Welcome to Freelance with Erica

The Most Un-Guru Freelance Community on the Internet

🧡 Quick heads up! This was created when FWE was brand new. Since then, we've grown into a thriving beginner freelance community on Skool with multiple courses, trainings, q&a calls, coworking, tools/resources and an incredible group of people just getting started.

You may hear references to "free" in the video — everything now lives inside the community where access begins at just $9/mo or $79/year.

Hey there, new friend! 👋

First, let me just say this feels WEIRD. Like, "wearing someone else's shoes" weird.

See, I'm the person who builds behind-the-scenes systems for other people.
The one who writes the sales pages for the coaches you follow.
The one who designs their funnels and automates their businesses so they can post those "I just woke up to $10K in my account!" humble brags.

I'm not supposed to be... gestures vaguely... THIS. The person writing newsletters and building communities and showing my face on the internet.

And yet, here we are. Me writing. You reading. Both of us questioning our life choices. (Kidding! Well, half-kidding about yours. Fully serious about mine.) 😅

How Did We Get Here? (It's a Wild Ride, Buckle Up)

Plot twist #1: Corporate America tried to kill me.

Not, like, literally with assassins, but in the slow, soul-crushing way that leaves you staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m. wondering if this is all there is.

I was that overachiever who spent 20 years climbing the ladder to the corner office and the impressive title(s). Also? I was dying inside. Chronic illness had moved in rent-free, and my body had launched a full-scale rebellion.

When I finally humbled myself to share my struggles (I had become suicidal) and asked for help, my employer's stellar suggestion was to... "close my office door" on bad days.

(I wish I were kidding. I REALLY loved that job.)

Plot twist #2: Life decided to perform its own version of "Hold my beer."

• My body (and mind) reached full-blown BURNT TF OUT

• My husband got tossed aside after 25 years of corporate "loyalty"

• My dad received a terminal cancer diagnosis right before retirement

So I did what any slightly unhinged, life-long professional would do:

I. Burned. It. ALL. Down. 🔥 Quit my job with no backup plan in sight. (0/10 do no recommend, it was literally a life-or-death situation for me.)

Plot twist #3: I discovered freelancing and it changed everything.

And while most people would, I don't know, take a sensible break after all that... I launched a freelance career, became an Expert-Vetted (top 1%) freelancer on Upwork specializing in sales copywriting and strategy. Then I moved my business off platform and evolved into an Online Business Architect (marrying my new copywriting expertise with my past job experience in operations) for coaches and service providers building their courses, memberships, funnels, and automations.

Fast forward to now, and I've built a business that:

• Allowed me to retire my husband (!!!)

• Let us travel full-time in our RV

• Gives me the flexibility my chronic illness(es) requires

• Pays more than my corporate salary ever did

• Provided financial stability to travel to be with my dad during his cancer treatments

• Showed me the confidence that comes from controlling my own income

And here's the thing that keeps me up at night: Life never had to be as hard as I let it be for so long.

I was this close 🤏 to giving up so many times. If I hadn't been desperate (and stubborn), I would have.

I genuinely believe that if you want to make money NOW (without going into debt), freelancing is your fastest AND easiest path to making extra income.

Why I'm Building This Community (When I Should Be Scaling My Business)

I was this close 🤏 to launching BUILD with ERICA - my own scaling program to help established business owners create systems that sell while they sleep.

But then…I couldn't do it. You know that moment when the universe basically looks at your carefully crafted plans and goes "That's cute, but no"? Yeah. That.

Not because it's not a great business plan (it is), or because there's not a market (there definitely is).

But because I can't stop thinking about people like:

• My 22-year-old son and his friends, drowning in living expenses

• My friends experiencing chronic illness who can't physically handle traditional jobs

• Everyone stuck in jobs that are slowly killing them

• People one unexpected bill away from financial disaster

• Friends drowning in medical bills (hello, American healthcare)

• People working multiple jobs just to make ends meet

I'm tired of watching systems fail the people I love.

And it hit me: I’m using my skills to build million-dollar systems for already successful business owners, while regular people are struggling just to pay their water bills.

Cue existential crisis in aisle five.

I thought about how freelancing had literally saved my life. And I realized that maybe—just maybe—I needed to go back to my roots.

