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HAL GOBVAN
HAL GOBVAN

Posted on Originally published at gobvan.gumroad.com

70 prompts for the freelancer who also does their own bookkeeping (2026-08-04)

Most of my Cursor sessions start the same way. I open a file, ask Claude to "fix this bug," then re-paste the same context-setting prompt I've been pasting for six months. Then I do it again tomorrow. Then again next project.

I finally sat down and cleaned up the prompts I actually use — the ones that survived six projects and four clients — into one place.

What's in the kit

70 prompts across 9 categories, all written for running a one-person business:

  • Cold email — outreach that gets replies (not "just following up")
  • Client follow-up — without sounding desperate
  • Scope pushback — "I think this is bigger than we agreed"
  • Invoice chasing — when the 30-day mark becomes 90
  • Weekly review — what shipped, what's stuck, what's next
  • Time estimates — turns "I think this is 2 days" into "this is 2 days, here are the 3 risks"
  • Sales proposal — SOW + scope + price + timeline
  • Customer research — interview prep + synthesis
  • Bookkeeping prompts — categorize transactions, draft monthly summaries, prep tax docs

Why a kit instead of just... using AI

You can. I do. But the prompts themselves took two years to figure out. The "time estimate" prompt alone has a paragraph of instructions about breaking down the work, identifying unknowns, and adding buffer for the questions you haven't thought of yet.

Free sampler (10 of the 70 prompts): https://gobvan.gumroad.com/l/erkjry
Full kit ($9 — limited time discount): https://gobvan.gumroad.com/l/yxqiuq

If you've ever stared at a blank email trying to write the polite-but-firm version of "where's my money," this kit is for you.

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