The Honest Truth for Makers – Short Answer:……Kinda, Yeah.
If you’ve ever really looked at what it takes to handle the admin side of your handmade business and thought, “Why does this feel like a full-time job for a spreadsheet wizard?” ….. welcome to the club.
Running a handmade business DOES feel like you’re juggling 15 different spreadsheets at once—because you ARE. And honestly, it does leave you wondering if you’re doing something wrong.
Short answer…..You’re not. Handmade business spreadsheets exist because your business has a lot of real moving parts and if we’re being honest here – when you use spreadsheets, well one spreadsheet just leads to another, right?
You need a spreadsheet for:
- pricing
- COGS
- inventory
- materials
- expenses
- craft fairs
- mileage
- and so many more as your business grows
Until you DO feel like you are some sort of spreadsheet wizard!
If you’re feeling tired and overwhelmed by the sheer number of spreadsheets you have…. in this post we’ll break down WHY these spreadsheets pile up, what they’re actually doing for you, and how to get clarity without the overwhelm.
Honestly, for every guru on the internet chirping, “You only need my ONE spreadsheet to run your handmade business!” there are thousands of makers quietly clutching their yarn and whispering,
“Ummm….which business are you running? Because it isn’t mine.”
Let’s just tell the truth:
A handmade business isn’t just one single thing.
It’s a full-blown ecosystem made up of a whole lot of moving parts and a prayer.
And try stuffing all that into one cute little Google Sheet? NOT HAPPENING!
Why Handmade Business Spreadsheets Feel Out of Control
A maker business isn’t just “make the thing, sell the thing.”
It’s:
- part craft studio
- a supply chain
- with a shipping department
- an accountant/bookkeepers office
- with a big portion of marketing machine
- and a lot of late-night existential crisis
Absolutely none of that fits neatly into a single tab – even if you use a 72-inch TV for your monitor.
So, if it feels like you’re juggling a small mountain of spreadsheets……
you’re not doing it wrong.
You’re doing it right.
What Handmade Business Spreadsheets Are Really Tracking
Most handmade business owners are managing WAY more than materials and sales.
Here’s what the average maker spreadsheet stash actually looks like:
- Pricing calculator
- COGS tracker
- Materials inventory list
- Finished goods inventory sheet
- Project cost breakdown spreadsheet
- Mileage log
- Sales tracker
- Expense tracker
- Business Use of Home worksheet
- Fair Wage calculator
- Shipping + packaging cost log
- Asset purchase worksheet
- A “Where the hell did all my money go? budget reality check
- And at least one tab with formulas you definitely forgot how to update
- ….. but you also refuse to delete it because “what if it breaks something?”
So, yup….by the time you get through all of that, it starts feeling like:
15 spreadsheets + a shot of caffeine = business survival strategy.
And honestly? Same.
The Truth About Handmade Business Spreadsheets (No, You’re Not Overcomplicating It)
There’s this weird message floating around online that if your business isn’t simple, clean, and minimalist …… you’re “overcomplicating things.”
But you can’t run a real handmade business with minimalist bookkeeping and vibes alone.
You’re not overcomplicating anything.
Your business has layers — because it’s a real business.
How Handmade Business Spreadsheets Support Better Pricing and Profit
Even though it FEELS like you need 15 spreadsheets (and maybe you have all 15 PLUS more), what you really need is:
✨ a few well-organized tools
✨ that work together
✨ and don’t make your brain melt
That’s why I’ve created things like the Fair Wage Calculator, Handmade Product Pricing & COGS Calculator, Business Use of Home Worksheet, and the 10-Minute Bookkeeper – Handmade Business Spreadsheet Bookkeeping System – to simplify the math that makers have been piecing together with duct tape and Google Sheets for years.
Yes, you still have a bunch of spreadsheets that you have to deal with, but they are grouped together, so you don’t have to have every stinking one of them open all at once….every darn day!
When you understand:
- what your time is worth
- how much your materials actually cost
- how overhead fits into the “big picture”
- and how all of those moving parts connect
…suddenly your bookkeeping and your pricing stops being a guessing game, and your spreadsheet chaos turns into clarity.
Final Thoughts on Handmade Business Spreadsheets
If your handmade business feels like a stack of tabs, trackers, lists, and logs….GOOD.
That means you’re not winging it.
You’re actually running a business – and running it like someone who knows their numbers matter.
So whether it’s 3 spreadsheets, 15 spreadsheets, or a small digital empire of color-coded tabs:
✨ You’re not doing it wrong.
✨ You’re not overthinking it.
✨ You’re managing a business with real moving parts.
And if you want fewer spreadsheets (or just friendlier ones), that’s exactly what my calculators and tools are designed to help you do.
Wondering If You Can Ever Leave Behind the Spreadsheets………
The answer is no, not entirely – but darned close!
Even though I use software for my bookkeeping – which keeps all the financial stuff in one place – I still rely on these spreadsheets – but I use them a LOT less often.
Here’s a list of the spreadsheets I use, how often I use it, and why I use it:
- Business Use of Home Spreadsheet – I use this once a year, at either the very end of the current year or the very beginning of the new year. I update all the costs associated with my home so I have a more accurate business use of home cost.
- Fair Wage Calculator – again I use this once a year, at either the very end of the current year or at the very beginning of the new year. I update how much I want to pay myself, how many hours I have available to work, then I enter what I actually spent in each expense category. This gives me an updated Revenue Goal for the new year, calculates my new Fair Hourly Wage, and let’s me know how much I need to set aside for taxes based on those new numbers.
- Handmade Product Pricing + Cost of Goods Sold Calculator – honestly, I use this one ALL THE TIME! But at the beginning of the year, I update my Fair Hourly Wage Rate in the “master” and then grab it and use it every time I start a new project. Why I use it? It helps me keep track of the materials I used, how much I used, the cost of what I used (all info that I put into my bookkeeping software) PLUS it gives me pricing options so I can make an informed decision on what to charge.
- Mileage Tracker – I jot mileage down in a little notebook that I keep in my truck, then transfer that info into the spreadsheet as needed.
So the final breakdown:
✨ 2 spreadsheets that I update twice a year
✨ 1 spreadsheet that I use ALL.THE.TIME
✨ 1 spreadsheet that I update periodically
This is also why I feel that software (even though it has a learning curve) is definitely the way to go.
✨ Maybe not today ✨ Maybe not tomorrow ✨But eventually – when you want to stop feeling like the spreadsheet wizard
