It’s Tax return time! the perfect time to implement new finance management systems and practices for your creative business for the next financial year. Here are some of our tips for day-to-day financial management as well as some useful finance resource links to help you manage your creative business finances.
Keep accurate records of income and expenses – use excel, accounting software or even just write everything down (don’t forget to keep all your invoices, receipts and bank statements).
Record your expenses – there are great mobile apps that make it easier to keep track of your expenses.
Send out your invoices promptly – as soon as possible after providing goods or services
Always follow up on sent invoices – if using accounting software you can usually send automated reminders, or create a template for sending an email reminder
Add an invoice number to your invoices – so you can easily cross-reference these with payments
Consider keeping a separate business bank account – to keep your records clear and easy to manage and keep track of.
Don’t forget to pay yourself – consistently set aside money for paying yourself
Prepare for unexpected expenses – set aside money on a regular basis for unexpected expenses
Stay frugal – manage and review your costs to see where you are spending your money and if you can make any savings. Don’t buy things you don’t need – especially at the start before you start earning money. Regularly review overheads, utility costs, Internet costs, subscriptions etc for the best price options. When starting out consider doing as much as you can by yourself for yourself, e.g. marketing, book-keeping etc to keep outgoings low and so you have a thorough understanding of your business.
Make financial projections – having clear financial projections is important. Your main financial projections will help you to anticipate and address possible future obstacles.
Make sure you have enough capital – to get through the startup phase. Plan as if you expect to receive no business revenue for the first while.
Cautiously expand – to ensure it is the right decision and one you can afford.
Did you know that we also offer virtual office services for creatives?
Our virtual office services is an affordable business address service for creatives giving you access to a commercial business address, for a professional image and keeping your home address private.
Whether you are just starting out and can’t yet afford workspace or are happy to work from home but seeking a professional public image for your business.
With our virtual office service you can use our City Centre Cathedral Quarter address 46 Hill Street, BT1 2LB for your creative business for only £22.50 per month (paid quarterly) or £200 per year.
We have a small team ensuring you get a friendly, personal and professional service and as a local social enterprise it means your money goes back into the local economy and to support the creative industries in Northern Ireland.
Have a look at our website for more info and to read our FAQs (link in profile) or email christine@blickstudios.org for more info
This month`s new exercise on our website for anyone starting a new creative business is all about working out your personal and business values to help you define and develop your creative idea.
I first did a similar exercise to this when setting up Blick on a NESTA creative enterprise course way back in 2007 and it has been invaluable in helping me to make decisions and plans since and is really worth spending time on when starting out.
You can download the exercise as a PDF or word document on the creative resources section of our website (link in bio)
Our next Blick Academy Creative Talk on Wed 17th April is by local designer and creative company founder Paul Boal!
Paul Boal is the Founder of Clever Ghost @thatcleverghost a brand and design studio based in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Founded in 2018 with a mission to influence positive change through clever design.
Paul and his team have created and managed brands across a diverse range of clients around the world from start-ups and SMEs to multinational companies.
His experience spans 14 years in the creative industry. To date, he has worked with clients including Cowen, the Irish Football Association, Queen’s University, Qualcom and evian in developing their brands and engaging with their audiences over numerous projects. Before founding Clever Ghost in 2018, Paul cut his teeth in various in-house design jobs. Eventually, he freelanced his way into several small design studios, overseeing the design team at a leading packaging company and working as a part-time lecturer in Creative Media.
Paul is one of our past creative residents at Blick and has done such an amazing job growing his business over the past few years, we are really excited to hear his story on how he started and has grown his creative business and his plans for the future.
You can find out more about Paul on his website: https://cleverghost.studio/ and instagram: @thatcleverghost
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday 17th April
Time: 7 - 8pm
Location: Blick Hill Street
Cost: Free
For more info and to book your ticket, visit the events page of our website (link in bio)
Some weekend reading, another chance to find out more about one of our newest residents, Stephanie Heckman @stephaniesaloli
Stephanie is originally from the Dutch dune coast, now based in Belfast since 2018. In her role as visual practitioner, she translates in real-time complex conversations into hand-drawn visual summaries that distil the essence of both content and undercurrent.
When done live at conferences or other events (either in-person or remotely) these visual summaries, or graphic recordings as they’re known, become a tangible memory aide for participants, whilst amplifying the key takeaways to a much bigger audience of those not present at the event.
Find out more about Stephanie and her creative practice, her journey with her business so far, as well as some of the things that have helped her on that journey.
You can read the full blog on our website (link in bio)
This month`s exercise for anyone starting a new creative business is all about working out your personal and business values to help you define and develop your creative idea.
Values are the principles that help you to decide what is right and wrong, and how to act in various situations. They are the basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate attitudes or actions. They help you to determine what is important to you. They describe the personal qualities you choose to embody to guide your actions; the sort of person you want to be; the manner in which you treat yourselves and others, and your interactions with the world around you. They provide the general guidelines for conduct.
Business or professional values are the core values or standards that guide the way you do business or work professionally. They sum up what your business or creative practice stands for, influences the organisational culture and drives how and why you do things. While business plans and strategies may change, the core values of your business will usually remain the same. Company values help businesses grow and evolve without losing focus on what is important to them.