Teaching practical, immediate-income-generating skills that can help RIGHT NOW. Not in some hypothetical future after you've invested thousands in a course. And let's be honest - it’s hard manifest abundance when you're panicking about whether your lights will stay on.

So I did something that will make my business coach clients break out in hives: I completely shelved my high-ticket scaling program to teach beginners how to freelance instead. (I can practically hear the collective gasp of marketing experts everywhere — because if you haven’t heard, “don’t target beginners” is like rule #1 in online business. It’s a notoriously tough niche with the tiniest budgets and the biggest need for support.)

But the heart wants what the heart wants, I guess? So here we are.

Not because I think everyone should quit their job tomorrow (please don't). But because having the ability to generate income outside of traditional employment is becoming a critical life skill.

What This Community Actually Is (And Isn't)

Look, I'm not going to promise you'll make millions while you sleep, working 2 seconds a day. (If someone's promising you that, please run in the opposite direction while protecting your credit card.)

I'm not going to tell you that you'll be handing in your notice in 90 days or buying a beach house next year. (Though if you do, invite me over?)

What I AM promising:

• Freelancing is a viable path to make hundreds (if not thousands) of extra income each month to help ease the financial pressure.

• With consistent effort, you can go from paying your water bill → electric bill → maybe even your mortgage

• You don't need special skills to start (we'll identify what you already know)

• You can do this even with limited time, energy, or resources

My first freelance gig was $10. My most recent contract was $30,000. ($2,500/month x 12 months for 5 hours a week of my time.) But it started with that very first $10 gig.

What this is:

• A PROVEN starting point for complete beginners

• Trainings and resources (video + written)

• A community of people figuring this out together

• A supportive group where questions are welcomed

• A structured path to making your first freelance dollars

What this isn't:

• A get-rich-quick scheme

• A secret funnel to sell you a $2,000 program

• A promise you'll "fire your boss in 30 days!"

• Pretending freelancing is easy money

Please remember that this community has grown into something special since launching in 2025. We now have 600+ members, multiple courses, live calls, and an incredible group of beginners supporting each other.

Full Transparency About My Limitations

This project is built entirely in my "extra time" – the 10-15 hours a week I'm not serving my existing clients. That means:

• I'm not going to be posting 17 times a day

• The production quality might be... let's say "authentic" 😅

• This community is truly a labor of love, not a full-time focus (yet, but I’m manifesting!)

A note for the extroverts among us: I'm what the kids call "aggressively introverted." Like, "my voicemail handles all my phone calls" level of introverted

I need your help! If you're an extrovert who loves community building, you'll have my eternal gratitude (and probably free access to anything I ever create) if you help welcome new members, answer questions when you can, and generally bring your sunshine energy to this space.

And if you know someone who could use this community, please share it. The more the merrier. (Says the introvert, nervously.)

Let's Start Small But Dream Big

I'm not going to promise you'll replace your full-time income in 90 days. That's not realistic for most people, and I refuse to sell fantasy.

But here's what I do believe:

• You can absolutely earn your first $100+ in weeks, not months

• You can build to a consistent side income of several hundred dollars monthly

• You can, with consistency, eventually reach $1,000+ months with part time hours

• And yes, with time and dedication, you can potentially replace your income and quit that soul-sucking job and scale this thing to the moon!

But like I said earlier let's start with that water bill. Then the electric. Then maybe part of the rent.

Small wins compound into life-changing results.

So... Are You In?

Whether you're:

• Drowning in student loans

• Trying to escape the 9-5 grind

• Looking for financial stability

• Building a side hustle

• Dealing with chronic illness that makes traditional work impossible

• Just curious about freelancing

You're in the right place.

If you're ready to dip your toe into the freelance waters, you're in the right place.

Let's create some financial breathing room in a world that seems determined to keep us all gasping.

Here's to the first step. And to making this up as we go. ✨

Drop a comment introducing yourself and let me know what brought you here! What's your biggest question about freelancing? What's holding you back from getting started?

I'm so glad you're here. ✨

With caffeine and optimism,

P.S. If you're wondering "is freelancing really for me?" - just know that my first client hired me despite my complete lack of portfolio, experience, or relevant degree. If I could make this work, you absolutely can too.

P.P.S. Have questions? Join our community at freelancewitherica.com where I and other members can help! 😊