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DO MORE OF WHAT SETS YOUR SOUL ON FIRE

5 Facebook Groups That Have Shaped My Freelance Career

3/29/2019

17 Comments

 
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Hello and welcome back! I’m not sure what happened, but this month totally got away from me and I’ve written 0 of the 2 blog posts that I had promised. So, as consolation, I wanted to share a value packed resource that I hope you will find helpful!
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Without further ado, here are Facebook groups that have shaped my freelance career:

Freelancing Females

As the name suggests, if you’re female and a freelancer, you NEED to be in this group. Created in 2017 by Tia Meyers, a freelance social media consultant, this community has grown to nearly 21,000 members.

Though this group is a recent find for me, I’ve benefited so much in the few short months I’ve been a member. Aside from the countless resources you can find, there is always a willing and able member that is around to answer your questions. From taxes and accounting help to portfolio feedback, this community always has your back.

Most importantly, this group truly understands the freelance life and is so generous when it comes to job opportunities. Whether it’s with their corporate companies or they’re looking for help in their own businesses, group members are always encouraged to apply. Thankfully with solid group rules in place as well as the hard work of moderators, this group remains super organized despite its size.

Digital Nomad Girls Community

When I first started offering my services online in late 2017, I had no idea what a “digital nomad” was or that there was an entire community living this lifestyle. Created by Jennifer Lachs, a chemist turned digital nomad and online entrepreneur, this group has grown to over 20,000 strong.

From full-time remote employees to online business owners and service providers, thousands of women are living the dream. And while I’m still some ways away from traveling full-time, I have been lucky enough to experience this lifestyle while vacationing in Italy last summer. In between taking in the sights of Rome, Venice, and Pompeii, I continued designing for my US based clients.

By surrounding myself with a community of digital nomads, I’m reminded of my ultimate goal: work online so I can travel the world. Their success stories (and struggles) serve as both an inspiration and a resource.

Which is why, when Jenny decided to open the DNG Inner Circle in 2018, I jumped at the opportunity to join. This paid community was my first ever business investment and it remains one of my best. I love the additional resources exclusive to IC members as well as our co-working sessions!

The VA Starter Kit Inner Circle

Through Jenny and DNG, I found Hannah Dixon and the Digital Nomad Kit. And while The Nomad VA & Freelancer Community is great, where you really need to be is Hannah’s paid group.

As part of The VA Starter Kit, you get access to Hannah and her value-packed (and hilarious!)  livestreams in this INCREDIBLE group. Having trained thousands of virtual assistants and having been a VA herself, Hannah knows the ins and out of remote work. Her course teaches you how to get started working online with skills you already have and also gives you the resources to start learning new programs.

Although I identify as a freelance graphic designer, taking Hannah’s course and repackaging my services as a VA, totally changed my business and doubled my income. Not to mention, I love the folks in this community! From Thailand to the UK, I can honestly say I have friends and support all over the world!

Asian Creative Network

This group is for my Asian identifying creatives out there. From photographers and designers to filmmakers and actors, I love the diversity of mediums that folks are using to share their art.

Growing up, it seemed that I could only be one of three things to be successful: a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. And if you know anything about my story, you’d know that I was previously an engineering major. That being said, I wanted to include this group for many reasons. Not only because it has challenged my own beliefs of what it means to be successful, but also because it has taught me that I can be creative outside of work (and that I’m not stuck to making my living through graphic design).

From full-time professionals to hobbyists and freelancers, this group reminds me that I’m free to craft my life and my career. And now with over 21,000 members in just 6 months, ACN has made it so much easier to find and collaborate with like-minded individuals for paid or passion projects.

Lastly, this network has expanded into city sub-groups, which is my personal favorite! As much as I love connecting online, nothing beats in-person connections. If you’re in the area, you may find me at the next ACN: New York City meetup. There are also groups for LA, Austin, etc.

Ladies Get Paid*

Co-founded by Claire Wasserman and Ashley Louise, Ladies Get Paid is focused on bridging the wage gap and providing women the resources to realize and get paid their worth. Wherever you are in your career, you NEED to be in this group.

