You see those lists every year.
“Top freelance marketing skills for 2025.” “Highest paying gigs on Upwork.” “Services clients are desperate for right now.”
And by the time you read it, learn it, build a portfolio, get your first few clients… that list is already two years old.
You're building an offer based on what the market wanted back when the research was done.
But here's what's wild.
The services I'm about to show you? Most of them didn't even exist two years ago.
Which means nobody has a decade of experience in this. Nobody's got the “right” portfolio. Nobody's cornered the market yet.
For the first time maybe ever… everyone's starting fresh. Same starting line.
And I'm about to hand you the map.
Watch: The Full Breakdown of New Freelance Services
What You'll Learn in This Post
- Experience can be baggage — The people winning right now are those who unlearned fastest, not those with the longest resumes
- Human in the loop is your moat — AI amplifies your judgment and taste; it doesn't replace them
- Speed is the new oil — Small agencies and freelancers now have a massive advantage over bloated competitors
- Your clients are paying attention — They've tried ChatGPT themselves and are wondering why they're still paying you the same rates
Table of Contents
- Why You Should Listen to Me on This
- Who's Actually Winning Right Now
- What “Human in the Loop” Actually Means
- Why Speed Beats Size Now
- The 3 Mistakes That Will Tank Your Agency
- The New Services (With Examples)
- What This Means for You
Why You Should Listen to Me on This
I'm not theorizing. I'm living it.
I run an agency. And over the past couple years, we've cut our headcount in half.
Not through layoffs. People left and we just… didn't replace them.
Because we didn't need to.
We replaced the function, not the person. AI became the co-pilot. And our output per person went through the roof.
Same revenue. Half the team. Way more margin.
And here's the thing nobody talks about.
I have a six year old. I coach his basketball team. I pick him up from school. And I'm still getting a full day's work done.
Not because I'm grinding until midnight. Because I've cut the busywork. I've stopped doing the stuff AI can do for me.
The same thing that lets me be more present with my kid is exactly what lets me be more present with my clients. Less noise. More signal. Better output. More time for the stuff that actually matters.
That's not the future. That's right now.
Who's Actually Winning Right Now
It's not who you'd think.
It's not the people with the most experience. It's not the ones with the biggest teams or the fanciest client logos.
The people I know who are crushing it right now? They're the ones who unlearned the fastest.
That's it. That's the pattern.
Because here's the thing about experience. It's supposed to be an asset. And for a long time, it was.
But right now? In this specific moment?
Experience is baggage. If you can't let go of it.
I've seen agency owners with 15 years in the game get lapped by people who started two years ago. Not because the new people are smarter. But because they don't have anything to unlearn.
I lived this myself. When I got into digital marketing, I had zero analog experience. None. Everyone told me that was a disadvantage.
Turns out it was the unlock.
I didn't have to forget direct mail. I didn't have to unlearn print buying. I didn't have to convince myself that the old way wasn't coming back.
I just… learned the new thing. Because it was the only thing I knew.
That same dynamic is happening right now. Except this time it's not analog versus digital. It's old economy versus new economy.
This Isn't About Becoming an “AI Agency”
Let me be clear about something.
AI is part of this shift. A big part. But this isn't about slapping “AI” on your website and calling it a rebrand.
That's already a commodity.
This is about the new services, the new offers, the new ways of delivering value that this shift created.
Some of them use AI. Some of them exist because AI freed up the time and margin to offer them. Some of them are deeply human and always will be.
But all of them are where the market is going. Not where it's been.
The Consultant Flood Is Coming
You know who doesn't have the head start you have?
The flood of laid-off middle managers about to rebrand themselves as “consultants.”
They're going to show up with their LinkedIn optimized and their title updated. And they're going to be building offers based on the job they just lost. Not the economy that's emerging.
You've got a twelve month head start on those people. Maybe more.
Don't waste it.
What “Human in the Loop” Actually Means
So if this isn't about becoming an “AI agency”… what is it about?
It's about becoming the human that can't be removed from the equation.
We call it “human in the loop.”
And it's the single biggest misunderstanding I see right now.
People think AI is coming for their job. That it's going to replace them. And yeah—for some roles, that's true.
But for the stuff you actually do? The stuff that makes clients come back?
AI doesn't replace that. It amplifies it.
What You're Actually Good At
Think about what you're actually good at.
It's not the task. It's not the deliverable.
It's the judgment. The taste. The “I've seen this before and here's what's going to happen.”