I first did a similar exercise to this when setting up Blick on a NESTA creative enterprise course way back in 2007 and it has been invaluable in helping me to make decisions and plans since and is really worth spending time on when starting out.
You can download the exercise as a PDF or word document on the creative resources section of our website link in bio
We are very excited to announce the speaker for our second Blick Academy Creative Talk of 2024 is local designer and company founder Paul Boal!
Paul Boal is the Founder of Clever Ghost @thatcleverghost a brand and design studio based in Holywood, Northern Ireland. Founded in 2018 with a mission to influence positive change through clever design.
Paul and his team have created and managed brands across a diverse range of clients around the world from start-ups and SMEs to multinational companies.
His experience spans 14 years in the creative industry. To date, he has worked with clients including Cowen, the Irish Football Association, Queen’s University, Qualcom and evian in developing their brands and engaging with their audiences over numerous projects. Before founding Clever Ghost in 2018, Paul cut his teeth in various in-house design jobs. Eventually, he freelanced his way into several small design studios, overseeing the design team at a leading packaging company and working as a part-time lecturer in Creative Media.
Paul is one of our past creative residents at Blick and has done such an amazing job growing his business over the past few years, we are really excited to hear his story on how he started and has grown his creative business and his plans for the future.
You can find out more about Paul on his website: https://cleverghost.studio/ and instagram: @thatcleverghost
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday 17th April Time: 7 - 8pm Location: Blick Hill Street
After a bit of a break following the pandemic, we are delighted this International Women`s Day to bring back our @womenfolk.co project for creative women. New events and opportunities coming soon!
Tired of working from home? We have just this one lovely desk available in our Hill St studios for £165 per calendar month all inclusive
Send us a DM or email christine@blickstudios.org for more information or to arrange a viewing or visit the Hill St workspace page on our website (link in profile)
Our second Blick Academy Creative Talk of 2024 with a local creative sharing their creative story is coming up on Wed 17th April at 7pm. Speaker details coming soon...
As we move into a new month and new season, here`s a quick recap of February for us here at Blick and the new resources on our website for creatives starting out in NI.
Following her amazing creative talk for us at the start of Feb we have the following blogs on our website
An Interview with Alana McDowell - https://blickstudios.org/blog/an-interview-with-multidisciplinary-designer-alana-mcdowell/
Alana McDowell Creative Talk What I Learnt - https://blickstudios.org/blog/11749/
We also have our latest Creative Roundup featuring events, funding & support for creatives - https://blickstudios.org/blog/creative-roundup/
And our second exercise ‘Getting to Know Your Creative Idea’ for new creative businesses available to download as a word document or pdf - https://blickstudios.org/resources/developing-and-defining-your-creative-idea-getting-to-know-your-creative-idea/
We are currently planning more workshops & talks for creatives.
What would you like to learn? What do you need help with? Or who would you like to hear talk?
Let us know and we will do our best to make it happen
Our next Blick Animation Club lego animation workshop for children is on Saturday 18th May from 2 - 4pm
WORKSHOP DETAILS
These mini animation master classes by Can Do Academy are a great introduction for children to the colourful world of Lego animation!
The workshop will allow participants to make a complete animated Lego film on an iPad, using sound effects, visual effects, titles and lots of imagination!
Your child will learn to use special iPad apps and they will receive a copy of their film at the end of the session! They can bring their own Lego characters or use the ones supplied by us.
More info at candoacademy.co.uk
Please note that these workshops are suitable for children aged 7+
An affordable business address services for creatives.
Our Virtual Office service for creatives gives you access to a commercial business address, giving you a professional image and keeping your home address private.
Whether you are just starting out and can’t yet afford workspace or are happy to work from home but seeking a professional public image for your business.
With our virtual office service you can use our City Centre Cathedral Quarter address 46 Hill Street, BT1 2LB for your creative business for only £22.50 per month (paid quarterly) or £200 per year.
We have a small team ensuring you get a friendly, personal and professional service and as a local social enterprise it means your money goes back into the local economy and to support the creative industries in Northern Ireland.
Have a look at our website for more info and to read our FAQs (link in profile), send us a dm or email rosy@blickstudios.org
Our lovely Cotton Court studios in the cathedral quarter where we have a private studio for 1-3 people coming available from the start of March for £325 per calendar month all-inclusive. Visit our website, send us a dm or email christine@blickstudios.org for more info or to arrange a viewing
Following a successful get-together in August, this is the second meetup for creative hubs in Northern Ireland to come together, connect, share ideas and support each other.
If you are involved with running or working in a creative hub in Northern Ireland we would love for you to join us at this our second meetup.
This event is a collaborative project between Blick Shared Studios, Boom Studios with the kind support of the Innovation Factory providing a venue for the meetup.
EVENT DETAILS
Event Date: February 29, 2024
Event Time: 11am
Location: Innovation Factory, 385 Springfield Road, Forthriver Business Park, Belfast, BT12 7DG
Here`s Exercise 2 again. This one`s all about getting to know and understand your creative idea. What problem you are solving, what your solution to that problem is, why your idea will appeal to your audience and how you can get them to find out about it. This exercise is a great one to get you to start thinking about your idea and getting your ideas down on paper. Downloadable PDF and Word versions can be found in the creative resources section of our website (link in profile)