In case you are think of where to market your market research reports, you can do that at www.marketreportportal.com

If you use oDesk or Elance to get jobs and wish employee some to help you, so far you wont need registration like a company. However, if you want to get it bigger, it would be a good idea to have it registered and everything.    Thanks and good luck on your future endeavor.    Didar.

Hi, You'll find a wealth of information about self-employment and independent contracting on our site. Our Business Licenses and Permits Search Tool allows you to get a listing of federal, state and local permits, licenses, and registrations you'll need to run a business.

LTFiggs, I am a strong advocate of safe practices, therefore as an independent contractor who offers services locally and/or regionally you are going to need to be licensed and insured, possibly, it just depends on the line of work. Depending on the work that you do the more licensing that you have the better, as customers really do look into this information when making a decision on who to choose for their project or work that needs to be completed. As others have said, your website is going to be your face on the Internet and it will be the only thing that people have to know who you are online. I recommend that you get business cards made so that word-of-mouth can be generated about you and your website. In addition, I think that displaying some of your protected work (so no one can just rip you off and copy documents) on your website would be a great idea so that others can see how professional your writing is. Whatever you do, the best of luck to you in business!

"Your website is your portfolio". You develop, have the license, then sell!. I think, this step is more precise than on the need to work through outsourcing provider. If wrong, please correct.

Are you thinking of a business license or registering your business name? There is a difference. If you plan to make money, then you need to register your business name with your county or state agency that registers business entities. Many states require that you register before you begin accepting business. Business licenses are issued by cities and counties. Some cities license all business activities; other register only select activities. A quick call to your city clerk's office will provide the information you need.

If you're looking to become a freelance writer, I would suggest going to "freelance job" sites (e.g. freelancer.com, odesk.com, elance.com) to sell your services and build up your portfolio. I personally work with a team of copywriters and hired each one solely on the basis of the size and quality of their writing portfolio. Writers that have written dozens upon dozens of content show me that they're flexible enough to write on any topic and know how to write compelling content.

As a bookkeeper, I will say this:  An independent contractor  generally means you are in business for yourself, usually as a sole proprietor and should track all income and expenses just like any other business.  You should check with your city, county, and state online sites as most locations require some sort of license to be a legal business.  Generally, these agencies require a "doing business as"  or a "fictictious" name, which can be as simple as your own name, to be registered or licensed.  Good luck!