Chelsea Winstead’s Cultivate Academy is an educational platform for employed women looking to do freelancing. It uses the CLTV (Curate, Leverage, Transform, Venture) Framework. This framework focuses on the students' existing skills at work. Cultivate Academy will help them change it to digital services they can offer online. Students will learn rate-setting, negotiation skills, and personal branding.
Online reviews of Cultivate Academy are few but positive and they’re all from the course’s website. Students highlight the mentorship and aligning business goals with their strengths. Freelancing is an increasing part of the workforce. According to Genius, it is 35% of the US workforce. Zirtual reported 82% of freelancers say flexible work arrangement is its top benefit.
However, 47% of freelancers in the gig economy struggle with job security. They also struggle with receiving payment. According to Sara Horowitz, founder of Freelancers Union, the biggest problem of freelancers is getting paid. 72% reported they have unpaid invoices by clients.
I've been offering my digital services to businesses since 2015. Freelancing works for experts, but you're still selling your time. What ultimately worked for me is offering my digital assets and its services to local businesses. We cover Cultivate Academy’s pros, cons, and target audience. We delve into Chelsea Winstead's background. And, we'll help you learn if freelancing is the best way for you to make money online.
Cultivate Academy Pros and Cons
Pros
3 programs catering to different needs of professionals transitioning to freelancing.
Wide price range. There is a program available for different salary range.
Access to private slack group.
Cons
Pricey. To talk to Chelsea 1-on-1, you have to avail her coaching program. It costs $7,500.
Lack of external reviews. All reviews of the programs offered are on their website. Some of them don't even have receipts.
Not beginner friendly. The CLTV Framework leverages your experience and connections to work.
Price
Cultivate Academy’s courses range from $500 to $7,500.
Group
Cultivate Academy has a Slack group.
Refund Policy
Cultivate Academy does not have any refund policy on their site.
Origin
Cultivate Academy was created in 2024.
Reputation
Chelsea Winstead has a positive reputation online. With active engagement with her 138k followers on TikTok.
Working with Chelsea has been awesome! I picked up so many cool things from her. She’s always super pumped about everything and don’t even get me started on her leadership skills – they’re seriously next level!
What Is Fractional Freelance Support?
Fractional Freelance Support is working with companies as a contractor. It’s a flexible work arrangement usually for senior level positions. They’re different from freelancers who do specific tasks. Fractional workers have more long-term relationships with clients and are treated as part-timers.
Cultivate Academy offers training for professionals transitioning into highly paid fractional services. This lets individuals use their experience across multiple clients and industries. Cultivate Academy has different “Schools.” The modules you get will depend on the School you get into. Your School is decided based on your experiences and personal interests. These schools are based on skills you can monetize. These skills are people, management and sales skills.
Your career prospects after completing a course at Cultivate Academy are:
What Do You Get With Cultivate Academy?
Who Is Cultivate Academy For?
Are Students of Cultivate Academy Successful?
Students of Cultivate Academy are successful as per the receipts posted on the site. However, you can’t find reviews and testimonials of the academy from other sources. The success stories of students who attended Cultivate Academy show earning $10,000+ for a month. Sarah increased her monthly recurring income with more clients. She went from $3,000 to $10,000 and potentially $13,000 for the month.
Another student, Aneesa, booked out her whole month and reached $10k+ in monthly revenue. She also started her own mentoring program. There is no clear percentage for the success rate of students who attended Cultivate Academy. But they are experienced leaders in their industry with connections they can leverage.
It is not clear if Vanessa was a student of Cultivate Academy or Chelsea’s other program. But she recommends Chelsea as a mentor and credits her success to her. Currently, Vanessa is working with 4 companies. She’s a part-time recruitment manager at Moore Medical Solutions. And a contracted mentor in Designlab. Vanessa’s also an HR and hiring specialist for HireMyMom.com and on the go HR, Inc.
Who Is Chelsea Winstead?
Chelsea Winstead is an entrepreneur and founder of Cultivate Academy. She graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska. In 2017, She took her MBA in Trident University International in Chandler, Arizona. Chelsea lives in Wilmington, North Carolina with her partner, Khristine.
Chelsea has a wide range of work experience. Before she became a business mentor, she worked as a server in the restaurant industry. Then she worked as a sales consultant in AT&T handling customers and ads. In 2015, she became a remote project manager for SPS Commerce. Chelsea was also a US Air Force officer.
In 2020, Chelsea launched HerHQ with Hollie Prescott. It was focused on helping women be full-time freelancers. They also run Club 83. It’s a membership-based training program on how to be a freelancer. Four years later, she founded Cultivate Academy. It caters to experienced and senior-level women trying to be fractional workers.
