned.
Let's do a teardown of the insured quote you'll receive when getting a quote (also called insured schedule if you buy insurance). We'll walk through the document and explain every step so you can better understand your insurance.
Here are some of the legal templates included with your legal expenses insurance. Debt collection letters, copyright agreements, website terms and more.
Most freelancers have experienced a client ghosting them at a critical stage of a project. How can you manage a client going AWOL?
Getting paid, finding work, firing bad clients… these are all situations you'll face as a freelancer. How do you prepare for them?
The data recovery clause is one of my favourite policy features. It's helpful for all freelancers who store important data, but especially photographers and videographers whose SD cards or hard drives suffer accidental damage that causes client work to become lost or corrupt.
Ever wondered what kind of problems designers, developers and photographers face that their insurance has helped them with? We've put together a list of the most common claims by profession which can help you improve your processes to reduce risk or avoid issues altogether.
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.
How you respond to a client relationship breaking down is crucial. It can be the difference between a project ending harmoniously and one you regret accepting.
We've seen a lot of copyright claims at With Jack. What should you do if your client argues about copyright ownership? Can contracts and insurance help you navigate issues over copyright?
It's a myth that having a contract relieves freelancers of liability if something goes wrong enough. 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. Use With Jack’s directory to find a designer, copywriter and more for your project.
This error resulted in a client's database being deleted and a threat of legal action. We look at preventive measures and how insurance helps in this situation.
A designer was hired to create "a simple website" that ended with a legal threat. Design expectations need discussed and understood in advance to avoid issues.
Client ghosting, poor payment terms and scope creep that resulted in a client feeling like they didn't get what they paid for. What can you do when in this situation?
Red flags can lead to badly run projects which can turn into a nightmare for the freelancer. What warning signs should you be aware of so that you can avoid having a difficult client on your hands?
From delayed projects to work not meeting client expectations. We highlight factors that cause client relationships to break down so that you can avoid them.
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.
The products we arrange can't help with the impact COVID-19 is having on freelancers, but here's a refresher on what the insurance you have can help you with.
Inspired by a recent spike in copyright claims, we revisit the topic of avoiding accusations of copyright infringement and staying on the right side of copyright law.
Clients requesting refunds because they're unhappy with the quality of work isn't uncommon. We look at how to handle 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 and business contents has extra features. Find out more.
There's a lot of interest in IR35 insurance because of the off-payroll working rules affecting freelancers operating 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 can stall for reasons outside of your control. How can you keep things moving and will your insurance help if your client's unhappy with the progress?
Some freelancers think they don't need insurance because they aren't doing anything risky and having a contract is enough to protect them, but is that true?
What do you do when a client isn't paying you? Clients refusing to pay an invoice is a common problem with freelancing, but we'll walk you through the steps you need to take to get paid for the work you've 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 becomes unhappy and asks for a refund. How do you deal with clients that 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.
It can be difficult to define professional indemnity insurance, but I like to think of it as insurance for careless mistakes or problem clients.
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 where you can select what cover you want and get an instant quote without giving your personal details.
A lot of freelancers are dishing out poor advice about not needing insurance. Whilst it isn't a legal requirement, there are very good reasons why freelancers should have professional indemnity insurance.
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.
This guide is compiled with a list of questions we're reguarly asked about business insurance for freelancers. If you're a freelancer considering getting insured for the first time this guide is for you.
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.
We debunk the common misconceptions freelancers have about business insurance like thinking a contract is enough to protect them.
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 selection of hand-picked partners to get you even more discounts and freebies on tools and resources 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 professional indemnity insurance and how can it help? We share insights into when a freelancer would use professional indemnity and how it works.
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 created by Mambo Video Production.
Not sure when or how to make a claim on your professional indemnity insurance? We offer tips to help you prepare for making a claim 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 listened to customer feedback to improve our onboarding experience. Let's look at the improvements we've made.
A collection of true stories when designers, developers and creatives would have benefited from having business insurance.
Use our 'what insurance' tool to get 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.
With a lot of freelancers being unsure about the benefits of being insured, we look at 4 reasons why freelancers should have insurance. Keep yourself safe and clients happy.
Ashley shares her experience of being burgled, having her equipment stolen and the importance of having the proper insurance.
Ashley shares her story of the moment she realised she needed insurance as a freelancer, and that she was putting herself and her clients at risk by not having it.
With Jack was featured in The Sunday Times. The article is about building a startup in Glasgow and features Indie, the office dog.
Shopping for business insurance when you work with global clients doesn't have to be a problem. We can add worldwide cover to your policy for an additional premium.
Being insured helps you be a confident freelancer, but what exactly does that mean? We look at the types of insurance to consider as a freelancer and how insurance can help you.
Use our business health checkup tool to assess the strength of your freelance business and give you ideas of areas you could improve.
A collection of lessons learned from With Jack customers, as well as the goals they've set for the year ahead.
Success at the Post Digital Insurance Awards 2016 as Ashley wins the award she was shortlisted for!
Scope creep, unhappy clients, missed milestones… 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.
With 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 wouldn't hire the cheapest web designer, so why are people programmed to choose the cheapest policy? You get what you pay for.
Ashley has been Shortlisted for two insurance awards at the Post Digital Insurance Awards 2016. Good luck, Ashley!
Become a better freelancer with Jack's hand-picked special offers for freelancers including learning material and project management tools.
Learn how Mikleo produce beautiful designs while working in a remote team, what tools they use and how they find their clients.
Policy wordings don't always make a lot of sense, so what exactly does professional indemnity insurance cover you for?
A client relationship gone wrong, work delivered late, 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', about the journey of building With Jack.
Launch day. Let's do this. Who is Jack and what can you expect?
Choosing your level of cover doesn't have to be a stab in the dark. Contractual requirements, budget and your exposure to risk come into play.