Blog - Creative Hive

Review of the Top Bookkeeping Apps for Makers

Bookkeeping! Every creative entrepreneur’s favorite topic. One of the first steps with setting up shop is to choose and set up a bookkeeping system for your business.

It can be challenging to navigate the murky waters of options if you aren’t totally clear on what you should be looking for in a bookkeeping system.

As a maker myself AND an accountant, an ideal bookkeeping set up for makers includes the following:

Easy to use (user-friendly and easy to set up)
Reliable (cloud-based)
Makes tax-time easier (keeps a running tab of net income so you know what to expect, and categorizes expenses in a tax-friendly way)
Includes inventory functionality (an often overlooked issue that makers need for tax time!)

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5 Easy-to-Fix Mistakes I Made That Seriously Hindered the Growth of My Etsy Shop

You have a crafty hand.

People always compliment your work and say, “you should totally sell these!”

Then your wheels start turning, “how CAN I sell them? Maybe online? In a store?”

You do some slight research to see if those people were right about you selling your “stuff.”

You'll most likely come across Etsy on your hunt for information.

You've probably already heard of Etsy since it's been around awhile and you probably know someone you has also sold their craft there.

But shucks, that sure does look intimidating.

Well, that's where I come in.

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7 Lessons I Learned From Running A Full Time Etsy Shop and Homeschooling Two Toddlers

Do you ever look at your competitors’ or your peers’ businesses and got all frustrated at why your business doesn’t take off as quickly?

Here are 7 lessons I learned from running a full time etsy shop (plus two other businesses) and homeschooling two toddlers.

Firstly, let me say that I don’t know about you, but for me, it's not that I don't think I'll get there. It's that it takes me time. A really LONG time.

You see, I not only run two full time etsy shops, I also homeschool 2 toddlers while tending to my backyard flock and tiny homestead AND growing a third business where I teach other etsy sellers to do the same.

This leaves me, as you can imagine, with very little time (and fewer showers than I'd like to admit), but it did teach me a LOT of valuable lessons I want to share with you today.
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How To Prevent Burn Out When Running A Creative Business

You run a handmade business.

It's combining your passion with your dreams and you want to do everything you can to turn it profitable.

But now you're going to bed late, struggling to be present during time with your family or friends because business is ALL you can think about.

It's what drives you to keep moving forward, but you're slowly starting to feel like you're losing your mind.

If you're not spending every waking moment working on your business, it won't work, right?

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7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Handmade Business

You've got a crafty hands and an imagination that's encouraging you to sell your products online.

You're oozing with ideas for the potential products, maybe even a couple of social media handles already in place.

Slowly you've started to gather materials to start a website.

Things are moving along, but you stop to think, fairly often, someone has got to have some insight how to do this!? [Read more…]

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