In this episode, I chat with Frankie Tortora, the founder of the Doing it for the Kids community and fellow graphic designer and podcaster!

Frankie shares her experiences, challenges, and rewards in building a thriving community for freelancing parents and, as I’m sure you’d expect, is super honest about some of the harsh realities of it.

Whether you’re considering starting a membership or a community, this episode is a really juicy deep dive into what it takes to do it.

Key Takeaways:

• Building a community is not as easy as it looks; it requires a lot of emotional labor and dedication.

• It is important to differentiate between building a community and building an audience, as they are not the same.

• Engaging with the community and modeling desired behavior is crucial for creating a positive and supportive environment.

• Dealing with churn is one of the biggest challenges of running a community.

• The rewards of building a community, such as seeing members connect and support each other, are invaluable.

Episode Highlights:

01:47 Frankie's Journey: From Freelancer to Community Builder

04:09 Challenges and Triumphs of Managing a Growing Community

07:17 Transitioning to a Paid Community Model 

09:52 Understanding the Difference Between Community and Audience

22:06 Balancing Community Management with Freelance Work 

About the Guest:

Frankie Tortora is the founder of the Doing it for the Kids community, an award-winning podcast, and a graphic designer.

• Community Website: doingitforthekids.net

• Graphic Design Website: francescatortora.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ftortora

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Circle (community platform)

• Penny Wincer (writer)

• Steve Folland (co-host of the "Doing it for the Kids" podcast and founder of the Being Freelance community)

End Credits:

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft (http://lucylucraft.co.uk )

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5* rating and review!