The Emotional Labour of Community Building with Frankie Tortora from Doing it for the Kids

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!