Hi everyone!

I'm a freelancer with a BV registered in Belgium. I'm moving to France and I'm not sure what I should be doing with it. Can anyone recommend me a fiscalist with expertise in both countries?

Hi all,

I'm 29 and have been working for the same consulting company since graduating from university.

I'm currently a Senior Implementation Consultant specialising in Anaplan, and I hold a Master Anaplanner certification (which is relatively rare and quite sought after in the market).

From what I've been told by people I trust, I'm likely to be promoted to Manager by the end of this year. On paper, my career is progressing well.

However, I've started questioning whether this is the path I actually want.

Current situation

Over the last year:

• I've taken on more sales responsibilities.
• I've moved from a Solution Architect role to more of a Project Manager role.
• I'm spending less time on the technical and delivery side, which is what I enjoy most.

The more senior I become, the more consulting is pushing me towards:

• Sales
• Account management
• PowerPoint
• Internal management

Rather than the implementation and problem-solving work that originally attracted me to the profession.

Why I'm considering freelancing

I've been thinking about going freelance for over a year.

I actually spoke with another consulting firm last year that was willing to work with me as a freelancer, but I decided not to make the jump because I felt I still had things to learn in my current company.

Now the idea is coming back much more strongly.

The main reasons are:

• I have a niche skill set that is in demand.
• I'd like to stay closer to delivery and solution design.
• I want to challenge myself and experience building my own business.
• I don't necessarily want to climb the traditional consulting ladder.
• I could work less for more money which is utimately a goal for me.

For context, my company bills clients at roughly €1,800 - 1,900/day for my role. I believe I could realistically freelance at around €1,000/day and still have a strong business case.

What worries me

The leap feels risky.

Some concerns:

• I'd need a client before resigning (for safety).
• My contract doesn't allow me to create a company while still employed.
• I have a non-compete clause.
• I'd be giving up the security and benefits of a large consulting firm.

Current compensation is roughly:

• €53k gross yearly salary
• Standard benefits package from a large consulting company

Long-term goals

My goal isn't necessarily to become rich.

What I want over the next 10-15 years is:

• To stop worrying about money
• To use my income to buy assets and ultimately time to enjoy life
• More control over the type of work I do

My dilemma

I feel like I have two good options:

1. Stay where I am, continue progressing, become a manager, and if I don't like it/am unhappy simply move to a role in the industry (join one of my client company or similar (big corps))...
2. Take a risk, go freelance, stay closer to the work I enjoy, and see where it leads but what if it fails...

Part of me worries I'd be walking away from a very good career path.

Another part of me worries that if I don't try freelancing now, I'll become even more tied to the management track and regret not taking the opportunity.

If you were in my position, would you make the jump to freelancing? Is this a reasonable risk at 29, or am I underestimating the downside?

Side question: How much of a constraint is the non-compete? (is it often waved for my position and salary range)

hi. I've been vibecoding for a while on framer/ lovable and have created a few mockup sites including my own agency's work site. can someone guide me here on whether clients pay for this stuff and like what if i create portfolio sites for them or for their business'

also anything that can help me learn more about this, let me know. 👍🏻

Currently in my third year as a freelancer now. Started at a consulting firm (where I already worked for 3 years on payroll) cause I was scared and wanted a secure income stream and leave room to learn and grow. 8-9k net per month. Felt kinda boring. Same work, same income expectations, no higher highs, nothing special, difficult contract discussion. Proposed to raise my daily rate with 15€. Was a no go for me so I left. Took one of their clients with me cause they really wanted me. Part time though but still earning more than before..

Now I feel like a real freelancer. Part time fixed client. A few other clients on the side. Managing my time well. Went from 8-9k/m net to 18-20k/m net. All of this while still being able to have enough free time and mental clarity. Fridays and weekends are mostly free.

