Show HN: Momentum – Project Management and Invoicing for Freelancers

https://momentum.hookerhillstudios.com

by jrh89 • 1 year ago

1 4 1 year ago

momentum.hookerhillstudios.com

gregjor2• 1 year ago

I see so many of these freelancer-oriented project management and time tracking/invoicing tools announced. Sincere question: what freelancers need things like this?

I have worked as a solo freelancer (programming and systems admin) for about 15 years. My experience:

- As a solo freelancer I can only juggle so many clients and projects at once. I don't struggle to keep track of the projects or billing because I only have a few.

- I usually keep my customers long-term, multiple years, even a decade. That means I don't constantly have to look for new projects, and it also means I have established trust with my customers.

- Because of trust I don't experience no-pay or slow-pay. I have never had an unpaid invoice, and only a few times had a slow-pay customer. I don't have a lot of invoices out there waiting for payment so I don't need a system to track them.

- I try to avoid billing for time, moving my customers to pay for defined deliverables or monthly retainers. I rarely do big fixed-price projects because that requires a skill I and my customers don't have: the ability to predict the future.

- I don't put myself in a position where my customer can owe me a ruinous amount of money, or where I owe the customer a ruinous amount of work. Another reason I don't do big fixed-price projects.

- I charge in 30-minute increments, so I don't need split-second time tracking. A simple spreadsheet will do.

- My customers usually have a freelancing contract they paid their lawyers to prepare, but in case they don't I have a short template. Since 95% of what goes into such contracts gets covered by law anyway I focus on accurately describing the deliverables, the schedule, the amount owed and when, who owns what, and whether disputes go to arbitration or not.

- The freelancers I know who do juggle a lot of projects and customers (churning for new projects constantly) use piecework platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, which have time tracking and invoicing/payments built-in to the platform. I don't use those, too much race to the bottom.

- About half of my customers have their own time or deliverable tracking system and sometimes an invoicing system or template that they ask me to use.

If tools like this one (Momentum) address a real need then good luck. To me it looks like friction at best, and entrepreneur cosplay at worst. By cosplay I mean the freelancers who don't have customers or any good way to get customers who setup LLCs and business bank accounts, fancy web sites, LinkedIn marketing campaigns, and elaborate processes and billing systems -- all overhead costs and non-billable time. As a freelancer you want to reduce non-billable time as much as possible, and adding more process and tools may not accomplish that.

jrh892• 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your experience, Greg!

I really appreciate your thoughtful take, it’s clear you’ve built a system that works perfectly for your workflow. Momentum isn’t designed to replace what works for seasoned freelancers like yourself, but it’s more than just time tracking or invoicing. Let me clarify where it fits in:

Client Collaboration Portal: One of the core features of Momentum is a dedicated portal where clients can log in to track project progress in real time. They can upload files, leave feedback, and even pick color palettes for design-related projects. This is especially helpful for creative freelancers- designers, marketers, web developers- who need constant client input and want to streamline that back-and-forth.

Integrated Invoicing & Payments: Beyond project tracking, clients can pay invoices directly through the platform. This reduces the need for manual follow-ups or switching between tools, making it easier for freelancers to get paid on time.

Transparency for Newer Clients: While you’ve built long-term trust with your clients, many freelancers work with new clients frequently. Momentum helps establish that trust early on by making the whole process transparent—clients can see exactly where things stand at any given time.

Simplified Workflow for Growing Freelancers: For freelancers managing multiple short-term projects, Momentum brings project management, file sharing, and billing into one place, reducing the friction of juggling multiple tools.

I totally get that for freelancers like you, who have long-term clients and a well-oiled system, something like Momentum might feel unnecessary. But for those in different industries or earlier in their freelancing journey, it can be a plus for both organization and client relationships.

Thanks again for your feedback. It’s super valuable to hear from experienced freelancers like you!

Jared

gregjor2• 1 year ago

That's a great description of your product and target market. You should put that on your site as the value proposition.

I have tried a few times to set up portals for clients to review work and communicate on projects. Generally they don't use them, or they have their own system they want me to use. Very often they won't even use GitHub.

My clients almost never want to pay by credit card -- medium/larger companies don't pay their bills like that, though I have seen some adoption of card payment. I mainly get paid by bank transfer, or even paper checks (USA only). I have offered credit/debit card, PayPal, Wise, but if the company has a payables system you have to deal with that process.

Good luck!

Show HN: Momentum – Project Management and Invoicing for Freelancers

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