How to Use AI as a Freelance-Business Coach and Strategist
By Nick Usborne

It took me a while to figure this one out.

For months and months, it never occurred to me that I could use AI as a coach or consultant for my freelance business. After all, it’s not like these models are actually intelligent, or caring, in the way a good coach is.

But then … while I was tinkering with ChatGPT … I asked it a question about the future of my business, and it came back with some surprisingly insightful ideas.

From that moment on, I’ve been using AI to help me with my own business, and with the plans of some of my freelance friends.

One by one, let’s look at three powerful use cases for AI as your very own, private, and almost-free coach or consultant.

Use Case #1: Advice on defining your niche

I was emailing back and forth with a freelance copywriter recently, and he was struggling to find a niche that matched his previous career experience. This was someone with a very impressive record in government service and business. And I was a little stumped, too. I just wasn’t sure how best to leverage his experience with a new career in copywriting.

So … I asked him to send me his full resume, uploaded it to Perplexity.ai, and added the following prompt:

“Based on this individual’s background (see attached) and given that he now wants to offer copywriting and content services, create a profile for his perfect client.”

The output from Perplexity was shockingly good. Really amazing. And, of course, it took less than 30 seconds to deliver its output.

You can do the same. Copy your resume, or About page, or LinkedIn profile. Paste it or upload it to Perplexity, and add the same prompt I used.

Use Case #2: Help find better clients

This is a similar process, but I generally do it in two stages.

Stage one is to open up Perplexity again. Or, if you prefer, you can use ChatGPT, Claude, or another favorite model. But Perplexity gives you access to them all in one place.

Once again, upload your resume, About page or LinkedIn profile. And ask:

“Given my skill sets and experience, which kinds of companies would be most likely to want to hire me as a freelance copywriter or content writer?”

If you’re unlucky, it will simply tell you what you already know. But, in my own experience (and I’ve tried this with several writers), you’ll get some fresh and actionable suggestions. You might even have a moment like, “Wow, after all this time, that had never even occurred to me.”

Stage two is when you narrow this down even further. As your next prompt, ask something very specific, like:

“With your recommendations in mind, my most enjoyable work is social-media writing for small to mid-sized companies, anywhere in the U.S. Please list some companies I could reach out to.”

And yes, it will give you a list of prospects, exactly matching your skill sets and wish list.

Once again, you’re doing the work of several hours, or even days, in a matter of seconds. Plus, you’re getting suggestions you would never have thought of on your own, however long you spent.

Use Case #3: Create a future marketing plan

This is something I have tried a few times, mainly for myself and my own freelance business.

Again, I’ll usually start with my bio or LinkedIn profile.

I’ll input that information into Perplexity, and then ask something like:

“Based on my work history so far, suggest some ways in which I can use my skill set and experience to earn revenues in new and different ways.”

Or, you could be more specific:

“Based on my work history so far, and in light of the growing writing capabilities of AI models, how can I best ensure growth for my freelance business over the years to come?”

Keep on coming up with new questions, and then copy and paste the answers into a Word document. Once you’re done — for now — review the document and start planning some new directions for your business!

Concluding thoughts …

It’s easy to dismiss AI by telling yourself it doesn’t have any real intelligence. And it’s true, the intelligence of an AI is very different from human intelligence.

Nevertheless, these models can come up with some extremely good business advice.

Lean into what they can do and use them to plan a better and more “futureproof” freelance career.