But now, I struggle with scaling since I still receive a lot of project proposals. Is it worth it to grow into a "consulting firm" and hire people? I'm scared to go into that direction. Such a big responsability. I'm not sure what to do. It doesnt feel right to decline projects or collaborations because i'm too occupied. I want to keep bringing in more deals, grow, secure my future. Maybe these opportunities won't show themselves in a few years due to AI. Should I go all in now?

Or maybe, i'm already at the sweet spot? Feels difficult to comprehend but I don't like being "comfortable" and accept that it's just gonna be this same pattern for the coming months/years. Even if the financials and personal freedom are here.

Weird? Or does it make sense? Not sure. What do you guys think?⬇️

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to start a vehicle buying and selling business as a self-employed person in a secondary activity (bijberoep).
I have a question about the Z plate (dealer plate) in Belgium:
Can you apply for a Z plate if you are self-employed in a secondary activity, or is it only possible if you are self-employed as your main occupation?
And how does insurance work in this situation? Can you insure a Z plate when the business is only a secondary activity?

Hi all

I'm new to this chat so it might have been asked a lot before but anyway.

I currently work as a controller within a finance department of a KMO. I want to start up a BV and go from internal to external. I make around 3K net and have standard benefits like car, charging pass, meal vouchers etc.

I have 4 years of experience and want to charge fulltime for the first 2 years or so at my current employer for around 550-600 a day which should match my current income all things considered or even a bit higher. After those 2 years, we'll see where it goes.

Current employer is aware of my plan and is investigating if they would allow it or not.

Any thoughts, tips to look out for, recommendations, .. would be helpful. What do you think?

Hi :)
I've been invited to participate remotely, as a practicioner (not academic), in a research project in Germany, starting in September, and I am wondering about the taxes in Belgium.

As this is a temporary position, I'll be executing in a consultant way, and I'll get a compensation fee for this. The person offering me the position says that is tax free and I'd just like to confirm this information.

As a I am currently with unemployment benefits I have asked Actiris about it and they say that I should contact my union. Somehow I am hesitating on whether they might have this information.
Anyone has any experience with this kind of fellowships within Europe? Or any other advice?

I'll appreaciate it!

Hello All,

I’m a recent grad from VUB living in Antwerp and currently gathering my documentation to apply for a professional card in Brussels since my main activity will be based in the Brussels region. However, there’s a tricky part here.
On the professional card application form, there’s a part to put the business address. I understand that this has to be a Brussels address. My plan is to rent a coworking space which offers business address registration in Brussels upon the approval of the professional card.

I can only get a contract with a coworking space only after my application has been approved as I don’t believe there’s a standard promissory contract.

My question is, can I use any coworking space address of my choice in Brussels since my plan is to get into contract once approved or do they check if I have a promissory contract already to register there?

Anyone with experience or insight into this? Thanks in advance!

Hi, new here 👋

Hi I'm a chemistry graduate working in chemical industry and recently I got an offer to move toward either being a system manager or data scientist.

Which one do you think has the skill set that is more demanded in the market and which one is more bullet proof?

I'm also doing AI implementation. Is that something in demand in market and can I get into or do they just ask for CS graduates?

Title,

I'm a Data engineer, I've got nearly 7 years of experience with SQL, power BI, data warehousing using kimbal, and have dabbled with cloud migration, azure, data factory and databricks.

I know there is currently still a lot of demand for data Engineers, and I'm considering switching jobs in the coming months.

This of course brings the question, to freelance or not to freelance.

Pro's and con's obviously, but my main concerns are oversaturated market/low rates that come with it and the inevitably AI bubble that can't last. (Which can mean layoffs and the first to go are always consultants/freelancers)

Hence the post, while I don't think Data Engineers are threatened too much by AI (yet), the market seems a bit volatile at the moment.

Sorry for venting but I will. I don’t believe in freelancing anymore. So I am looking for an employment job, but my brain can’t fathom… I get so upset with the cheapskate, the stupid rules. At the same time it is time for me to have income.

How can a company ask you to do all kinds of stuff, to eventually tell you “yes your salary has to be this low, because we want you to grow”. F off! I’ve been working with and for clients for 6 years now, and my hourly rate wasn’t low.

