The summer of 2021 was SLOW.
I remember staring out the window of my weirdly quiet Hollywood office wondering…
if I should go get another coffee...
or send some cold emails…
or have I recorded enough Instagram reels today?
Maybe I should do that.
You see I couldn't do any client work, because I DIDN’T HAVE ANY CLIENTS.
I had stopped taking on tech industry clientele hard pivot. I thought local small businesses would welcome me with open arms.
I could not have been more wrong.
And I stayed wrong a lot longer than I should have because I was alone all the time trying to learn and do everything myself.
Later that year, I stumbled onto a small business community called Forward Female and everything changed.
I started going to their accountability calls on Mondays and Fridays.
💡I heard other people’s goals and that made me rethink my own.
💡I had a place to report back what I was actually doing with my time.
💡I met people who wanted to try out some of the programs I was creating.
I realized I would move a lot faster if I enlisted the help of others.
That's exactly what I recommend for you too which is why I compiled this list of communities and programs you should check out if you're a creative entrepreneur working out your path forward.
Best for small businesses who need marketing help
Her Brand & Co
I’ve heard rave reviews from two entrepreneurs who worked with Mari and Jess of Her Brand & Co. They offer a COMPLETELY FREE marketing platform and paid programs like a 10 week marketing accelerator. One founder I trust said they’ve been an excellent partner for her as she’s navigated launching her e-commerce business. (Sidenote: they’re women-focused)
✅ FOR you if: you like a step by step, you want knowledgable and personalized recommendations, you want to skill up fast
❌ NOT for you if: you just need community and accountability
Best for creatives just getting started with marketing
Josh Spector's Skill Sessions
Josh helps you find content/market fit with sessions like "The Niche Definer" and "The Subscriber-to-Customer Converter." He runs sessions live, including a monthly Jam Session with members but he also turns everything he does into nicely bitesized Skill Sessions you can grab and run with anytime. Highly recommend his newsletter and LinkedIn too.
✅ FOR you if: you're pumping out content but it's not landing, you're just getting started with content marketing, you like extremely tactical tutorials
❌ NOT for you if: you want a lot of hands on support or you want a lot of networking
Best for consultants and freelancers who need sales help
Penny Blackmore’s Sales for Freelancers
Penny comes as a trusted recommendation to me by Dana Publicover who I’ve known for years. Penny’s program covers finding clients, pricing, position and building your sales process. It’s not open for enrollment right now, but follow her because she runs it throughout the year and maybe tell her you’re interested so she knows!
✅ FOR you if: you like a step by step, you notice you’re not closing as many deals as you could, you’re not so keen on marketing
❌ NOT for you if: sales is not your main issue or you’re not selling high ticket services
Best for small businesses who need operations help
Streamline Mastermind
Ariana Tenine and Devin Lee launched this mastermind to support business owners who have been making money the hard way. If your email inbox, calendar, workflows, and tools are wasting your time, you should get in here. Devin’s been a guest speaker in my membership many times and her systems brain simplifies my life regularly.
✅ FOR you if: you struggle with systems, you know you could do things more efficiently, you have a validated marketing and sales plan
❌ NOT for you if: you’re mostly in validation mode
Best for community and accountability
Hard to pick one winner in this space because it depends on who you want to be in the room with so here’s my top five:
This Mother Means Business: Laura Sinclair’s community for entrepreneurial moms created by demand via her very popular networking calls
Exit Five: Made for B2B marketers and not as entrepreneur-focused but likely a great place to find clients. I hear positive feedback about this place often.
Bootstrap Creators: LaShonda Brown’s membership is best suited for people who have a video-centric marketing strategy but I cannot recommend it enough to anyone exploring YouTube, TikTok or the creator path.
Being Freelance: Steve Folland is always posting the most fun behind the scenes from his well known group. Mainly for UK-based entrepreneurs though the group is online.
Groove: Virtual coworking app Groove doubles as a great way to network with creatives and the team there is constantly throwing cool virtual events so you can connect with other Groovers.
Want even more recommendations?
Here's the full list I've compiled over the last few years. I have not vetted most of these but they're worth checking out too.
Directories
The Hive Index (virtual, free directory to find more communities)
General
Pollen (virtual, paid)
Inde Collective (virtual, paid)
The Holt (virtual, paid)
The Connective (virtual, paid)
Good Business Club (UK-based, paid)
Zebras United Co-op (virtual and in person, paid)
Lunchclub (virtual, free)
Entrepreneurs' Organization (virtual, paid)
The Breakfast (in person in a few cities and growing, paid)
Fastlane Forum (virtual, free)
Being Freelance (virtual, paid)
Dynamite Circle (in person and online, location agnostic, paid)
Groove (virtual, free/paid)—primarily not networking but some networking happening if you're shy and easing in, it's a good one!
Creator and maker focused
Bootstrap Creators by LaShonda Brown (virtual, paid)
Creator Kitchen (virtual, paid)
Indie Hackers (virtual, free)—mainly tech-focused
Brainstorm Road (virtual, paid)
The Lab by Creator Science (virtual, paid)
Design Buddies (virtual, free)
Marketing and business focused
Skill Sessions from Josh Spector (virtual, paid)—Josh packages up live calls in super reusable "skill sessions" for you plus there's live Jam Sessions
Content Playhouse (virtual, paid)—also check out Deanna's networking events
Brand Deal Wizard (virtual, paid)
Her Brand and Co (virtual, free and paid options)
For public speaking
Badassery-HQ (virtual, paid)
Mic Drop Academy (virtual, paid)
For writers and journalists
The Subtext (virtual, free)
Internal Review (virtual, paid)—advertising copywriters
Freelancing with Tim (virtual, paid)—regular events
The Writers' Co-op (virtual, paid)—regular events
Fractional (aka Fractional CMOs, CFOs, COOs, etc)
Fractionals United (virtual, free - I think)
Go Fractional (virtual, free)
For Black creatives
#blkcreatives (virtual, free)
Black Artists and Designers Guild (virtual, paid)
Blacks Who Design (virtual, free)
For Latinx creatives
Latinx Who Design (virtual, free)
For women creatives
Like Minded Collective (virtual, free)
Freelancing Females (virtual, free)
The Old Girls Club (virtual, paid)
Forward Female (virtual, paid)
Entreprenista League (virtual and some in person around US, paid)
Ravel Collective (virtual, paid)
Hype HQ (virtual, free)
Dreamers & Doers (virtual, paid - focused on getting press, press opportunities)
Female Founder Collective (virtual, paid)
Know Women (virtual and in person US, paid)
Tide Risers (virtual and in person US and UK, paid)
For parents and caregivers
This Mother Means Business (virtual, paid)
Kenza Collective (virtual, free)
HeyMama (virtual, paid)
Cornerstone (virtual, paid)
When considering your next community, know your goals for the group. Are you there mostly to network or to learn? Are you hoping to meet clients or build a support network?
Communities and programs are only as effective as the work you put in so the more real you are with what you hope to gain, the more that will actually come true.
Have more ideas for this list? Share this post on LinkedIn along with your recommendations and tag me (@lex-roman)