Happy New Year! We’re starting it off in true Bigmouth style with a rant.

Why don't we talk about money more in the small business world?

We’re all here to make money. So why are we afraid of discussing it?

Today, we’re breaking the silence and are going to tell you about our money in 2021. Where did it come from? What did we spend it on? How much money did our CEO personally take home?

We hope this knowledge empowers you to raise your prices, raise your salary, feel confident talking about money publicly, or feel less alone within your own creative biz.

Income

Bigmouth Copy’s total income was $120,729.80. That means we sold $120k worth of products and services in 2021. After expenses, our total net income was $93,841,07.

In terms of milestones, this was our first year hitting a six-figure income. Our busiest months were April/May and September/October. Our slowest month was July.

Expenses

Bigmouth Copy’s expenses totaled $26,554.00:

• $7,409.36 on advertising and marketing, including a brand photoshoot, social media help, SEO help, website hosting fees, and email marketing fees

• $8,525 on contractors (our operations manager, bookkeeper, and an associate copywriter)

• $3,650 on rent for our office space

• $2,377.97 on payment processing fees

• $5,361.97 on miscellaneous items like our phone bill, education, postage, and more.

Salary

In 2021, our CEO paid herself $64,141.44. That includes money she sent to the IRS for quarterly estimated taxes.

Clients

In 2021, Bigmouth Copy served 41 clients. Many of our clients are repeat clients and booked multiple services, but in general, there were:

• 18 Website Copy clients

• 23 Day Rate clients

• 2 Speaking clients