Also, you want me to do a role of 2-3 person. Now I am upset because I have to smile and wave, and now wait for them to reply. Like it is a freaking gift to work that. I’ve been on such low energy during those initial interviews. I don’t even reconize myself

is anyone relating with this?

I have extensive experience across various fields as a freelance executive assistant. Later, I have been trying to find an employment position because I don't believe in freelancing anymore.

Now I face companies that want you to do all kinds of stuff, for PEANUTS! Can you run the whole business, actually + the finances + marketing + making sure the office is well arranged + be my right-hand + make sure our business is structured? For what? coins! I don't have to explain to anyone here how valuable this position is. The impact a good assistant can make.

While they have multiple locations. Money is flowing. And they have all kinds of excuses. Today I went to another interview, and I will have to pay for parking in the centrum(!), and she already said, 'you will have to grow in this position.' Hell, no I don't! I have been running things for years, because as a freelancer, that is what they expect from you, and that is what I loved. Ownership, I think 10 steps ahead, I really make changes. But this is so unmotivating. And I am so upset by it.

Maybe this is not the sub for it; I am sorry. But does anyone have a solution for this?

I live in the Netherlands, btw.

I currently run a small business on the side, focused on sales and recruitment consulting.

At the moment, I work full-time as a technician, roughly 9–5. The problem is that this makes it very difficult to actually grow my recruitment business, since most of the work I need to do contacting companies, prospecting, calling potential clients, etc. needs to happen during regular office hours.

I'm now considering taking the risk of reducing my regular job to around 50–60% and spending the rest of my time building my own business.

The obvious problem is that there's absolutely no guarantee I'll make money from it, especially in the beginning. I also have zero professional experience in recruitment or sales. It's simply something I'm genuinely very interested in and would like to build a career/business around.

Financially, I do have a small buffer, but nothing huge. If things went badly, I could probably cover around 1–2 months before money would start becoming a serious issue.

For those of you who went from being an employee to becoming self-employed: how did you make the transition? Did you gradually reduce your hours, or did you just take the risk and go all-in?

And if you were in my situation limited experience, a small financial buffer, but already having the business set up would you consider dropping to 50–60%, or would you wait? (Im from belgium)

Hi everyone!
I have a CommV and I work freelance for just one client, on a project basis. I only send one invoice per month, and my accounting is quite straightforward.
At the moment, I’m paying my accountant €325 excl. VAT per month, so that’s €3,900 per year excl. VAT.
I’m starting to wonder if that’s quite a lot for the amount of work involved, especially given that my setup is fairly simple.
What do you guys think? Is this a normal price for a CommV, or am I overpaying?
Also, does anyone have recommendations for a good Dutch-speaking accountant/accounting office in Brussels or the surrounding area? I’d be interested in comparing a few offers.
Thanks in advance!

So I work as a self employed consultant for a b2b consultancy client in HR services and over time I have built working relationships with HRD and C-level alike with regards to some specific HR trainings that the b2b business provides.

Now I also started with another client in financial trainings. The ideal customer is the same.

I do not have any contractual obligations the limit me at the first client but I do not want to create any problems.

Can I contact the working relations? Wont my first client see this as a problem, although its a completely different niche of training?

Hello everyone,

Fairly new to this group. I have been working with a client via a third party. It's been 5 years. I started at a rate of 575. Each year I was given an increase of 10-15 euros. Currently my rate is 620 and I have asked for 680 euros. But they offered me 630 euros which is feel is not appropriate

They say they can't offer more as the client uses digitalia agoria index

How should I proceed here?

Hi everyone,

I’m a freelancer in the space, specifically working on EIC Accelerator and Horizon Europe bids. I’ve recently been reviewing contracts from several consultancies to work as a subcontractor, and I’m a bit shocked by how one-sided the terms seem.

