THE NEW 9-5 TRAP

Is content creation the new 9-5 trap?! 👀

I stumbled upon this video from HINDZ where he talks about how the supposed ‘creator economy’ (which is more like the ‘attention economy’) is causing chaos for so many because it puts pressure on views, likes, and the algorithm instead of focusing on what matters: experimenting and nurturing a passion or your creative craft.

That’s why you started doing all this in the first place, right?

This is not a new conversation in the creator space, but it’s one that my peers and I have increasingly shared concerns about.

Partly because of the amount of stress that it puts on us and our mental health (and as we creatives know, stress can often stifle our creativity), but mostly because our passions are easily morphing into a trap similar to a 9-5 job.

With the rise in content creation as a career (there are currently 207 million creators in the world, including those doing it full-time, part-time & hobbyists), and with an estimated market value of $104.2 billion, it’s not going away anytime soon.

It’s also expected to double by 2027 (in just 3 years).

This video serves as a soothing reminder to protect the joy of your craft, not becoming a slave to algorithms, but truly embracing the journey for the pure love of it.

In what ways are you harming your craft by chasing views? Is there a reality where you can still win (in terms of monetization, validation, and recognition) AND protect your peace?

TAX & LEGAL REMINDERS

Disclaimer: The information below is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be personal or professional financial, legal, or tax advice.,

We’re just about to enter tax season which kicks off on January 29th and will give you until April 15 to complete (the due date of filing a tax return or requesting an extension for most of the nation).

This is just serving as a reminder to start getting your sh*t together NOW!

Send out your W9’s and 1099’s

W9 (click for form)

A W9 form is used for contractors (not employees). Companies who engage you as a contractor or make payments to you for services you provide will likely ask for a completed W-9 so they can then send you a 1099 form (see next section).

You will need to send one if you have earned over $600 in 2023 (NOT if you were hired as an employee).

A W9 form is pretty straightforward and requires your full name, business name, Federal tax classification (e.g. LLC, Corp), Address, Social Security number (SSN) or your employer identification number (EIN), and your signature.

You can send the same form to each company that contracted you, so you only need to do it once.

1099 (click for form + information)

If you are a worker, you DO NOT need to issue one of these (but you will likely be receiving them).

However, if you contracted a person/company to whom you’ve paid at least $600 for business-related services in 2023, you’ll have to send a 1099 form.

For example, if you’re a freelancer or an independent contractor and you hired a virtual assistant or audio editor for your podcast (and spent over $600), you would have to request their W9 and issue a 1099 form.

There are a ton of 1099 forms, but I most commonly received at 1099-MISC form as a freelancer.

To learn more about 1099 forms, I’d recommend this article:

I’ll go into more detail about taxes, write-offs, etc as we go further into tax season - so stay tuned!

CHATGPT

I was chatting with one of my Quitters this week and she’s in between careers but was unsure how to bridge the gap between the old career and the new one as a freelancer/entrepreneur.

Here’s a great prompt to help you find ALL the skills, knowledge, and abilities that you’ll be bringing on your next adventure 🥳

Be as detailed about your journey as you can - the more ChatGPT understands you, the better output it can generate.

Prompt of the Week:

PODCAST

Have you heard about Lazy Girl Jobs?! 👀

On this week’s episode, I chatted with the "Anti-Work Girlboss", Gabrielle Judge, where we dive into a variety of topics including Lazy Girl Jobs, developing an anti-people pleaser mindset, and the future of work and the predicted changes in our current employment system.

We also discuss the potential of AI technology in the workplace, and how to utilize your Human Design, astrological chart, and Gene Keys to find out your best career pathway.

Upcoming Episodes:

• How to Be Famous

• Baking as a Business

• Overcoming Student Loan Debt & Demystifying Loan Forgiveness

• Using HumanDesign to 10x Your Career (and biz)

• AND MORE!

PS

I started bringing back interviews last week, and though I plan to keep doing them, I still want solos to be in the mix.

Some of y’all ONLY listen to the solos, and for others, you ONLY listen to the interviews… I want to make sure all of you get exactly what you need 😉

Though I’m unsure when the solo drops will be, one thing that I AM CERTAIN OF, is that those solo episodes will also now be available on YouTube. Yes, you get to see me being a silly little ding dong LIVE.

You can subscribe ahead of time HERE (thank you for your constant support and listenership!!)

 MAKING BETTER OFFERS

I can’t believe I’m almost 3 years into being a creator… and I’ve tried every possible revenue stream (here are a few of them):

• Digital Products (courses, eBooks, etc)

• Affiliate Marketing

• Freelancing / Consulting / Coaching

• eCommerce Shop

• Brand Deals & Advertising

I doubt my experimental days are far from over, but lately, I’ve been really focusing on Quitter Coaching now that I’m a few weeks into our first iteration of the Quitter Program.

To prepare for the next program launch, I’ve been reading Alex Hormozi’s book $100M Offers: How To Make Offers SO GOOD People Feel Stupid Saying No and it’s been f*cking blowing my mind.

I read it in 2 days (there are only 150 pages, but still).

It’s completely changed the way I view business, and now it’s going to be an integral part of not only my world, but each Quitter who comes through our program is going to be required to read it.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF:

You feel completely lost with your biz/ideas/etc

Have no idea what to sell (or even HOW to sell)

Have no response or interest when you DO sell

Feel like business is complex and confusing AF

Now that I read this book (and will re-read it again AND purchase Hormozi’s next book, $100M Leads), I feel like I’ll be able to successfully create amazing products, whether it’s a digital product, 1:1 work, or even a Tshirt, and sell them easily.

I’d recommend purchasing the actual book because I highlighted and wrote all over it, but if you want the PDF version of it for free, reply to this email and I’ll send it to you.

You can also find the audiobook for free on YouTube HERE. Enjoy! 🥳