What is a Chart of Accounts, and why does it matter in your handmade business? It’s the list of categories that organizes your business finances, and if those categories are a mess, your reports will be too. This plain-English guide breaks down your bookkeeping categories, explains what belongs where, and helps you make more sense of your numbers.
Bookkeeping feels a whole lot harder when the words themselves don’t make sense. If you’ve ever looked at a report, opened your bookkeeping software, or talked to a tax pro and thought, “What the hell does that even mean?” this post is for you. It breaks down common accounting terms for handmade business owners in plain English so you can understand your numbers with more clarity and a lot less confusion.
If you’ve ever wondered where all the money from your handmade business actually goes, this post walks you through the Handmade Business Budget Planner so you can plug in your own numbers and make a real plan for expenses, product costs, taxes, and owner pay before the money disappears.
If your business money feels hard to follow from one week to the next, a running balance can help you see what’s actually happening. In this post, I’m sharing why a running balance matters in a handmade business and the simple Money In & Money Out Register I created to help makers track their money more clearly.
Money comes into your handmade business… and then somehow there’s still not much left. This post breaks down where the money actually goes, how to spot quiet money leaks, and why owner pay needs to be part of your budget.
You’re making sales… so why aren’t you getting paid? Here’s what’s actually happening to your money—and why it keeps disappearing before you ever see it.
If your handmade business income feels all over the place, you’re not doing anything wrong. Learn how to estimate your income based on real sales patterns like markets, seasonal spikes, and slower months—so you can stop guessing and start planning your money.
Should handmade business owners do bookkeeping weekly or monthly? The answer depends on your system. If you’re using spreadsheets, selling in multiple places, collecting sales tax, or trying to remember what that mystery charge was three weeks later, monthly bookkeeping may not be enough. Here’s how to keep your books from turning into a tax-time crime scene.
