Nobody ever wants to talk about their business money and finance, but I don’t think these things should be kept a secret. I wanted to give you a glimpse at where I spent my money for my business – from my favorite tools to outsourcing services.
I was SO TIGHT with my money! I only invest in resources I find incredibly beneficial to my business. So, in this post, I will go over what resources I use, why, and how much they are, so let’s talk about it!
Tech
1.WordPress
This is the website hosting platform that I use. There are plenty out there to choose from, but this one is my favorite because it’s easy to use, and the customer service is excellent!
Cost: $30/month
$20 /year – for domain
2.Elementor Pro
This is a theme builder plugin for WordPress. I use this to design, customize, and manage my website.
Cost: $49/year
3.Google Drive
As a creative entrepreneur, I need a lot of online storage and an easy way to share files with clients. So I pay a little bit each month to have storage on both of these platforms.
Cost: $30/year
Being a designer, this is the #1 tool I use to do my work.
Cost: $52/month
Outsource Services
1.Accountant
I’m the worst at keeping track of my money. I don’t enjoy it, so I’ve paid an accountant to do my taxes from the very beginning to keep track of all my business income, expenses, and taxes.
Cost: $60/quarter
2.Web Development
I used to do all web design & development on my own, and it was just taking up way too much of my time (not to mention stressful). So it’s worth it to me to outsource it from now on! I’ll occasionally hire a web developer for custom fixes on my website.
Other Stuff
1.Notion
My forever favorite productivity tool!! Notion is one of the best productivity apps that I have ever used. I use it to manage my business, tasks, and onboarding my clients easily and in a very organized manner.
You can purchase my social media dashboard. (One of our best sellers!) I am confident you will feel more motivated and inspired to create fantastic content for you and your business with this template.
Cost: $10/month
2.Mock-ups / Stock Photos
High-quality mock-ups and photos are a pretty standard purchase for me! A great mock-up and photos can elevate your work, so it’s an essential expense for my business.
My favorite resource for these are:
Moyo Studio – they have so many significant collections of mock-ups and photography for creatives! Creative Market/Etsy – I love to use these for purchasing fonts and product mock-ups.
3.Mailchimp
This is the newsletter platform that I use. I’m just new to email marketing and Mailchimp is convenient to use for beginners.
Cost: $10/month
4. Grammarly
I use this to check my digital content for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Cost: $18/month
5. Canva
This has become my new go-to for creating templates that my clients can edit.
Cost: $40/year
Education/Coaching
This isn’t a monthly expense, but I’ve invested much money in courses. Investing in online courses and coaching is an amazing foundation to build your business upon.
Here are some of the courses and training I’ve invested in so far:
This workshop training will teach you to uncover your unique magic as a designer and establish a style like no one else.
Cost: $37 (one time payment)
2.Brand Mapping Method with Carli Anna
I just purchased this course a month ago, and it was by far THE BEST money I’ve ever spent on my business! This course will help you to master brand strategy and book high-end clients.
Cost: $1164 (one-time payment)
As a creative entrepreneur managing the finances can be one of the most stressful aspects, you take on as a business owner. When I first started, I assumed that I wouldn’t really have many expenses, but obviously, there’s still plenty of stuff that I spend money on to make my business run more smoothly and market myself!
I know that’s not a small number, but each item is required to run my business professionally and enhance my client experience— which is my highest priority.
I’ve learned that sometimes to make more money; you have to spend more money. You need to be smart about it!
What are some of your favorite resources? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section!
