Creative freelancer (designer / writer / dev) software, built around IRS, E&O and proofing gallery with approval rounds

Arkathos gives a creative freelancer (designer a workspace tailored to how the work actually runs — This workspace is built around shipping client deliverables through proofing and approval rounds to a paid invoice. Arkathos tailors a creative freelancer (designer workspace around 5 agents: Scribe, Sentinel, Treasury, Client Portal, Herald.

Compliance a creative freelancer (designer can't afford to miss

Watchtower tracks every license, bond, insurance policy, and continuing-education requirement for a creative freelancer (designer, with renewal cadences and staged reminders so nothing lapses.

• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Business entity registration (LLC / corporation), through the State Secretary of State (or equivalent business filing agency), which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a General Business License, which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a DBA / Fictitious Business Name Registration, through the County Clerk, which renews every 5 years.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Employer Identification Number (EIN), through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Home Occupation Permit, through the Municipal Zoning Dept, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Sales & use tax permit / Seller's permit, through the State Department of Revenue / Taxation (e.g., CA CDTFA, TX Comptroller, NY Dept. of Taxation and Finance), which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Local business license / home occupation permit, through the City or county government, which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Seller's / Sales & Use Tax Permit, through the State Dept of Revenue, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Fictitious business name / DBA registration, through the County clerk or State Secretary of State, which has no fixed renewal cycle.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) Insurance, which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Adobe Certified Professional, through the Adobe (creative-app exams delivered via Certiport), which renews every 3 years.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a AWS Certified Developer – Associate, through the Amazon Web Services (AWS), which renews every 3 years.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Cyber Liability / Data Breach Insurance, which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Business Equipment / Personal Property Insurance, which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Project Management Professional (PMP), through the Project Management Institute (PMI), which renews every 3 years.
• The Project Management Professional (PMP) carries a continuing-education requirement of 60 hours every 36 months (8h Ways of Working / Technical (Talent Triangle minimum), 8h Power Skills / Leadership (Talent Triangle minimum), 8h Business Acumen / Strategic & Business Management (Talent Triangle minimum), 36h Remaining Education/Giving Back (Education min 35 incl. the 24 above; Giving Back max 25; no Ethics sub-minimum)).
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Vendor Software Certification (Adobe Certified Professional / AWS), through the Vendor Certification Body, which renews every 3 years.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Professional liability / Technology Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance, through the Private insurance carrier (regulated by State Dept. of Insurance), which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a General liability insurance, through the Private insurance carrier (regulated by State Dept. of Insurance), which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Cyber liability insurance, through the Private insurance carrier (regulated by State Dept. of Insurance), which renews every year.
• A creative freelancer (designer must maintain a Workers' compensation insurance, through the Private insurance carrier / state workers' comp fund (regulated by State Dept. of Insurance / Labor), which renews every year.

Everything Arkathos runs for a creative freelancer (designer

These are the agents set up first for a creative freelancer (designer — and because it's one platform, every plan includes all 16 Arkathos agents. Also included whenever you need them: Guardhouse, Quartermaster, Courier, War Room, Armory, Marshall, Mint Warden, Vault Keeper, Watchtower, Bulletin Board.

• Scribe — Document & contract templates, E-signature, Proposal & form builder, PDF / Word export.
• Sentinel — Contact & lead management, Deal / estimate pipeline, Task & follow-up tracking, SMS & email outreach, Pipeline reporting.
• Treasury — Invoicing & payment collection, Expense tracking, Accounting & bookkeeping, Business tax prep & filing, Recurring billing & subscriptions, Financial dashboards & reports.
• Client Portal — Branded client login portal, Project & status sharing, Invoice viewing & payment, Approvals & intake forms.
• Herald — SEO & get-found content, Social media scheduling, Email & newsletter campaigns, Brand voice & content studio, Review & reputation growth, AI-overview & directory visibility.

Your tailored creative freelancer (designer workspace

These are net-new, creative freelancer (designer-specific capabilities — not a generic CRM bolted onto your industry.

