She turned her passion into a career and has helped others do the same for 16 years with The Freelance Exchange, meet Julie Cortés

Jayhawk. Diva. Rockstar. The evolution of one Julie Cortés has been intentional and inclusive. In tune with her calling, the ultimate freelancer, Cortés has carved her own path, apologized to no one and buoyed the careers of hundreds of other solopreneurs along the way. She founded The Freelance Exchange more than 16 years ago, and the not-for-profit she started continues to support both sides of the creative freelance equation - talent and hiring.

Choosing to attend the University of Kansas’ School of Journalism, she is quick to point out that it was the advertising sequence that captured her imagination. “I was always interested in advertising. I watched the Super Bowl just for the commercials. I would tear out ads and put them up while my friends were posting pictures of cute guys on their walls,” she says. But when she started pursuing the profession in earnest, the opportunities to design and write congruently were remote. “You mean I have to choose?”

During the course of agency internships while in college and her early jobs, she found female creative directors hard to find. She sharpened her writing chops in Kansas City advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments. Working on both sides of the client-agency table, she found elements she liked and others she disdained. She learned the hard and fast reality of having a job: you will leave it.

It was just such a job loss that evoked her freelance gene. “I was devastated. I spent the next year enduring a nasty divorce, looking for a job, working part time while I was simultaneously freelancing. I wrote a business plan and a marketing plan, and realized freelancing was my calling.” To this day she believes strongly in creating a business plan as a foundation for anyone pondering a freelance career. “It’s the secret sauce. It separates adults from children; the business owner from the hobbyist. It keeps you focused and on track.”

The CopyDiva was crowned. Her own craft cycled around the written word and waxing creative for agency and corporate clients alike. Her moniker, connections and commitment to making a go of it on her own started to get noticed. “I was always working on the business and became a go-to resource for freelancers and hiring agencies alike. As my business grew, it became obvious to me there was a void in the market. There was a void for continuing education, for community and support, and for respect.”

“People were intimidated to ask for a deposit; to execute a contract; to push for 30-day turnaround for payment. These companies wouldn’t ask the electric company or other service providers for the kind of demands they were putting on freelancers. As business people, we weren’t prepared.”

She then took matters into her own hands and emailed 50 freelancers inviting them to lunch to brainstorm forming a resource network. Roughly 20 answered the call, and The Freelance Exchange was served up. Elizabeth Dunn-Hall, a self-employed graphic designer, was there at the inception and became The Freelance Exchange’s first membership director, a role she has recently reprised. “The Freelance Exchange became a networking venue that welcomed all different types of creatives,” Dunn-Hall says.

Since those early days, the FX has seen ups and downs in membership and effectiveness. A weak economy is good for membership, but bad for business. With a booming economy, freelancers find jobs and return to the perceived security of a steady paycheck.

Episodic income, as Cortés calls the uncertainty of a freelancer’s next payday, is one of many trials that tests the fortitude of most entrepreneurs. The isolation and strain of economic ups and downs takes a particular toll on the creative psyche of many freelancers. “The mental health of creative types is fragile. We’re emotional… feelers more than thinkers. We struggle with work-life balance, tending to young kids and older adults, lack of health care. We don’t talk about this enough,” Cortés explains. She has publicly documented her own downward spiral including depression and thoughts of suicide. Leveraging her platform, she told her story to the criticism of some and praise of others. Byron Ginsburg, himself a freelance content creator and marketing consultant, has been the programming director for The Freelance Exchange for the past six years. “The availability of resources that can help you cope along the way are limited,” he says. “There aren’t EAP (employee assistance programs) to help freelancers juggling the needs of clients, family, and the business. It’s all on you.”

To this end, The Freelance Exchange is hosting a discussion on “Behavioral Health“ at its May Luncheon, 11 am to 1 pm, May 31 at The Burg and Barrel, 7042 W. 76th St., Overland Park, KS. “May is Mental Health Awareness Month and too many of us - not just freelancers - don’t know what to do. We’re caught off guard and things become too much. We need to talk about it more,” Ginsburg says.

Just as The Freelance Exchange has expanded its reach and scope, so too Cortés has shrugged off her Diva tiara and has evolved to Rockstar status. “Rockstar suits me and my brand. CopyDiva reflected what I was by trade, but now I’ve embraced so much more and expanded my business into teaching, coaching and professional speaking.” She is an adjunct professor at the Kansas City Art Institute where she teaches aspiring solopreneurs in “Freelancing 101,” a course with timely applications as most forecasters anticipate 40 percent of all workers will engage in some type of self-employment by the end of 2020.

“As a founder, she was ahead of her time,” Ginsburg adds. “She puts herself out there, encouraging others by her own success. During the last three to four years, she’s really diversified and carved her own path and, in doing so, others believe they can do the same.”

“She’s effective at attracting committed members,” Dunn-Hall says. “It’s really all about reaching out and reaching up with support and encouragement. That’s what she’s built.”

This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 8:15 AM.