This is a guest post by Emily Helms, an incredibly talented, intelligent and compassionate writer, bookworm and creative copywriter (she’s humble too, but trust me, this girl has the “brain smarts”.)

If you’re a creative biz owner who is just starting out, I’m willing to bet that the money isn’t rolling in the door yet. In that case, teaching may be a great way to earn some extra cash while honing your skills.

I’ve taught for almost two years in three different settings: out of my home, out of a community arts school, and most recently, out of a teaching studio at my local music store.

In this post, I’ll go over some advantages and disadvantages of teaching to help you decide whether it’d be a good addition to your artist’s bag of tools. I’ll also go over some of the things you’ll need to consider before taking on your first victim…er, student.

Read On…

Do you know Michelle Nickolaisen? I have a feeling that in a couple of years when I ask you that question, you’ll be saying “of course!” Michelle is one kick ass chick – she’s been a blogger for several years, and her latest effort – Lets Radiate – is a love letter to creative folk who might be struggling with workflow or getting all their amazing projects off the ground.

What does Michelle do better than anyone? She gets stuff done. She says “I have this great idea!” and then she goes out and gets it done. And she helps other creatives to work through blocks and figure out their workflow issues. And, since I’m bloody good at having great ideas, but not so good with the whole workflow things, I’m truly grateful to have her here to talk about running a small business, finding your people, and getting your business running as sweet as mustard.

Read On…

I read a wicked article on Freelance Switch the other day by Martha Retallick called Proven Solutions to Freelance Income Fluctuation. In the article, Martha outlines some killer strategies for beating what she terms the “Lumpy Income Blues”, which is a term I am officially stealing and using in my everyday freelance vocabulary. Mostly, Martha gives you some great tips for getting real with your finances – figuring out what you’re spending on, what you can cut back on, how to get saving, and how to live frugally and creatively. And all of these things are awesome and essential if you’re going to run your own biz and be self-employed.

But, but, but, but …

I think it’s very important that, if you’re getting a lot of Lumpy Income Blues months, you need to get proactive about finding new clients and getting regular income streams. So I’m going to offer a few tips for you on how to create an income cushion each month to save yourself from the Lumpy Income Blues.