Freelancer Lifeline is a resource destination where FX members can find grant opportunities, loan information, digital events, creative tools, and more. We hope it serves as a source of comfort, inspiration, and support as we navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic together.

FX April Happy Hour

April 20 @ 5:00 pm 7:00 pm

Mark your calendar for our April Happy Hour! Members and nonmembers are welcome. Full details and registration link to come.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

FX March Luncheon

March 31 @ 11:30 am 1:00 pm

How to Better Connect with People

About this event:

Please join The Freelance Exchange at Union on the Hill as we welcome Dr. Charlie Cartwright. Dr. Cartwright believes the common denominator in virtually every business challenge is people. Understanding how to connect with them in a meaningful way is essential for personal and professional success. During this presentation, Dr. Cartwright will provide the audience with a fresh approach to achieving this in a sustainable way.

Lunch options include:

• Chop Chop Salad: mixed greens, arugula, carrots, broccoli, radicchio, smoked edamame, chickpeas, smoked gouda, pepperoncini, cider oregano vinaigrette

• The Brussels Flatbread: garlic cream sauce, Brussels sprouts, caramelized onion, jalapeño, smoked bacon, aged cheddar

• Tacos: (3) soft corn tortillas, roasted tomato salsa, black beans, roasted corn on the cob, choice of: BRAISED SHORT RIB – pickled onion & cilantro, PULLED PORK – cilantro & onion, SHREDDED CHICKEN – lettuce, pico de gallo, cheddar & jack cheeses

• Mahi Mahi Sandwich: blackened, creole remoulade, boston lettuce, tomato, house fries

Members and nonmembers are welcome. Networking starts at 11:30 a.m. with the presentation at noon.

To participate in the in-person luncheon, you must RSVP by March 30.

In Person – Members: $25 / Guests: $35
Virtual – Members: FREE / Guests: $10

Be sure to register in advance on Eventbrite in order to gain access to the Zoom link.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Disclaimer: You understand that by attending this in-person event hosted by The Freelance Exchange of Kansas City that you’re doing so voluntarily and that it could result in illness, personal injury, or death. If any such event does occur, you agree not to hold The Freelance Exchange liable and not sue the organization, its board members, members, or sponsors.

About the speaker:

Dr. Charlie Cartwright is the founder of The Company Culture Doctor, a consulting firm based in the Kansas City area whose sole purpose is to bring out the best in leaders and their teams. Dr. Charlie is also the creator of the “People Success Formula.” It is the result of a three-decades-long meta-analysis of what drives human behavior. His research clearly illuminated the path to unlocking human potential. “If you want to move mountains, first you must move people. Then those people will move the mountains.” – Dr. Charlie

Union on the Hill

2976 Gillham Road
Kansas City, Missouri 64108 United States
+ Google Map
https://www.uniononthehill.com/

FX March Coffee Meetup

March 9 @ 8:30 am 10:00 am

Are you feeling lucky? Our March coffee meetup will be at Rochester Brewing and Roasting Co. If you haven’t had a chance to check this one out, you are in for a treat. Grab yourself a cup and look for the FX of KC banner. Start your morning meeting new friends and connecting with old ones.

Members and nonmembers welcome.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

Rochester Brewing and Roasting Company

2129 Washington St.
Kansas City, Missouri 64108 United States
+ Google Map
816-216-7181
https://rochesterkc.com

FX February Luncheon

February 24 @ 11:30 am 1:00 pm

Tax Time


About this event:

Danyel Harrison, President of Business Navigators LLC, will present on timely tax topics for time-strapped freelancers. Come with questions about all things business tax. Part talk, part Q&A, all FX of KC.

Buffet-style lunch from Joe’s Kansas City includes Pulled Pork, Smoked Turkey, Burnt Ends, Ribs, Fries, and BBQ Beans. Vegetarian options include Portabello Mushroom Z-man and Side Salad. Contact [email protected] with any dietary needs or questions about the luncheon.

Members and nonmembers are welcome.

Networking starts at 11:30 a.m. with the presentation at noon. For virtual attendees, the presentation starts at noon via Zoom. The virtual luncheon will not include a networking portion.

To participate in the in-person luncheon, you must RSVP by February 22.

