How to access your 2024 updated spreadsheets

How to access your 2024 updated spreadsheets

One of the perks of purchasing a Paper + Spark spreadsheet is that it's a one-time fee. You never have to pay for updates to your files or re-purchase to use your spreadsheet in the new year. As we approach year-end, I'm sharing all the details on how to access your...

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An Overview of the Schedule C

An Overview of the Schedule C

Today we're going to meet a very tricky guy (I feel like it's safe to assume that all tax-related things are male, yes?), the Schedule C. The Schedule C seems to pop up around this time every year, and he can get a little confusing. So, let's take things nice and...

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What to do with 1099 Forms

What to do with 1099 Forms

If you just got a 1099 form in the mail and you’re not sure what to do with it, stay tuned - I’m gonna explain exactly what’s going on! CHANGES TO 1099K FORMS IN 2022 & 2023....AND 2024 Let’s chat 1099 forms! You may have gotten this form in the mail or in your...

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4 signs you’re ready to sell on your own website

4 signs you’re ready to sell on your own website

Today I’m thrilled to share a guest post from Rebecca Inkrote, a WordPress designer and website consultant for handmade sellers. Since 2016, she has been dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs elevate and take control of their brand by launching their own...

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How to Forecast Your Holiday Sales

How to Forecast Your Holiday Sales

Use my handy sales forecasting exercise & forecasting tool to help you anticipate your Q4 or holiday sales. Prepare your physical inventory & your workload accordingly! E-commerce sellers and business owners start to think about preparing for the holiday sales...

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Moving to Paper + Spark from GoDaddy Bookkeeping

Moving to Paper + Spark from GoDaddy Bookkeeping

In late May 2022, GoDaddy announced that their popular bookkeeping software (which they acquired from Outright about a decade ago) would be discontinued from service on June 23, 2022. GoDaddy (formerly Outright) had always been a popular alternative to QuickBooks,...

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Five Reasons Why It’s Time to Get Legit

Five Reasons Why It’s Time to Get Legit

Mindset is everything, friends. Around here, I chat a lot about running a hobby vs. a business. You can read my article on the IRS’ opinion on this matter here for some official guidance and legal definitions and such. If you’re here on my site, you...

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Etsy vs. Shopify – handling sales tax

Etsy vs. Shopify – handling sales tax

SELLING ON ETSY VS. SHOPIFY - HOW SALES TAX IS HANDLED If you’re selling on Etsy and thinking about setting up shop on your own Shopify site, you might have some questions about how to deal with sales tax. (Or maybe not? Maybe that’s some boring topic you think about...

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Etsy fees – a guide to Etsy seller fees

Etsy fees – a guide to Etsy seller fees

In this guide, I’m walking through the various fees Etsy charges sellers. I’m not trying to express any *judgement* on these fees (there’s enough of that elsewhere on the interwebs). As a financial educator that works with many Etsy sellers, I see a lot of shop owners...

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Pricing Pitfalls: Comparing Yourself to the Competition

Pricing Pitfalls: Comparing Yourself to the Competition

I’ve been talking a lot about pricing lately, and in a previous post I mentioned how so many creatives, makers, and artisans routinely underprice their handcrafted goods. We’ve discussed my suggested handmade pricing formula, how to tweak that formula to fit your biz...

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What it’s like to work with a tax professional

What it’s like to work with a tax professional

I’ve been talking a lot lately around here about getting ready for taxes. We’ve discussed how to get your numbers caught up for the year, doing your year end inventory count, and organizing your documents. Once you’ve got your numbers ready to go, you might be...

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How to make a budget for your business

How to make a budget for your business

If you’re running a creative business, ESPECIALLY if you’re a maker, it can be easy to spend a lot of money on the latest shiny object, piece of software, newest gadget, or (perhaps most of all) beautiful craft supplies! That’s why today we’re chatting about how to...

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How to increase your shop’s conversion rate

How to increase your shop’s conversion rate

Let’s talk about one of my favorite e-commerce metrics – your conversion rate. Before diving into how to increase your shop’s conversion rate or even why this stat is so important, let me explain what the heck it is (in case you’re unfamiliar!). WHAT DOES CONVERSION...

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Online Sales Tax Changes – how it affects your shop

Online Sales Tax Changes – how it affects your shop

This article is my attempt at rounding up ALL the issues & changes & questions surrounding online sales tax lately. There have been a lot of changes within the past few years. I will do my best to answer your questions and address your concerns in plain...

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Etsy Free Shipping – Financial Considerations & Thoughts

Etsy Free Shipping – Financial Considerations & Thoughts

Love it or hate it, the push for free shipping on Etsy is here. I’ve waited a couple weeks for the dust to settle and thought I’d weigh in with my thoughts and financial concerns. So if you’re tired of hearing about this topic, I totally understand. Feel free to sit...

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Etsy Pricing Formula – How to Price for Handmade

Etsy Pricing Formula – How to Price for Handmade

Let’s discuss how to price your handmade goods and my recommended “Etsy pricing formula”. Pricing your handcrafted products or designs can be one of the most challenging tasks for a creative entrepreneur or artist (that’s why I eventually created a spreadsheet and an...

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