What Is Chelsea Winstead's Claim?
Chelsea Winstead claims her Cultivate Academy program can help women hit $10k per month. According to her, they help them switch from corporate jobs to digital CEOs. Chelsea says her CLTV Framework is the path to “live life on their own terms.” CLTV Framework leverages existing corporate skills of students.
Chelsea's Claim Debunked
According to Jobera, 7 out of 10 freelancers struggle to find enough work. Furthermore, 62% said their biggest challenge is managing irregular income. Reaching $10k every month is unrealistic, especially for beginners. According to Techreport, the average income of a freelancer in the US is $7,520. This also depends on your industry and experience. For sales positions, the average income is $4,320, while project managers earn $3,040.
Fractional or freelance workers are still subjected to the demands of their clients. It is possible to negotiate, but companies typically do this for experts they need. And so not all freelancers can negotiate. Especially if they can’t secure enough work, as mentioned above. Jobera also reported 60% of freelancers struggle with managing client demands. So living life on their own terms will require years of expertise and hard work as a freelancer.
What Is the Most Popular Freelance Job?
Digital marketing is the most popular freelance job in 2024. It is using different platforms and activities to promote products and services. They’re also used to drive traffic to websites, increase brand awareness and leads. Digital marketers do these through:
- Social media
- Emails
- Search engines
- Website ads
There is a demand for digital marketing. According to Nobuworld’s study, digital advertising is one of the highest skills in demand. 45% of businesses globally are seeking support for this. Digital marketers also have opportunities working in diverse industries. According to Mondo, digital marketers are the top hires in retail, technology and real estate industries.
However, digital marketers also face significant challenges. They need to stay updated on evolving trends. According to Play Media, Google’s search engine goes through 500-600 changes per year. Social media platforms are also constantly evolving. Examples are the shift to prioritizing short-form media and AI integration. This also brings engagement and ranking problems to digital marketers. Small Biz Genius reported 65% struggle to make content that is engaging and ranks well.
How Much can a Freelancer Earn in Digital Marketing?
A freelancer can earn between $48,000 to $70,000 per year in digital marketing. According to industry reports, the annual average is $66,000. Entry-level digital marketing freelancers can earn $48,750, according to Kesar Long. As digital marketers gain experience and build their portfolio, their earning potential increases.
Digital marketing has various specializations. Experienced digital marketers can earn:
- Digital Marketing Managers: $74,320 per year
- SEO Managers: $76,550 per year
- PPC Managers: $59,177 per year
Freelancers often charge hourly rates. The factors influencing a freelancer's earnings include:
- Skill level and expertise
- Specialization (e.g., SEO, PPC, content marketing)
- Client base and reputation
- Geographic location
- Market demand
Business Ideas for Women at Home
Local lead generation, digital marketing and freelance writing are the top business ideas for women at home. Local lead generation has a low startup cost and potential for passive income. And as per Bright Local, 98% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses. Digital marketing and freelance writing are the most in demand skills globally. According to Jobsera, 45% of businesses look for digital marketers and 42% for writers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a steady 9% increase in demand for writers until 2030.
E-commerce and virtual assistance are also good business ideas for women at home. According to Shopify, 53% of their store owners are women. It is also a growing industry. According to Tidio, 27% of the global population buys online. There is also a growing trend for virtual assistants. According to Upwork, 68% of them work with many clients. It is also expected to grow by 22% yearly, as per Business Research Insight.
My Number 1 Business Model for 2024
My number 1 business model for 2024 is local lead generation. It is building niche websites using local SEO. Once the websites gain traffic, you can rent it out to local business owners for $500-$3,000/month. From there, it turns into passive income. Local lead generation requires SEO optimization and market research skills. These increase its barrier to entry. It also lessens saturation. You can rank on search results in just 3 to 6 months. And with 15 to 30 web pages only.
Once you set up your website, and it is ranking, it also requires less maintenance. The local lead gen website I built in 2015 took me a maximum of 15 hours. And it didn’t need major updates since then. The ongoing maintenance also costs low. It only needs at least $30 per month. And you can start it with just $500. This cost covers the website domain and hosting.
Since local lead gen caters to niche local businesses, it’s highly scalable. You can repeat the process to 50+ niches. And the website setup only costs $500. All the local lead gen sites I own today earn me $52k a month. Local lead gen sites have a 35% success rate that increases the more websites you create. Local lead gen provides predictable passive income requiring less effort and is scalable.
