If you hadn't noticed, freelancers are slowly taking over economies around the world. In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics last pegged the number of self-employed and freelance workers at 15 million - which represents one in every ten American workers. And that figure was based on data from 2015, before many of today's gig economy startups had gotten up to speed.

The reason people flock to freelance work is obvious. It offers flexibility, variety, and the power to control one's own economic fate. Those are pretty powerful motivations for workers to take the leap and escape the nine-to-five rat race. And doing so has never been easier since an independent worker can now equip themselves with a technological arsenal that's on par with that of an in-office employee.

On the other hand, for businesses from all over the world, it's never been easier to find remote help. Outsourcing is on the rise for several reasons, and talented people are rushing in to provide their services at competitive prices.

For those thinking about setting off on the path to self-employment, here's a round-up of the best apps, tools, and technologies you'll need to become a true road warrior - and make the most of your own valuable time.

A Reliable Mobile Internet Setup

For most freelancers, one of the best parts of what they do is the fact that they can work from anywhere. To do it, however, you're going to need to find a way to stay connected to the internet wherever you are. For most freelancers, this starts with finding cell phone service providers that allow tethering and unlimited data service plans. Ideally, you're going to want a provider with a reputation for solid service in the area where you'll be working most often, so try to look for reviews by users in your area before you commit to one particular service.

Remote Desktop Technology

While it is possible for some freelancers to make a laptop or tablet their primary work device, sometimes there's no substitute for a fully-featured desktop computer. But being confined to a home office isn't what most freelancers had in mind when they decided to go it alone. Fortunately, recent advances in remote desktop technology have made it such that you can have your cake and eat it too. If you're running a recent-vintage Windows desktop, you're in luck - because, for all of its' flaws, the venerable operating system comes with a built-in remote desktop function that works quite well.

The only downside to the built-in solution is that it doesn't do multimedia so well, so if that's an essential part of your work, you'll need another solution. There's no shortage of options, but the best among them right now include:

• Splashtop - Free in-network remote connections or internet use with subscription

• Teamviewer - Free for personal use from anywhere

• NoMachine - An under-the-radar favorite of Linux fans that works great on all platforms

Real-Time Communications

Just because you'll be working on your own doesn't mean you won't have to connect to others to do your job. In fact, a freelancer must be prepared to communicate with their employers, collaborators, and even their competitors from time to time. For that reason, they need top-notch communication tools that work from anywhere.

It should come as no surprise that the champion in this category is Slack. It's the most popular collaboration tool for businesses today, and it makes an excellent addition to a freelancer's tech toolkit. Best of all, they offer a free version of the product with enough functionality to make it a perfect fit for the self-employed. On top of that, it's a tool that many employers are already familiar with, so the learning curve won't be steep with each new job you take on.

Project Management Tools

One of the hardest things for new freelancers to master is managing their own time. In essence, you need to become your own project manager, in addition to whatever it is you're doing. It can be exceptionally difficult to adjust to not having a boss to keep you on task, so you'll likely need some help. Enter Trello, a free, multifunction project management platform that makes it a snap for freelancers to keep themselves on track. With it, you can create checklists, set due dates, and get notifications about project milestones and outstanding tasks. Plus, you can invite collaborators to use it too whenever necessary, which is great for keeping whole teams on schedule when everyone's working on their own time.

Financial Management

Doing freelance work is great, but it does have some downsides. One of them is making sure you get paid on time and with a minimum of hassle. Then, there's also making sure to stay on the right side of tax laws, issuing accurate project cost estimates, and keeping track of how much time you spend on the job. For freelancers, their time is quite literally their money, so getting all of it right is one of the ultimate keys to success. For that reason, a solution like Freshbooks is a godsend. It has modules to handle all of the aforementioned tasks, and to do much of it in a hands-off, fully-automated fashion. It's like hiring an accounting department for your freelance work - but without the enormous costs.

Certain freelancers might want to consider donations as well. Many modern creators, from YouTubers to illustrators and musicians, earn a good chunk of their income from donations paid by their fans. For this reason, it's important to incorporate this strategy from the start and introduce your followers to the idea of donating. Generally speaking, if you work hard and offer value, people will be happy to reward you.

And finally, you should pay attention to miscellaneous costs such as shipping and handling fees, or payment fees in case you're using PayPal, for instance. Some freelancers prefer to pay for those out of their own pocket, while others leave it to their clients. Either way, you should communicate that from the start, so there's no issues later on.

Marketing Automation

Being self-employed means that you need to find work yourself and try to avoid unpaid downtime. The problem is, every minute you spend pursuing work is a minute that you aren't being paid for, so anything that cuts down on the job of marketing and job sourcing is more valuable than you can imagine.

To that end, imagine if you could initiate personalized conversations with potential clients and conduct followups on contacts without typing a word. Well, that's just what Reply does. It's a platform for automated sales and marketing workflows that can do the heavy lifting of promoting you to customers with minimal intervention. It's like having a digital agent who's glad-handing clients while you pay attention to getting your paying jobs done. No freelancer should do without it.

Get To Work

Once you've assembled the right tools, you'll be all ready to set out on your new journey to being a full-time freelancer. Remember, though, the tools and technologies listed here are just the most-used of the bunch. Depending on your specific needs and line of work, there could be countless other tools available to boost your efficiency and increase your earnings potential. Don't be afraid to try out newer offerings and explore your options, because what works for you may be different than what works for everyone else. And you never know, in six months you might be sitting in a café somewhere writing up a roundup of the tools you've found most useful. And I, for one, can't wait to read it!