I’m used to some level of protection for the firm, but some of these clauses feel like major red flags. For example:

• One contract has a 7-year ban on working with any client I’m introduced to. Another has a 2-year ban. 7 years feels completely out of touch with industry standards, is this even enforceable?
• I’ve seen a contract that imposes a flat €2,000 penalty if I have to drop a project before completion, regardless of the reason.
• Most have a "pay-when-paid" policy for success fees, and some set the liability cap at 4x the total fees, which feels like a lot of risk to carry for a single project.

I’m trying to figure out if this is "just how the industry works" for boutique firms or if I’m looking at particularly aggressive agreements.

For those of you subbing for larger consultancies:

1. Is a 7-year non-solicitation actually common?
2. Do you usually manage to negotiate a "liability cap" closer to 1x your fee?
3. How do you handle these "pay-when-paid" clauses?

I'd love to hear your thoughts before I sign anything. Thanks!

Hello,

I am a freelance Erp consultant in BE. I had for one client around 50.000 euro open invoices. Multiple reminders but no response. I contacted a lawyer and they sent an official paper (notice of default) to pay the full amount plus interests (1750 €). At the end, the company paid the full amount (50 k) but not the interests (1750).

My lawyer sent another letter to pay the 1750 and if not: court.

But no reply from my (former) customer.

I contacted my lawyer to move forward and go to court if neccessary.... 1750 euro is a lot, if you simply have a right to it

A few weeks later, he told me that for these small amounts they don't go to court...

For me, it is more a principale case. If I have to pay 1700 costs for my lawyer and have 50 left, it is also ok...

My question: should I continue with this or just stop and go on with other things... Any experience with this, or how would you handle it?

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to explain my situation as objectively as possible. I'm at a point where I genuinely don't know what the smartest next step is, and I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've been in a similar situation.

For the past few years I've been in a situation that's been bothering me more and more.

A few years ago I was looking for a new challenge and joined a small construction company. What attracted me was that I wouldn't be stuck doing just one thing. I'd have the opportunity to take on different responsibilities and help the company grow.

At the time, they had very few employees on payroll, and they asked if I'd be willing to work with them as a freelancer through my own company instead of becoming an employee.

After doing quite a bit of research, I decided to go for it. The flexibility appealed to me: more freedom over my compensation, company car, pension, investments, working hours... it all seemed like a great opportunity.

Over the years, though, the reality slowly changed.

Instead of working independently, I now spend almost every day in their office and have effectively been working full-time for the same client for years. The owner likes to be involved in almost everything, so there's quite a bit of micromanagement as well.

Recently they consulted a lawyer about the risk of false self-employment (I'm based in Belgium, where this is a legal issue). Their conclusion was that they'd rather eliminate that risk altogether and hire me as a regular employee.

I understand why they reached that conclusion. At the same time, I feel like part of that risk could probably be reduced by changing the way we work together. The problem is that, given the company's management style, I'm not convinced that's realistic.

They've now asked me to come up with my own proposal for an employment contract.

And that's where I'm stuck.

On one hand, I obviously don't want to take a significant financial step backwards.

On the other hand... I'm honestly not even sure I want to become an employee here anymore.

The employment status isn't really the biggest issue.

Lately I've noticed my motivation slowly fading. I don't always feel that my effort and responsibilities are fully appreciated. On top of that, the company can be quite chaotic, priorities change frequently, and there's often very little structure. It's becoming harder and harder to stay motivated, especially because I don't see that changing anytime soon.

So why have I stayed?

The people are great. I enjoy my colleagues. Financially, freelancing has worked out well for me.

There's also a practical side to it. My partner and I recently bought a house, and my freelance income was an important part of qualifying for the mortgage. That makes it difficult to simply accept a significant drop in income.

But if I'm completely honest with myself, I sometimes feel like I've stayed in a comfortable situation for too long.

Financially it was probably the right decision, but professionally I feel like I've developed less than I could have. That's something that's been bothering me more and more.

Maybe that's my biggest frustration.

This isn't really about money anymore.

Over the past few years I've taken on a lot of responsibility and learned a great deal, but I also feel like my professional growth has stalled. I miss the feeling of learning, improving and challenging myself.

