Bookkeeping doesn’t have to make your creative brain short-circuit. These posts break down income, expenses, taxes, and simple systems that actually make sense for handmade and craft business owners — no accounting jargon required.
If bookkeeping makes your brain shut down, you’re not alone—and you’re not bad at business. Handmade business bookkeeping feels hard because you were given incomplete advice. This post explains why—and introduces a calmer, weekly way to fix it.
[Part 1 of a 9 part series for handmade business owners]
Confused about what actually counts as a business expense in your handmade business?
The IRS says expenses must be ordinary, necessary, and reasonable — but what does that really mean for makers who buy yarn, tools, and supplies all year long? In this post, we break it down in plain English with real handmade-business examples, so you can make confident expense decisions (and stop second-guessing every receipt at tax time).
COGS doesn’t have to feel like a mystery novel. Here’s how to calculate cost of goods sold for one handmade item using a crochet amigurumi witch—materials, selling fees, and the bookkeeping flow. PLUS there’s a video showing how this is done using the 10-Minute Bookkeeper system including the Handmade Product Pricing & COGS Calculator. Part 7 of the Inventory + COGS for Handmade Businesses series.
Tracking Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and inventory can feel confusing because bookkeeping, pricing, and taxes all use them differently. This post breaks down the 3 real reasons handmade sellers need to track COGS + inventory — with a full start-to-finish example so your numbers (and profit) finally make sense.
Selling a lot but still feeling like the profit is… missing? 😵💫 Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) is the missing link between your inventory and your real profit. In this post, you’ll learn what COGS is (in plain English), why handmade business owners should track it, and how it connects to pricing and tax time—without the accounting headache. 🧶📒
Finished items inventory isn’t just what’s sitting on your shelves—it’s money tied up in your handmade business. In this post, you’ll learn how to track finished items inventory using a simple spreadsheet system, what actually needs tracking, and how to avoid the spreadsheet overwhelm that trips up so many makers.
