We tried two different freelance web developers on a one off project recently and both were a massive let down and wasted months. Finally, we have got it right third time lucky. Here are some things I learned in the process.

• Ensure communication channels are kept open. Our first freelancer came into our office and appeared positive about the task. We agreed that he would do the work in the evenings around his 'normal' job. After the first few days we found it very difficult to get hold of him.
• Don't employ a freelancer who has a day job. They simply won't be able to do a full day at the office and then dedicate any meaningful time in the evenings.
• Get the freelancer to work in your office. If they work from home or in the evenings, it is very difficult to get a handle on how they are progressing (despite positive sounding emails).
• Don't be duped by emails promising that the work is nearly done. Our second freelancer must have mailed me about 5 times each time saying the work would be finished 'this week'. It never did get finished! Instead, demand that updates are provided regularly and also that updates are visible.
• Set up the contract to ensure payment is based on completing all required tasks within set timeframes. Luckily we did this so we did not experience any financial loss. However, the time wasted was frustrating.

When I started developing the concept for Clear Books I spent 15 months working from a lounge. I avoided the costs that quickly stack up if you move into an office:

• Rent
• Rates
• Heating and lighting
• Internet
• Service charge
• Cleaning

Some of the things I did to make working from home work were to:

• Hold meetings in a nearby pub/cafe/restaurant (I interviewed my first employee and met the MD of a competitor in a pub)
• Use a VOIP phone with a free landline number from sipgate to receive calls (more professional than a mobile)
• Video conference business partners using built in laptop camera and microphone (I still do this with my MacBook)

Working from home can be productive as there are no distractions or interruptions (unless you create them - so leave the TV off). Not having to commute frees up more time in the day too. You have to be self-disciplined and motivated to be productive.

The only time you should consider moving into an office is when your business requires it e.g. if you take on staff and need somewhere to house them. That's when I made the move.

Clear Books, my accounting software company, has up until now banked with Barclays. I signed up out of convenience as our partner Fubra had an account manager which sped up the setup process. For a long time the account was inactive as we were in a development phase and not processing any transactions.

For a while now the account has been active and as a result we accrued bank charges covering the previous quarter including all sorts of items:

• BDC ATM CASH
• BDC MERCH VCH
• DEBIT ENTRIES
• AUTOMATED CR
• STMNTS CEN POST

This was very annoying!

Unfortunately, Barclays do not offer a free banking service so I am in the process of switching to Abbey (or Santander as it is now known) which does.