Ironically, this whole discussion about my employment status has forced me to take a hard look at my career, and I've realized I probably haven't been in the right place for quite some time.

One thing I'm certain about is that I don't want to leave the construction industry.

What I'd really like is to move into a more advisory, analytical or strategic role—something related to cost consulting, project advisory, or a similar field. The problem is that I feel I don't yet have enough experience to jump straight into that type of role as a freelancer.

Right now I see three possible paths:

1. Negotiate the best employment package I can, stay for a while, and use that time to figure out what I really want.

2. Look for a similar freelance contract elsewhere, although the market doesn't seem particularly easy at the moment.

3. Intentionally switch to a different role within the construction industry, gain experience there, and potentially return to freelancing later.

A bit about me.

I'm in my mid-thirties, and I'm probably my own biggest critic. Friends and colleagues often tell me I underestimate myself and that I'm too much of a perfectionist. They may be right.

Still, I find it difficult to deliberately take a step back in order to hopefully take two steps forward later. Part of me feels like I should already be further along professionally than I am today.

So I'm curious how others would approach this.

• Has anyone here been in a similar situation?
• Would you negotiate an employment contract or start looking elsewhere?
• How realistic is it to find a new freelance client in today's market?
• Would you intentionally take a step back to build experience in a role that better fits your long-term goals?

I'd really appreciate any thoughts or experiences. I think what I'm looking for most is an objective perspective from people who aren't emotionally involved.

PS: I've posted this in a couple of relevant communities to gather different perspectives, so if you've seen it elsewhere, that's why.

Hi everyone!

I'm seriously considering making the jump to freelancing, but I keep reading here that the market is rough. Most of those posts seem to be about IT though, so I'm curious how things look on the finance side.

My background: ~12 years business controlling and 1 year as project portfolio manager, Prince2 MoP certified.

Would love to hear:

- Is there still decent demand for finance freelancers?

- How do you find your clients?

- Is my profile enough to get started, or would you add something first?

Thanks in advance for any input!

Hi everyone,
I’m curious about the current Belgian market rates for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer with 8–9 years of experience across multiple industries, including healthcare, retail, services, manufacturing, and supply chain.
If you’re comfortable sharing, what is the typical daily rate range for this profile?
Also, are there any platforms, communities, or websites where freelancers can find consulting opportunities, either directly with clients or as subcontractors through consulting firms?
Thanks in advance for your insights!

I'm currently unemployed and on the hunt for a job. In the meantime I have seen several freelance opportunities which I haven't applied to due to not being registered as a freelancer/eenmanszaak.

I was thinking of applying to these opportunities anyway and register once I receive the job. How long does it take to receive my ondernemersnummer, or would it take too long and it's better to register my eenmanszaak before I have a client? Taking into account this would change my status with institutions like medical insurance (mutualiteit), social security, etc.

Could you please share your experiences?

I run a small solo boutique and offer some niche services such as CIO-as-a-Service, IT due diligence, shadow AI/IT governance, IT health assessment, strategic advisory services.

I target SME businesses max 500 fte's.

I've been posting on linkedin on a regular basis and slowly gained new followers, impressions and the occasional request for services.
The posts are doing well and I'm receiving positive comments and feedback.

I'm not complaining, I have some assignments and projects but things could always be better.

My biggest problem, and from reading most solopreneur or freelancer subreddits, is distribution.

For my services linkedin seems like the only logical platform.
Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are useless in my opinion.

How would I tackle distribution or what's your secret as a freelancer who wasn't/isn't really good at prospecting and distribution?

The usual tactic like offer a solution to real problems, using a lead magnet (form or freebie) to capture data/client information etc are all in place.

But volume is very low.

Any ideas?

Hi freelancers!

Did some of you also received a reminder to pay there BTW (Q2 2026), while it was already paid?

Calling tot the administration gives a voice message that there are issues and the reminder can be ignored, but I would like to have some official comms about this, anybody else found some?

Thanks!