Happy Wednesday! Today is National Chip and Dip Day. How will you be celebrating?
We’re betting on Doritos — which is apparently the most searched for chip brand in 44 out of 50 states. That is, unless you live in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, or Colorado, where Cheetos supposedly reign supreme.
Fun facts aside, here’s what’s happening in the world of freelancing…
Freelance Economy News
- Netflix and NASA discover perks of the “open talent” model. Harvard Business Review notes that even large organizations are beginning to rely more on freelance talent compared to pre-2020. Both Netflix and NASA recently ran contests with external hires that topped internal innovation standards. Go figure.
- Not all 50 million Americans who left the office in 2020 are eager to get back. With companies like Goldman Sachs, Meta, and Microsoft finally returning to the office, some workers are choosing to stay home because they find it easier to navigate office politics (or lack thereof) and get the compensation they deserve. Well, that, and control of the thermostat.
- 48% of Gen Z workers are already freelancing. Upwork CEO Hayden Brown reports younger generations are embracing freelance careers because they see it as less risky than working for a single company. Who needs a pension when you can work in sweatpants?
Working With Clients
What to Say When That One Annoying Client Won’t Stop Sending You Voice Notes
Freelance power dynamics typically favor the client.
But it’s important to remember that no client is worth nonstop Slack messages, neverending voice notes, or needlessly urgent “pivots” that have to be executed right after the last one.
Healthy working relationships are built on boundaries and expectations.
So…
Don’t be afraid to fire clients who can’t respect your boundaries.
If a client’s expectations are not aligned with yours (aka they expect you to be available to turn something around on a Friday night at 9:30 PM when you’re already two margaritas deep), the chances of them being unhappy when the job is done are pretty dang high.
And that poses a serious risk to your reputation, which you’ve got to protect at all costs.
Working For Yourself
When You Treat Your Mind Like a Filing Cabinet, This is What Happens
Staying productive can be a battle when you’re working from home.
But instead of looking for some fancy productivity system to keep you on task, here’s an old school solution to try:
Write all your to-dos down on paper.
Because if you’ve 479 mental tabs open at the same time, well, that’s gonna suck up all your juice and make it difficult to get things done.
But when you write everything down, you can free up your mind’s computing power to do more important things — like finding the perfect the GIF to get your point across 😂😈
From The Copywriting Gig
Forget a Hot Cup o’ Joe, Here’s What Top Copywriters Do Every Morning
Pop quiz — what do all A-List copywriters have in common?
A) Natural writing talent
B) Dashing good looks
C) PhD in English Lit
The answer is: none of the above.
The one thing all A-List copywriters have in common is that they read great copy every day.
Fortunately for you, you’re already subscribed to this newsletter 😉
But here are a few other Gig-approved email lists to help you step up your game:
Tools We Love
We’re Pretty Sure You Deserve a Raise
If you’re an international freelancer, getting paid in USD is great…
… Until you actually convert it into your own currency.
Traditional solutions like PayPal (or god forbid, your own bank) will make you pay out the nose to convert USD into your local currency.
That’s why we use Wise (formerly TransferWise).
Not only do they give you a much better rate than PayPal on currency conversions, but they also give you a local USD bank account so you can get paid via bank transfer instead of a wire.
Open a free account today and start keeping more of your hard-earned money for yourself.
Quote of the Day
“There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.” — Seth Godin