Ideas and tips for when your diary is empty and the panic is high What can you do to boost your income in a slow month? What to do when you have no jobs lined up as a freelancer? In this post I share some ideas for income boosters for creatives. Aim for the ‘low-hangingContinue reading “Slow January? Five income boosters for creatives”
Category Archives: Money mindset
The importance of small business contracts
Tonight I had an angry friend on the phone. “I had screwed her over” by canceling the spaces for my two children at the next block of her forest school, very last minute. The truth was, I had completely missed the deadline for signup (my fault), and then when the reminder came, my kids both said they didn’t want to continue. Of course, my friend was annoyed, as she had lost income she assumed she had. She now didn’t have time left to fill two empty spots. This post is about why small business contracts and written agreements are vital, also for friends.
“I can only do this because my partner pays the bills”
I chose a creative career. My husband worked in a corporate job, and had always the bigger income. Well, hasn’t that worked out rather convenient. But I was brought up to be financially independent. “Make sure you can pay for your own bills”, was the message that was drilled into me as a young girl by my father. How do you navigate through funding your startup phase without feeling guilty about who is is paying the rest of the bills in the meantime?
How to break through scarcity mindset and start attracting money
When we first start out in business, we often accept any old job that comes our way. Do you truly believe in your abilities to earn good money with what you do? Be honest. Or do you still feel others are probably better than you, you still have a lot to learn, and you can’t ask that sort of price for your work? Here is a secret: those ‘other’ people are not any better than you, and you are totally capable. The problem? Self-limiting beliefs. Here’s some mindset tips on how to break through those money blocks and grow your income.
10 creative ways to make money while living abroad
How do you find work in Spain for English speakers? Or in Italy, France, or anywhere else you are planning to move to? Unless you are retired and are bringing a healthy pension, moving abroad means figuring out how to earn money to pay for your lifestyle. Some expats are able to work remotely for their employer overseas, but many expats who move to countries where the unemployment numbers are high, start up their own small business. And why not? You are already brave, making the move abroad, so becoming an entrepreneur is really not that big a step. So what skills could you monetise as a small business abroad? (FREE download included!)
Why investing in your online business will help you grow faster
Imagine opening a physical shop in your local town. You get the keys to the space, you are dead excited. But there is nothing in it. What do you need? Shelving, display units, and a counter, if you are running a retail business. Kitchen facilities and furniture, if it’s a cafe. And you need to decorate it of course. Bits and pieces, artwork on the wall, paint, wallpaper, maybe some bespoke joinery. And someone to fix the lighting. Add it all up, how much would you need to invest before the grand opening day? Thousands, probably even tens of thousands, if you include everything. Now, be honest… how much did you spend on starting up your online business?
How to make a living out of art and what may be holding you back
“I want to be an artist when I grow up”. Did you say this as a child? What were the reactions from your family? Were they all for it? Or did they reply with something on the lines of:”That’s great, but you’ll be poor”, or “You’d better choose a proper career like law or engineering, because you’ll never make a living our of art”. Did you do it anyway? Or did you take their advice, got yourself a ‘proper job’, became miserable, and then went back to your original desire to be an artist later in life? Whatever your situation, those early messages about being a poor artist are likely the biggest reason why you are currently not making enough money, and why you are reading his post. Let’s explore this a bit more.
Having a job on the side? Isn’t that a sign of business failure?
Last week I went back to being a tour guide on a bicycle in Valencia, after a break of two years. Tourists are back! I am planning to do one or two tours a week alongside being a business coach. Why? I strongly believe having multiple income streams is not a sign of business failure, but a conscious decision to create balance and joy in your life, and staying curious. Unless you are stacking shelves at the supermarket out of pure necessity and you hate it with a vengeance, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a portfolio of jobs and businesses. In fact, having multiple income streams can really help you in a number of ways. Here’s why.
Why rejection is a good thing when you are growing a small business
As business owner or creative freelancer, you are trying to attract clients, all the time. Some months that happens easily. Other months it’s like pulling teeth. I know it all too well! And sometimes, you are over the moon about attracting a client, only to feel utterly disappointed when they change their mind – or worse, you end up in a conflict. This morning a new copywriting client I recently booked, changed her mind. That doesn’t happen often. In fact, this was a first in a very long time. But this too, is part of running a business. And sometimes, these things are actually not a bad thing at all. Why? I will tell you in this story.
The difference between an entrepreneur and a (small) business owner
What would you call yourself? An entrepreneur or a small business owner? We often intersperse these two terms because most people don’t give it much thought and feel they are more or less the same thing. But more often than not, we feel the term ‘entrepreneur’ sounds too posh, too much, too pretentious. So we stick with ‘small business owner’. Feels safe, right? But there really is a difference, and creativity is at the core of it. I tell you why you should start calling yourself an entrepreneur from now on, and feel good about it.