Listen on Spotify:
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I’m so excited to begin our first series via my Podcast, Brand and Brew (if you haven’t checked it out yet – what are you waiting for?!) We are discussing all things behind the scenes over here at CCS. I highly recommend listening to the podcast episode for a more in-depth analysis, but consider these your sparknotes 😉 Let’s get into it!
How do we organize our finances?
When I was still mostly doing CCS on the side and not making a sustainable income (yet) I would randomly log my income at the end of the month. I’d be happy to see whatever number showed up at the end of the Google sheet, and that was that! As I grew, I saw other business owners posting about having months where they made at least $10K. I got to wondering if they *actually* had 10K months (minus all expenses and taxes) or if it was everything included. This made me determined to hit a 10K month that was actually 10K that I could pocket after expenses and forecasted tax deductions were taken out. Now we use a Google Sheet that goes much more in-depth, outlining what clients we’re working with, their form of payment, how much they pay, when they pay, and a forecasted tax percentage that we take out of each income we bring in (hello, tax season!) We also report expenses in this same sheet in order to see our net income. When we are complete with each monthly expense report, we create pivot tables to outline our total revenue, expenses, taxes and profits for the month.
How do you find your ideal clients?
I have a whole blog post dedicated to this topic, so be sure to check it out after this, BUT – when I was first in business I only marketed myself on Instagram and kept my basic portfolio website linked in my Instagram bio. One day someone found and contacted me through my portfolio website, and that’s when I started to think “okay, maybe this could happen!” When I decided to niche down (also see blog post on why I chose to niche down), I took The Social Bungalow’s Five Figure Instagram [course?] that taught me about hashtag strategy. I started researching hashtags where I knew I could find my ideal clients and would interact, engage, and follow them if I thought we’d be a good fit.
What software do I use?
One of the most popular questions I get asked from new business owners is “what software or program should I invest in first?” This varies across industries, but for me, it was a customer relationship management system (cue: Dubsado!) Dubsado has immensely helped in not having to worry about the logistical side of business, i.e. sending out client forms, tracking invoices, contracts, etc. It has also really helped with organizing and streamlining my client process. Shameless plug, I have a code for 20% off your first month or year (code: chloecreativestudio20) or you can go to this link to activate it! I also used Brooke at The Blaire House to organize my workflows so that I can automate different processes and structures to my needs.
This is obviously a very small glimpse into everything that goes on behind the scenes at CCs – but if you are a new business owner or simply trying to see what other processes are out there for your well-established business, I hope this helps! Be sure to check out the podcast episode for a more in-depth discussion. Until next time, friends!
