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Happy Thursday! Welcome back to The Gig, the daily morning memo helping 2,295+ freelancers build profitable client businesses.

Mentioned in today’s edition: TikTok, Twitter Blue, and Facebook. Plus how to avoid underpricing yourself, Einstein’s secret to coming up with creative solutions, and a must-have for any digital nomad doing client work.

Read time: 2 minutes and 48 seconds

Making the Rounds

  • FCC Commissioner wants to ban TikTok. After multiple reports of U.S. user data being accessed by Chinese employees, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr told Axios “I don’t believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban.” Parent company ByteDance is in talks with a government group known as CFIUS to discuss whether TikTok could be sold to an American company so it can continue to operate.
  • Elon suggests $8/month for verification and Twitter Blue. After rumors he planned to charge verified users $20 per month to keep their blue checkmarks, Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted the new subscription may only cost $8 per month, and would open up verification to anyone.
  • Facebook activates Professional Mode for all creators. Professional Mode lets creators monetize Reels, followers, and livestreams.

Working With Clients

If a Prospect Says This After You Tell Them Your Price, You’ve Made a Mistake

“That’s too expensive.”

Three words most new freelancers are terrified to hear when pitching clients.

But here’s the thing…

You’re far more likely to underprice yourself vs overprice, especially if you’re less established…

And if your rate’s too low, then you’ll scare away great clients.

So, what’s the answer?

Make friends.

Get to know other service providers and find out what they charge — even if it’s just a rough ballpark.

Because the better you can understand the lay of the land… 

The easier it will be to price yourself competitively and land top-tier clients.

And ultimately, don’t aim to compete purely on price.

Otherwise, you’ll be viewed as a commodity and stuck in a race to the bottom.

Instead, focus on mastering one (or more) high-income skills and combining that with top-tier communication and client management…

So you can deliver a world-class experience and get paid accordingly.

Working For Yourself

How Famous Thinkers Like Darwin, Einstein, and Nietzsche Came Up With Creative Solutions

Struggling to come up with a creative solution to a work problem?

There’s a reason why famous thinkers like Darwin, Einstein, and Nietzsche used daily walks to stimulate their creativity.

Next time you’re feeling stumped, try this:

STEP 1: Direct your mind to find a solution

STEP 2: Go for a walk

STEP 3: Get back to work & request the solution

What you’ll find is that your subconscious mind continues working on the problem, even after you’ve shifted your active focus away from it.

Tools We Love

A Must-Have For Any Digital Nomad Doing Client Work

Ever been on call with someone who had lots of background noise?

It sucks.

But… it’s even worse when you’re the one with the bad background noise.

Fortunately, that’s where Krisp comes in.

It’s a free software solution that completely eliminates background noise.

And when we say completely, we mean it.

Whether it’s a barking dog, crying baby, or the hustle and bustle of your local Starbucks…

Krisp uses AI technology to cut out background noises from your mic and speaker so you (and more importantly, your clients and colleagues) can finally enjoy distraction-free calls.

Try Krisp for free today.

Gig Alerts

Looking for clients? These freelance jobs were posted on Upwork in the last 24 hours:

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Quote of the Day


“I did not succeed in life by intelligence. I succeeded because I have a long attention span.”

— Charlie Munger

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