It's knowing when the data says one thing but the client needs to hear something else.
It's the relationship. The trust. The fact that you pick up the phone and they know you've got their back.
AI can't do that.
AI can do the research in six minutes that used to take your junior person two days. AI can write the first draft. AI can pull the data and build the report.
But somebody still has to look at it and say “this is right” or “this is wrong” or “this is garbage, start over.”
That's you.
And the sooner you position yourself as THE human in the loop—the one they can't cut out—the more irreplaceable you become.
Stop Selling Hours
Here's what that looks like in practice.
- You stop selling hours
- You stop selling deliverables
- You start selling outcomes, access, expertise, peace of mind
Because the deliverable? AI can help with that.
But the confidence that it's going to work? That only comes from a human they trust.
That's your moat. Not the work. The trust. Not the output. The judgment.
The more you lean into that, the harder you are to replace. And the more valuable you become.
Why Speed Beats Size Now
There's this phrase people throw around. “Data is the new oil.”
And yeah, maybe. But I'd argue there's something even more valuable right now.
Speed is the new oil.
Because here's what's changed.
The big agencies? The ones with 50 people and the fancy office and the three layers of account managers?
They're slow.
They were always slow. But it used to not matter as much because everyone was slow.
Now it matters.
Because you can spin up a campaign in a day that used to take them three weeks. You can deliver a full strategy in 48 hours that their process wouldn't produce for a month. You can test, learn, and pivot while they're still scheduling the internal review meeting.
Small used to mean “less resources.” Now small means “faster.”
And faster wins.
Replace the Function, Not the Person
I've seen this in my own agency.
We used to need five people to do anything meaningful. Strategist. Designer. Copywriter. Developer. Project manager to keep everyone on track.
Now?
One person with the right tools can cover three of those roles. Maybe four.
Not because they're working 80 hour weeks. Because the busywork is gone.
When someone leaves our team now, we don't automatically replace them. We ask: can we replace the function instead of the person?
And most of the time, the answer is yes.
Same output. Fewer people. More margin. Faster delivery.
That's not a “someday” thing. That's right now.
And if you're running a lean operation already? You just got handed a massive advantage over every bloated agency that's still doing things the old way.
They're going to figure this out eventually. But you're already here.
The 3 Mistakes That Will Tank Your Agency
So you're bought in. You get it. Speed matters. Human in the loop. New services. New economy.
Great.
Now let me tell you how to screw it all up.
Because I see agency owners making the same mistakes over and over. And honestly? Some of this makes me cringe.
Mistake #1: Thinking Your Team Will Just “Figure Out” AI
They're not.
I don't care how smart they are. I don't care if you hired self-starters. I don't care if they “get it.”
If you're not leading this from the top, it's not happening.
You can't just send a Slack message that says “hey everyone, start using AI more” and expect anything to change.
You have to build the systems. You have to show them how. You have to make it part of how the work gets done.
This has to be led. Enabled. Pushed.
Or your team's just going to keep doing things the old way because that's what they know.
Mistake #2: Thinking AI Will Replace You Instead of Enhance You
This is the fear talking. And I get it.
But if you're walking around thinking your job is about to disappear, you're going to make desperate moves.
You're going to race to the bottom on price. You're going to try to compete with tools instead of use them. You're going to act like a commodity.
And then you'll become one.
The shift isn't AI replacing you. It's AI making you dangerous. If you let it.
Mistake #3: Thinking Your Clients Don't Notice
This one kills me.
I see agency owners acting like they can just keep doing the same thing they've always done. Same process. Same timelines. Same pricing.
Like the client isn't reading the same headlines you are.
Like they haven't already tried ChatGPT themselves.
Like they're not wondering why they're paying you $8,000 a month for something they just watched their nephew do in an afternoon.
They notice. They just haven't fired you yet.
The big tech companies—the Silicon Valley crowd—they've already made the shift. They've already cut agencies loose. They've already brought this stuff in-house.
That's the canary in the coal mine.
The rest of the market catches up. It always does.
So you can either reposition now, while you still have leverage and time to figure it out… or you can wait until the client calls and says “we've decided to go in a different direction.”
Your choice.
The New Services (With Examples)
Alright. So we've talked about the mindset. The positioning. The mistakes to avoid.
Now let's get practical.
Because I promised you a list of 99 services you can start offering. And I'm going to deliver.
But first, let me be honest about something.
