Creative Services

Project revenue is unpredictable and contractor costs add up fast. We track profitability at the project level so you know which work is actually worth taking on.

Busy Doesn't Mean Profitable

Creative businesses have a unique financial rhythm. A big brand project lands one month, the next month is mostly retainer work and a couple of small jobs. Revenue swings, but your rent and your software subscriptions stay the same. If you only look at the bank balance, you can’t tell whether you’re actually making money or just staying in motion.

We help you separate the noise from the signal. By tracking income and costs at the project level and keeping your retainer revenue visible on its own, you get an honest picture of where the money is going and which parts of your business are truly profitable.

Retainer vs. Project Revenue

These two income streams behave differently. Retainers are predictable but can quietly become underpriced as the scope of work drifts. Project revenue spikes and dips. We track them separately so you can see what’s actually driving your business and where to focus your energy.

Project Profitability

A $15,000 website build sounds great until you factor in the freelance developer, the stock photography, and the three rounds of revisions that weren’t in the original scope. We track costs at the project level so you know which types of work are worth pursuing and which ones quietly drain your margins.

Contractors Everywhere

Most creative businesses run lean on purpose. You keep a small core team and bring in freelancers as projects demand. A marketing agency with three full-time people might work with ten or fifteen contractors throughout the year. Designers, copywriters, developers, videographers, editors. The flexibility is a strength, but it creates bookkeeping work that piles up fast if nobody is managing it.

Every contractor needs a W-9 before the first payment goes out. Every payment needs to be tracked. At year end, everyone who earned over $600 needs a 1099. If this isn’t handled throughout the year, January turns into a scramble of emails and Slack messages trying to chase down tax information from people who have already moved on to other projects.

1099 Filing

We collect W-9s and track contractor payments throughout the year as part of our regular bookkeeping process. When January arrives, your 1099s are ready to file. No frantic last-minute outreach to freelancers you haven’t talked to in eight months.

True Project Cost

Your invoice to the client is one number. What you paid in contractors, software licenses, and materials is another. We make sure both sides are visible so you can see the actual margin on every engagement instead of guessing after the fact.

The Pricing Problem

Most creative businesses price based on gut feel or what the market seems to tolerate. The trouble is that gut feel doesn’t account for the overhead you’re actually carrying. Adobe Creative Cloud, project management tools, cloud storage, insurance, your own unbillable time between projects, the marketing you do to find the next client. All of it eats into what you thought was a healthy margin.

Then there’s the timing issue. You finish a project in March but the client doesn’t pay until May. Meanwhile, the freelancer who helped deliver the work expects to be paid now. That gap gets uncomfortable fast, especially when it lines up with a slow stretch in new business. Without a clear view of cash flow, you’re always reacting instead of planning.

Knowing Your Overhead

Software subscriptions, equipment, insurance, professional development. It adds up to more than most people realize. We track every recurring cost so you know your real monthly overhead number. That number has to be covered before you earn a dollar of profit, and it should be baked into every proposal you send.

Cash Flow Gaps

Creative work has a built-in timing problem. You invest labor and contractor costs upfront, then wait 30 or 60 days for payment. We forecast cash flow around your project pipeline so you can see dry spells coming before they hit and plan accordingly instead of scrambling.

Creative Work, Clear Numbers

When your books are clean, your pricing conversations change. You stop undercharging because you can see exactly what it costs to deliver a project. You stop saying yes to every opportunity because you can tell which types of work actually make money and which ones just keep you busy.

The administrative weight drops too. Contractor payments are organized. Quarterly estimates are handled. Your CPA gets a clean file at tax time instead of a mess. You get to spend your energy on the creative work that got you into this business in the first place, not on spreadsheets at 11pm.

Pricing With Confidence

With real project cost data behind you, proposals get sharper. You start to see patterns in where time and money actually go, which means better scoping, stronger margins, and fewer projects that look profitable on paper but quietly lose money once the contractors are paid.

Planning for Slow Months

Creative work can be seasonal. Some months the pipeline is overflowing, others it goes quiet. We help you build a cash reserve strategy based on your actual revenue patterns so a slow stretch feels manageable instead of stressful.

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