In Person – Members: $25 / Guests: $35
Virtual – Members: FREE / Guests: $10

Be sure to register in advance on Eventbrite in order to gain access to the Zoom link.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Disclaimer: You understand that by attending this in-person event hosted by The Freelance Exchange of Kansas City that you’re doing so voluntarily and that it could result in illness, personal injury, or death. If any such event does occur, you agree not to hold The Freelance Exchange liable and not sue the organization, its board members, members, or sponsors.

About the speaker:

At Business Navigators, we understand the pressures facing small businesses. Requirements to maintain a competitive advantage in quality and price while increasing innovation and decreasing cost is a daunting task for any business owner. You are continuously improving, 5S’ing and ensuring your production processes are Just-In-Time, but are your efforts shining through in the financial reports? Do you have the information to make the best decisions when it comes to material procurement, direct labor, and overhead management? Your financial statements appease the tax accountant and financial reporting requirements, but do they make sense to you, the owner, and to your management team?

My goal when working with you is to help you organize and streamline your processes for efficiency, increase income, decrease costs and ensure your pathway for growth. Best of all, I want to provide you with decision-making information that makes sense!

Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City

2842 W 47th Ave
Westwood, Kansas 66103 United States
+ Google Map
https://jagkc.org/

FX is Now Celebrating 20 Years!

January 2023 marked 20 years for The Freelance Exchange of Kansas City.

Twenty years of helping advertising and marketing freelancers in the KC region and beyond. Twenty years of serving as KC’s premier, free, and easy-to-use resource to find freelance talent.

So, how did FX come to be?

Here’s the story as told by our Founder, Julie Cortés:

“It all started on a whim. I’d been very active and serving on the board of a large industry organization. When my term came to an end, I wondered what was next.

I looked around at the existing professional clubs in town and wondered why no one had anything specifically for freelancers … no discounted rates for membership or events, no programming directed at the self-employed, no nothing.

Even though I’d made these requests while active in the one organization, no one seemed to care. Yet, I knew there was a huge need for it.

So, I decided to do something about it.

I was familiar with an effort that local industry headhunter, Don Dye (may he rest in peace), had spearheaded previously, getting a small group of freelancers together for lunch on a regular basis. I also knew that, at that point in time, he’d had to hang up his hat in doing that when he went to take a full-time job.

Not wanting to step on toes, I called him up to see if I could resurrect the idea. “You have at it, kid!” he told me.

And so I did.

I opened up my Rolodex and industry club roster, and emailed roughly 50 freelancers, asking to get together. In January of 2003, we met at McCoy’s in Westport where about 20 people showed up.

Everyone seemed to love the idea of a community just for freelancers. Ideas were running rampant. “You should do monthly luncheons!” “You should have a freelance directory!” “You should have a ‘company’ holiday party!”

The energy was inspiring. Yet I knew I couldn’t do it alone.

I asked for volunteers and was able to quickly form a board of directors. We got to work and wrote bylaws, club policies, developed a brand, planned programs, and determined membership levels and pricing.

Within six months we were up and running as an official not-for-profit 501(c)6 industry organization and, just a couple months after that, we’d already surpassed 100 members!”

Things just took off from there. FX hosted its first Portfolio Showcase that next year, produced a printed and digital membership directory, and held plenty of monthly educational and social events. Throughout the years, it’s hosted award shows, participated in philanthropy efforts, and helped plan holiday parties with other local industry clubs.

The club was founded on a mission of offering continuing education and community for advertising/marketing freelancers, while also serving as a resource to make it easy for ad agencies and businesses alike to find freelance talent they needed.

That mission continues to this day as we continue to find innovative ways to inspire, motivate, and gather. In addition to our monthly luncheons and social meetups, we continue the tradition of the Portfolio Showcase and joint holiday party, while additionally offering a Freelance Bootcamp and other educational, networking, outreach, and promotional opportunities. 

We are forever grateful to the volunteers who’ve helped us achieve this big milestone, the sponsors and associate members who’ve helped fund our efforts, and the hundreds, if not thousands, of freelancers who’ve come through our doors throughout the years.

As we look back and reflect on the successes of FX throughout the last 20 years, we can’t help but be excited for what the next 20 have in store.

Not a member? Join today. Need a freelancer? Find freelance talent here.

Want to get involved? Attend an upcoming event or volunteer.

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