I Might Be Wrong About Some of This
I'm predicting the future here. Which means there's a chance I'm wrong about some of this.
Some of these services are going to take off. Some of them might not hit the way I think they will.
That's the nature of looking forward instead of backward.
But here's the thing.
You might be wrong about your current thing too.
The difference is—one direction has momentum behind it. The other one's fighting against the current.
So yeah, it's uncomfortable to bet on something that might not pan out. But it's way more uncomfortable to hold onto something that's already fading.
If you can sit with that discomfort—knowing you might be wrong but moving anyway—that's where the leverage is.
Examples From the 99 Services List
Remember what I said at the top? Those “top freelance skills” lists are stale by the time you read them.
This list is different.
These are services that barely existed a year or two ago. Which means there's no gatekeeper. No “you need ten years of experience.” No “you need a specific degree.”
The barrier to entry is: are you willing to learn something new and move fast?
That's it.
And here's what's cool—you probably already know how to do some of these things. You just didn't know there was a market for it. Or you didn't know what to call it. Or you didn't realize you could package it up and sell it.
Let me give you a few examples.
Agentic AI Workflows
There's a ton of hype around this right now. And it will mature. But don't get it twisted—you still need a human in the loop. These aren't set-it-and-forget-it systems.
That's where the opportunity comes in. Being the person who builds AND oversees these workflows. The human who makes sure it's actually working. That's where the value is.
Server-Side Tracking Implementation
Cookies are dying. Privacy regulations are tightening. And most companies have no idea how to track their marketing when third-party data goes away.
If you can set up server-side tracking—moving the data collection to the company's own servers—you're solving a problem that's only getting bigger.
This is one of those services where demand is about to explode and supply is still tiny.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
SEO isn't dead, but it's changing. People are getting answers from AI now—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini.
So the question becomes: how do you show up in those answers? That's AEO. And almost nobody knows how to do it yet.
If you've been doing SEO for a while, you've got a head start on understanding how search works. Now you just need to apply it to a new channel.
Privacy Consulting
Every company is freaking out about privacy right now. GDPR. CCPA. New regulations popping up constantly.
Someone needs to help them figure out what data they can collect, how to store it, how to stay compliant. That's a service.
And it's not going away. If anything, it's getting more complicated.
Fractional CMO Services
Companies don't want to hire a full-time marketing exec. But they need strategic guidance. So they hire someone for 10 hours a month.
That could be you.
This is especially valuable if you've got experience running marketing teams or managing significant budgets. You're selling your judgment and strategic thinking, not your execution time.
AI Training and Implementation
Remember how I said teams won't learn AI on their own? Someone has to teach them. Someone has to come in and set up the systems and show them how to use it.
That's a service.
And companies will pay well for it because the alternative is watching their team flounder for months trying to figure it out themselves.
What This Means for You
If you watched Part 1 of this series, you might have walked away feeling a little uneasy.
And that was the point.
The old model is dying. The market is shifting. The agencies and freelancers who don't adapt are going to get left behind.
That's real. I'm not going to sugarcoat it.
But Here's What I Need You to Hear
You are still valuable.
More valuable than ever, actually.
Not despite what's happening. Because of it.
Because the people who can move fast? Who can learn new things? Who can be the human in the loop that clients actually trust?
Those people are about to be in crazy high demand.
And that can be you.
You don't need to burn your whole business down and start over. That's not what I'm saying.
What I'm saying is—you can create margin right now.
You can get more efficient with how you're doing things today. Cut the busywork. Use the tools. Free up time.
And use that margin—that runway—to start figuring out what your next wave looks like.
Pick a few things from that list of 99. Experiment. See what resonates. See what your current clients might need that you didn't even know was a service.
You don't have to have it all figured out tomorrow.
You just have to start moving.
The People Who Win Are the Ones Who Start Before They're Ready
Because here's the truth.
The people who write their own future are the ones who start before they're ready.
You've got the head start. You've got the awareness.
Now it's just about action.
Don't lose your confidence. Don't lose your courage.
You've got this.
Ready to Get the Full List?
I've put together a complete breakdown of all 99 services—what they are, who needs them, and how to position them.
It's the head start I keep talking about.
Download the 99 Services PDF at MeasureU
Your Turn
I'd love to hear from you. Which of these services are you already offering? Which ones are you thinking about adding?
Drop a comment below—especially if you're already seeing demand for something that wasn't even a thing two years ago.