• Proofing gallery with approval rounds (Client Portal): Authenticated client portal that hosts deliverable versions, lets the client approve or request changes per round, stacks versions, and timestamps sign-off; reuse the tokenized media-sanitizer pipeline.
• Deposit + milestone billing with pay-links (Treasury): Invoices that collect a deposit up front and release the balance on delivery, each carrying a tap-to-pay link via the Stripe Terminal adapter; invoice emails are plain text with no pay link today.
• Per-project deliverable container (Sentinel): A project object linking client → brief → deliverables → revisions → invoice, giving a designer/writer/dev one focused board per job.
• Revision-round / scope-creep guard (Sentinel): Counts revision rounds against the contracted limit (e.g., two included) and, when exceeded, auto-prompts a paid change-order so out-of-scope work is billed, not absorbed.
• Creative-contract e-sign (Scribe): Public signer for design/dev/writing agreements with usage-rights and kill-fee clauses plus an ESIGN/UETA audit trail; finishes the signer stub.

The agents and tabs you get

Scribe for a creative freelancer (designer surfaces Documents, Templates, Brand, Chat. Sentinel for a creative freelancer (designer surfaces Overview, Contacts, Tasks, Chat. Treasury for a creative freelancer (designer surfaces Financial sheet, Invoices, Draft estimate, Transactions, Chat. Client Portal for a creative freelancer (designer surfaces Intakes, Settings, Chat. Herald for a creative freelancer (designer surfaces Brand voice, Compose, Schedule, Get found, Directories, ✦Studio, Chat.

Frequently asked questions

best all-in-one software for freelancers to run their business

All-in-one tools like Moxie, Dubsado, HoneyBook, and Plutio bundle CRM, proposals, contracts, invoicing, and time tracking. Arkathos goes further with 16 AI agents covering finances, scheduling, payroll, taxes, and marketing at flat pricing, no per-seat fees.

best invoicing app for freelancers

FreshBooks, Wave (free), Invoice Ninja, and Harvest are top-rated for freelance invoicing with reminders and payment links. Arkathos handles invoicing plus expense tracking, tax set-aside, and CRM in one platform instead of stitching tools together.

how much should i set aside for taxes as a freelancer

Most freelancers set aside 25-30% of net income to cover self-employment tax (~15.3%) plus federal and state income tax. Arkathos tracks income and auto-calculates the reserve so you never get surprised at filing time.

when are quarterly estimated taxes due for freelancers

Estimated taxes are due roughly April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 for the prior year's fourth quarter. Arkathos flags each deadline and estimates what you owe based on your tracked income.

do i need an llc to freelance or am i a sole proprietor

No LLC is required; without one you're a sole proprietor by default. An LLC adds liability protection and S-corp tax options once income grows. Arkathos tailors bookkeeping and tax handling to whichever entity type you pick.

how to write a freelance contract with scope of work

Include parties, exact deliverables, what's excluded, timeline, payment schedule, revision limits, and a written sign-off clause to prevent scope creep. Arkathos's Scribe agent generates client-ready contracts and proposals you can send and e-sign.

how to track time and expenses as a freelancer

Log billable hours per client and categorize expenses (software, home office, mileage) as you go, so hours feed invoices and expenses lower your taxable income. Arkathos captures receipts and links time to invoicing automatically.

how do i get more freelance clients and follow up on proposals

Send tailored proposals within 24 hours, open with the client's problem, then follow up 3-5 days later, up to three times. Arkathos's CRM tracks leads and automates follow-up reminders so proposals don't go cold.

do i need a crm as a freelancer

Yes once you juggle several clients, a CRM stops leads, deadlines, and follow-ups from slipping through email. Arkathos includes CRM connected to scheduling, invoicing, and marketing so contact info entered once flows everywhere.

What licenses and insurance does a creative freelancer (designer need?

Arkathos tracks 20 items for a creative freelancer (designer, including Business entity registration (LLC / corporation), General Business License, DBA / Fictitious Business Name Registration, Employer Identification Number (EIN). Each renewal and expiration is monitored in Watchtower with staged reminders.

What continuing education is required for a creative freelancer (designer?

The Project Management Professional (PMP) carries a continuing-education requirement of 60 hours every 36 months (8h Ways of Working / Technical (Talent Triangle minimum), 8h Power Skills / Leadership (Talent Triangle minimum), 8h Business Acumen / Strategic & Business Management (Talent Triangle minimum), 36h Remaining Education/Giving Back (Education min 35 incl. the 24 above; Giving Back max 25; no Ethics sub-minimum)). Watchtower logs hours by category and flags shortfalls before the deadline.

Which Arkathos agents does a creative freelancer (designer get?

Arkathos tailors a creative freelancer (designer workspace around 5 agents: Scribe, Sentinel, Treasury, Client Portal, Herald.

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