* I should note that LGP is actually a Slack group, but I’ve benefited so much from this online community that I had to include it.

On that note, not only did I get to attend last year’s Get Money, Get Paid conference for FREE (by volunteering), but I’ve also found amazing support through this community. As a young entrepreneur, I’ve received guidance for both freelancing roles as well as traditional internships from LGP. With channels like activism-and-service, inclusion-diversity, and remote-work, there’s something for everyone and you can cater your workspace to your interests!
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Looking for more?

If you’re looking for additional resources, feel free to leave a comment below. I’m in more than enough Facebook groups to share a few in the following categories: Design, Entrepreneurship, Instagram Engagement, and everyone’s favorite: “Where Clients Hang Out”.

Get Connected

Seriously, if there’s anything that I’ve learned from the last year and a half of working online and as my own boss is that you do not have to go through this journey alone. So, I encourage you to join as many groups as you can and get active in the ones that will be most helpful to you. And if you choose to join the groups I’ve mentioned, I guess I’ll see you around!
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Help me help you and use these links when signing up for these groups at no extra cost to you. Any affiliate fees I earn go back to improving the services that I offer.
17 Comments
Nicole link
4/3/2019 09:30:13 am

Thanks for sharing. This was super helpful. There are so many gimmicks out there for freelancers and this was helpful to see where these groups are that actually work!

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Jianna link
4/12/2019 03:52:59 pm

Yes, there ARE many gimmicks and scams out there. Luckily, these groups are well-vetted and moderated. Glad to hear it was helpful to you!

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Navjot link
4/3/2019 11:52:04 am

Thank you so much for this post! I am new to becoming a digital nomad and I appreciate all the resources i can get! There is a lot of fluff out there and it can get confusing!

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Jianna link
4/12/2019 03:54:01 pm

You're welcome! Good luck with your digital nomad journey and let me know if there's anything that I can help with. Remote work is the future!

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Jordan
4/11/2019 11:03:56 am

Very informative article. Would love to see one on the topic of good places to find clients online.

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Jianna link
4/12/2019 03:55:07 pm

Glad to hear it, Jordan! I will write up a post for later this month/early next month 😊

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Taylor
4/12/2019 03:34:09 pm

Thank you for this article. I’m debating between some options. I would also like to see a good place to find clients. :) Do you just blog or have other online businesses?

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Jianna link
4/12/2019 04:00:22 pm

Options of what, Taylor? Let me know if you have any additional questions that I can answer!

And definitely! I will write that up ASAP.

I work online primarily as a graphic designer and content creator. Blogging is something new and I don't make money from it. I do it to share resources with others like you and to document my entrepreneurial journey. (Income from it would just be icing on the cake 😊)

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Nicole Neissany link
6/18/2019 09:23:37 am

Love this Jianna! FB groups have been such a wonderful tool for me not only for business but for personal as well. :)

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Emily Grant link
6/18/2019 09:28:37 am

This is such an informative post! Looks like I have a few groups to join :)

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Evie link
6/18/2019 09:34:22 am

Wow these are incredible resources! I am just starting out my freelancing career and am totally going to be checking these out! Thank you so much for sharing!

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Mariah | The Sunkissed Peach link
6/18/2019 10:20:40 am

Oh! These groups sound amazing! I found that finding a good group to connect with and learn from is very helpful. I really love being apart of communities that empower and encourage.

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Mindy Martinez
6/20/2019 10:38:14 am

Thanks for the advice and guidance. I recently unfollowed all if not most of my Facebook friends and have only exclusively been following the groups that I have joined lately. They have been of tremendous help so far and it hasn’t even been a week! Now I’m not totally spammed with unnecessary and irrelevant posts when I login. I find myself becoming more motivated because as the saying goes “out of sight, out of mind”, right? So I did OUT with the irrelevant and IN with the career enhancing info and inspiration! Once again, thank you.

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    Hello, there! You can call me Jianna. ​I'm a 24 year old creative blogging about entrepreneurship, travel, design (and everything else in between). Want to hang out sometime? Just buy the chai and I'll bring the memes.
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