best Facebook groups for solopreuneurs

Facebook groups can suck the living daylights out of you, so tread those waters carefully. But, if used correctly, they can serve as a great learning and networking platform. They also serve as your online digi-community because let’s be real for a moment, being a solopreuneur is… well… lonely with a capital L. Most of us are stuck at home or in an office with our laptop or desktop computer and feel a bit alienated from the world. We don’t have coworkers to chat with while grabbing water, or lunch buddies to vent with, so FB groups can be your co-worker buddy space. What is even better, though, is that FB groups can serve a purpose for encouragement, being productive, and getting tasks done.

I recommend you focus on setting goals with the facebook groups you engage on, so it’s not just a waste of your precious time. I also recommend that you use it as part of your workflow, so be active in there during your work hours instead of taking time from family due to FOMs (Fear of Missing Something)

. This is especially hard for me, but it’s my new goal as I’m prepping for even better results in 2016.

Here are my current top 15 Facebook groups for creative entrepreneurs that I love.

Smart Passive Income. SPI Community. I have been a huge fan of Pat Flynn’s blog and podcast, so when he launched a Facebook group, I was on it like… like me on Facebook! I love the diversity of the group and it’s a great community to be in. It’s positive and offers tons of value. I also love how Pat is so giving in allowing us to plug our posts on certain days and share our wins, resources and what is working in our own businesses.
Blogging Boost. As a blogger, this has been a great new Facebook group that I enjoy checking in to because it is organized and to the point. I love surrounding myself with go-getters and like-minded productive folks, so if that’s your speed, you may like it, too. Mondays are the days we can share our blog posts and support each other, and now they’ve added a hashtag for tweeting these posts, which can be a great way to drive traffic back to your blog and unite the over four thousand bloggers in there.
The Starters Club. I bumped into a scope by Erin Smith accidentally on Periscope, and being in a hurry at the time, her style of stopping to answer questions wasn’t working for me. But there was something about Erin that made me want to watch again, and I am sure glad I did! Lesson: don’t judge someone by their first scope. HA. Erin teaches folks to get off their butts and start a business. I joined her FB group, and it’s filled with action-packed content. The High Performance Excel spreadsheet she shares with us is worth joining the group for, plus she adds a lot of action plans in her posts. If you are a new entrepreneur, or even if you’ve been at the entrepreneur game for a while but want accountability, I recommend this Facebook group.
Ladypreuneur Community is a female entrepreneur group that has over 2k members. The group is organized by Jessica Rea, a designer + entrepreneur helping female entrepreneurs build their brands and businesses online. It’s a great place to connect with other women solopreuneurs.
Close clients with ease mastermind group. My Digi-BFF, Erica, is a specialist at sales conversion and sales copy. It’s one area I so need help with as I struggle so much to sell myself and my work. Erica’s approach to sales is so refreshing and has helped me change my mindset about my own sales copy and the benefits my blog, services and products offer fellow creative-preneurs. I have a saying: I help people get found; well, Erica helps people get booked because after all, SEO does not solve all your booking problems. You still need an interest-generating brand, a relatable message and great services & products, and you need to know how to sell them. Erica has awesome go-to action plans and keeps us group members moving forward with our goals. This is a smaller group with an intimate, mastermind setting about how to grow your sales without that greasy, manipulative feel. Which is so up my alley.
Sweet Pea Academy. This is a paid membership group, but you won’t regret it. Hey, Sweet Pea offers awesome affordable classes for bloggers and solopreuneurs. This group has one of the best classes on Instagram, and their FB group alone is worth signing up for the class. Make sure you visit their site to be updated for upcoming classes and to see how you can join this awesome supportive Facebook group.
How to Sell Crafts Online/Etsy. If you are an Etsy shop owner or plan to be, you must join this group now. I love learning from crafters and artists. I plan to launch my Etsy store in November and am loving this group. Check out the group’s bio: “This is a place to share tips and tricks as well as get help selling your crafts on Etsy or anywhere else online. Selling crafts online can be tough, but with the right tools and marketing help, anyone can do it! As someone in the marketing industry and an Etsy seller, I can offer valuable information and help get your business going. Let’s help each other!”
The eMarketing Lounge. This group focuses on marketing and social media for small businesses and is led by Kelita Kellman. Kelita often does Twitter chats and FB events on topics such as Facebook Ads marketing, branding, and growing your audience, and she posts lots of challenges and action steps you can take for growing your small business. You should definitely be watching her on Periscope as well.
Creative Biz Owners with Little Farm Media. I ran into this group’s owner, Caitlin, on Periscope and loved her content, so I signed up to her newsletter, which gives you access to this creative lounge group. You also get a great Pinterest guide when you sign up, so go check Little Farm Media out. Caitlin has a modern creative vibe, which is something I admire in brands. I’m so motivated to be more active in this group.
The Blog Loft. Another great place for bloggers to mingle and network and this one has an added bonus. From the group description: “Guest posting: The Blog Loft is a great place to find guest posters! If you’re looking for blogs to guest post on, or people to guest post for you, create a post with a link to your blog so we can check it out! So go to http://www.blogloft.com to sign up.”
Perigirls. If you’re a woman using Periscope for promoting your business and brand, or you want to learn how to use Periscope to promote your business, then you need to join the Perigirls group. These women are so supportive and have great ways to help you get new followers on Periscope as well. My whole mindset about Periscope changed after participating in their pass the cast scope. I finally got some hearts and motivation to using this platform.
Free For All Mastermind Group. This is another Periscope-related Facebook group because its owner, Ethan Pariseau, is a fantastic Periscope networker known by big names on Periscope such as Charlene Johnson and Coach Glitter. Ethan shares the great scopes he’s watched and offers great content on his scopes, so if you love Periscope, I recommend Ethan’s group. Follow him on Periscope, too.
The Creative’s Corner. This group’s current Instagram challenge is worth joining the group for. It’s a subscriber-based group. According to the group’s description: “This group is private to subscribers of Julie Harris Design’s monthly Creative Genius Newsletter. To join us in our creative quests, subscribe at http://eepurl.com/4X9iT and be sure to download the current group challenge workbook. I hope to see you on the Instagram challenge.
Brilliant Business Moms. This is a new group to me, but I like their 52-week “year to a better business” email challenge, which will give you access to the group. So sign up here. It is filled with information for newbies and veterans, and is one that I am excited to be engaging in more often. It’s great for bloggers and for people who have product-based businesses.
DIY SEO for Bloggers. Okay. This is a shameless plug here, but I, too, started a Facebook group which is geared toward creative solopreneurs & bloggers who want to learn how to get their blog or site found online. I offer SEO challenges and office hours in this group. This group is open right now, but it soon will be a subscriber-based group, so hurry and join before the doors close on October 1, 2015.