⚡ Grok 3 enters the chat

Author

Jim Hamilton
February 21, 2025

In partnership with:

Happy Friday! This is the Freelance Gig, where we share news, tools, tips, and tricks to help grow your freelance business. 

Mentioned in today’s email: Elon Musk, Grok 3, Instagram, Google, Humane, and Fiverr. Plus 3 unmistakable warning signs of a nightmare client, and how to keep your wrists healthy and injury-free.

Read time: 4 minutes and 16 seconds

Together with Authory

How to Create a Self-Updating Portfolio That Converts Prospects into Clients

Sick of updating your portfolio every time you finish a project?

Or watching your best samples vanish from the internet without a trace?

What if there was a way to aggregate everything you’ve ever written or recorded into a beautiful portfolio site that automatically backs itself up AND updates itself with your new content?

Well, now there is.

It’s called Authory.

No more wasting time creating PDFs, goofing around with WordPress, or watching links to your best articles, podcasts, and other content disappear without warning.

With Authory, you can:

✅ Import your website, email, and PDF work samples
✅ Easily send and share your most recent projects
✅ Automate your backups (so you never lose anything)
✅ Watch how your content performs on social media
✅ And lots more

Plus they even offer a free plan if you’re just starting out.

Tap below to find out why thousands of creators use Authory to manage their portfolio:

Working With Clients

3 Unmistakable Warning Signs of a Nightmare Client

When you’re just starting out as a freelancer…

It can be tempting to sign anyone with a pulse and a credit card.

But here’s what every seasoned service provider knows:

One bad freelance client can make your life hell.

So, here are 3 red flags to watch out for:

1) Lots of previous bad experiences with other freelancers
2) Unrealistic demands about availability
3) They don’t pay on time

Don’t be afraid to enforce your boundaries.

No one else will do it for you.

And remember:

Protecting your reputation is paramount.

Word can spread fast.

So it’s often better to refund or cut ties with a client you’re getting bad vibes from…

Instead of pushing on in the hopes everything will turn out okay.

Because it usually doesn’t.

Making the Rounds

POLL: Have you tried Grok yet?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Working For Yourself

How to Keep Your Wrists Healthy & Injury-Free

Sitting may not be the new smoking…

But it sure as heck ain’t good for you, either.

In fact, according to Stanford neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Huberman, sitting for 5 hours or more per day can erase the benefits of doing 180 minutes of cardio per week (!!).

Yikes.

But even if you can’t avoid sitting for 5+ hours per day…

You can still develop a daily strength & stretching routine to fight off aches and pains.

Especially when it comes to wrists (aka your moneymakers).

Fortunately, our friends over at GMB have got you covered with this excellent tutorial on how to keep your wrists healthy and injury free:

AI Prompts For Freelancers

Prompt of the Week: The Brand Name Generator

This AI prompt is designed to help you come up with a brand name for a new business.

Here is the prompt:

I'm looking to come up with a new name for my [insert type of business: service/product/website/app/etc.]. Here are the details:

1. Business Description:
- Briefly explain what the business does, the products or services you offer, and your unique selling proposition.

2. Target Audience:
- Describe your ideal customer. Include their demographics (age, location, profession, etc.) and psychographics (values, interests, lifestyle).

3. Brand Personality:
- How do you want your brand to be perceived? (e.g., professional, fun, edgy, reliable, luxurious, minimalist, etc.)

4. Tone and Style:
- What kind of tone do you want the business name to convey? (e.g., formal, casual, modern, classic, playful)

5. Keywords or Concepts to Include:
- Any words or themes you want to include in the name, or ideas/concepts you want the name to reflect.

6. Competitors or Inspiration:
- List any business names you like or dislike, as well as direct competitors. This helps refine the direction for name ideas.

7. Domain Availability:
- Do you want the name to be available as a .com domain, or are you open to other domain extensions (e.g., .co, .ai, etc.)?

8. Additional Notes:
- Any other preferences or constraints (e.g., max number of words, short and memorable, specific letters or sounds to start/end with).

Sponsored by Lulu

Turn Your Ideas Into Profit

With Lulu, you can:

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  • Sell directly to your audience using ecommerce plugins

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Tool of the Week

Find the Perfect Domain For Your Next Side Hustle With Namecheap

Spoiler alert:

You don’t need a premium domain name to build a successful online business.

It’s kinda like having a sleek business card…

Something that makes YOU feel good, but doesn’t have much impact on your customers.

But then again…

It does feel pretty great to find the PERFECT domain for a new biz idea, doesn’t it?

(If you saw our combined domain portfolio, you’d know we think so.)

However, if you’re like us and struggle to resist the temptation to spend like drunken sailors just to acquire a domain you’re convinced you HAVE to have…

Well, then you’ll want to check out Namecheap.

They’re our go-to domain registrar because they offer domains for less across 400+ extensions.

And while it may not amount to much on a single domain…

Savings like these add up quick for any aspiring digital landlord with a growing collection of domain names.

So if you’re in the market for a new domain…

Tap below to check out Namecheap:

Bonus Points

💼 Careers: 6 ways to fix the job-application nightmare (link)

📊 Productivity: ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. DeepSeek: The Battle to Be My AI Work Assistant (link)

🎧 Work Beats: Coffee, because adulting is hard. - ziz (link)