HOW DO I… JOIN OR BUILD A COMMUNITY?

I cohost Leapers Accountability Pods - a membership for freelancers for those who want structure and don’t have a team but want a team. Find out more at

leapers.co.

Ece Kurtaraner is a community and online events strategist based in Manchester and the cohost of Leapers Accountability Pods. She wants to help you become part of a community that works for you.

What led you to a role in community management and strategy?

My background was working in servicebased, fast-paced corporate events. In 2019 I left Turkey to move to the UK and from the beginning of 2020, there weren’t any events happening. I went self-employed and discovered the term community. I was feeling alone in a new country and working for myself so joined online networking events. The ones that I stuck with were the ones built around community and I understood the necessity of this as a freelancer. I now love working with freelance-focused businesses the most. I realised that community was already one of my values - joining people together who have similar hobbies, interests and struggles.

Why is community so important for freelancers?

It helped me to stop beating myself up about things like not having the motivation 100% of the time. I started listening to some podcasts and saw other people’s social posts talking about how they were struggling to market themselves and I thought, ok I’m not the only person having those feelings or that hasn’t got it all figured out.

When you first go self-employed, that initial Google search isn’t that helpful. You find perfect websites and

social media profiles but it’s the biggest misconception that everyone else has it all figured out. There are so many resources that can help you with this.

You don’t have to work by yourself to work for yourself. Find your people - friends and colleagues. People you happily choose to be around. Share struggles, help and cheer for each other even though you might have never met in person. It’s important to let someone get a sense of what you’re about - it’s how we find work and get referrals. Don’t shoot “Hi, I’m NAME, if anyone needs a JOB TITLE I’m available.” I need to find out more about you. Networking is not pitching yourself, you need to listen, you need to try and help other people.

How can you get the most out of coworking? (And how do you get any work done!)

Confession: I don’t do work when I IRL cowork. I’m too excited to meet likeminded people, share interesting things and get third-person inspiration, so I go for that.

What community-building tools do you rate?

This depends so much on the situation. Rosie Sherry says that everything can be a community tool and I agree. A newsletter, Slack, a magazine, but it’s about deciding what my client and the community needs. You’re adding a distraction to somebody’s day so it needs to add value and it needs to be the right thing. ●

What are the biggest misconceptions about building a community?

It’s not a marketing strategy, you have to connect people to each other. It’s not a community because you decide it’s a community, ask yourself how are you going to create a space for your members so they can provide value to each other? Every business needs a community but maybe you need to grow your network in other communities. It’s not a short-term project.

What are the benefits of online versus IRL?

It’s what works for you but will largely depend on the location of the audience. Both have benefits - online is accessible, cheap, inclusive, and it’s easier to speak and show up. In real life, you can make better connections quicker and you’re more likely to get people’s full attention.

I prefer to use Butter over Zoom for online workshops and collaboration. You don’t have to work by yourself to work for yourself.

Top tip for building a community

Don’t try to do it alone. It’s time- and energy-consuming. You (and members) need to show up every day but there are lots of members and only one of you.

Top tips for hosting online events and workshops

1. Bring in music - Freelancer Magazine has its Spotify playlist, The Marketing Meetup has its intro video. I play 2000s classics like JLo and Kylie that everyone knows.

2. Have one person to manage online events who sets the tone and leads by example. It’s important to deal with any problems as they arise. It makes it easier for other people to trust and follow the guidelines.

Ece’s favourite communities:

● Leapers ● Freelancer Magazine ● #ContentClubUK ● The Marketing Meetup ● Othership

Find Ece @EceKurtaraner on Twitter and LinkedIn and visit ecekurtaraner.com.