{"id":14,"date":"2021-06-07T15:51:24","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T15:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freelancecoalition.org\/?page_id=14"},"modified":"2022-07-29T22:53:37","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T22:53:37","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/freelancecoalition.org\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

I want you to thrive,
not just survive<\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Hi! This is Chima Mmeje, Founder of The Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

I\u2019m an SEO Copywriter from Nigeria and I\u2019ve built my freelance career from the ground up. In 2017 I was slaving at a content mill writing 5000 words a day, Monday to Friday while barely making $500 a month.<\/p>

I wrote until my fingers hurt, my neck ached, and my back went numb.<\/p>

This is the story of almost every BIPOC freelancer you\u2019ll come across on the internet.<\/p>

We stay stuck in the rut scraping pennies for years because we don\u2019t know any other way. We\u2019re terrified of raising our rates even by a couple of dollars because we fear our prospects will choose someone cheaper.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tSo how did I get out?<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Mentorship changed my life<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In 2019, I quit the content mill and started working for myself. Rather than sending dozens of soul-scathing cold pitches on Linkedin, I focused on building relationships with successful copywriters like Dayana Mayfield and Valerio Puggioni.<\/p>

They showed me how to close the gap in my positioning and improve my online presence. After speaking with them, there was no looking back. I raised my rates every quarter. I built and nurtured genuine relationships with more freelancers from all over the world who mentored me.<\/p>

It\u2019s important to note that I didn\u2019t get here on my own. I\u2019m here because I had mentors who pulled me out of this vicious circle of poverty work and showed me my true worth.<\/p>

They taught me the business side of running and scaling a freelance career.<\/strong><\/p>

Without their support, I\u2019d still be stuck.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i> 5\/5<\/span><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201cWhat I learned in 2-minutes with my mentor was 100x more valuable compared to the 5+ hours I wasted scouring irrelevant blog posts on the internet and still not finding the answer. Having the right mentor to guide you in your freelance career is as important as your career itself!\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Lakshmi Padmanaban,\nConversion Copywriter (India)<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

I want the coalition to become a central point of learning for<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t