When to Worry about Taxes for Your Handmade Biz
Watch the free workshop below for a limited time!
In less than 45 minutes, you'll learn what sort of tax & financial responsibilities you have as a creative business owner.
Got questions? Just click the chat bubble below to send me a message!
Ready to get confident about your financial responsibilities as a handmade seller?
You can with the Get Legit Toolkit - a step-by-step guide for makers & creatives for building your shop's financial foundation with confidence
Your exclusive invitation to enroll in the Toolkit ends in just...
Testimonials from Now LEGIT Students
- "Here were the answers I was looking for... All the items I had read on Etsy in the Seller’s Handbook which were so vague and incomplete now made sense. The statements that the SCORE people had made about business name and registering with local authorities was replaced with concise instructions. At no time did I feel condemned for having put off all these tasks. Rather simple instructions and videos gave me a feeling of “I can do this”. I can really handle the business side of crafting. I can handle my finances."
- "I seriously don’t think my business would have survived as a legitimate business if it weren’t for you and the Get Legit course or Paper + Spark resources."
"The business end wasn’t my “thing” and I wasn’t always great at keeping up with everything (it was more fun making earrings than keeping up with receipts). One thing I have learned about Janet is that she is stellar about trying to help her clients. When I saw that she was offering a “Get Legit Toolkit”... I knew that it would be a good thing. Working through the program at my own pace, checking in with Janet at the end of each module (through a closed group facebook posting), I felt like I was getting the understanding and support I needed to make sure my business was getting the attention (from me) that it needed. I just got back from my accountant and he said I was in the top 1% of the small business owners he sees in terms of having my numbers in order, readable, and ready to go! Thanks to Paper + Spark."
Introducing the Get Legit Toolkit
Your comprehensive resource to getting your finances set up right, created especially for handmade sellers.
- As an experienced handmade seller and Certified Public Accountant, I’ve helped hundreds of handmade sellers over the years. I’ve heard your struggles, answered your questions, and discussed the challenges of dealing with the financial responsibilities of running an online shop.
- And one of the biggest hurdles is this: you simply don't know what they all are. No one's giving you the big picture. You're worried about breaking "the rules" without even knowing what all the rules are.
- I’ve taken note every time I hear a creative biz owner say, “I wish I would’ve known THAT when I started out.” or “If only someone had explained that to me when I opened up shop, I would've been doing it right all along!”. I compiled all those topics, answers and issues in one place for you - The Get Legit Toolkit.
- Whether you’re in the research phase of setting up your business, just about to open your Etsy shop, or even if you’ve been around for a while and have some catching up to do, the Get Legit Toolkit offers you a comprehensive guide of all the steps you need to take to get clear on your financial responsibilities as a business owner.
You don't have to feel terrified anymore.
What students are saying...
"I just wanted to thank you again for creating the Get Legit Toolkit. It was exactly what I was looking for! Before I actually started a handmade business I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row because I didn’t want to get in a sticky situation tax wise or legally down the road."
"Started the Get Legit Toolkit course this afternoon. Got my EIN, printed the application for my DBA, confirmed that I am in really good shape as far as sales tax is concerned, and decent shape as far as bookkeeping is concerned, but relieved to know I am doing those right. I feel well prepared to open a business account easily once I file for my DBA. On to module 6 tomorrow and feeling really grateful to be confident about where I am at in all of the above areas 😊 Thanks, Janet!"
"Starting on Module 5 this week! Lots of great information; this course is forcing me to reevaluate how I'm keeping track of my finances (was poorly, but now it's getting better), and to sit down and really review everything I've done financial-wise for my business. It's been, in some ways, an eye-opening experience, and will help me to make better decisions in the future."
What's included in the Get Legit Toolkit?
Well, in addition to major peace of mind...
The Toolkit includes 7 modules covering the foundations of setting up the financial side of your creative biz - from banking and bookkeeping to income and sales taxes. I include not just the basics of getting a legitimate business set up (action tasks), but also the must-know concepts that are essential to running your business smoothly.
My goal is for you to finish the course with a correctly set up business AND a feeling of confidence going forward.
Module 1: Banking
- Separating business from personal funds
- Opening a bank account and must-know terms
- How to find the best bank for your biz
Module 2: Bookkeeping
- Comparing bookkeeping options for makers
- What you should record each month
- How to get your paperwork organized
- How to pay yourself
Module 3: State Sales Tax
- Everything you need to know about how sales tax works in YOUR location
- Registering for your sales tax permit
- What you can expect when filing your sales tax forms
- How to set your shop to correctly charge sales tax
- A review of the latest changes to online sales tax and what affects you
Module 4: State & Local Licenses
- Other business licenses & permits that might apply to you
- Business entities
- Whether an LLC is right for you right now
Module 5: Federal Income Tax
- Registering for your EIN
- How income tax works for your business (and affects your personal situation)
- Guide to the Schedule C and common business deductions
- How self-employment tax works
Module 6: Saving for Taxes
- How long you need to keep receipts
- How much to save for taxes throughout the year
- Whether you should be paying estimated quarterly taxes
- What to expect at the end of the year
Module 7: Inventory for Makers
- What is inventory and cost of goods sold, and why it matters
- How to keep track of inventory in your books
- What to do at year end with your inventory
Bonus Modules
- Interpreting your Etsy reports and 1099-K
- Depreciation for makers workshop with a pro tax preparer
- Vetted tools & resources guide for makers
- Top 5 legal checkpoints guide
Exclusive Super Toolkit Bonuses (included!)
- One-hour US safety compliance workshop and Q&A with expert Misty Henry
- Exclusive money mindset workshop with Janet - get over your money hangups & insecurities with these tools & resources
- The Etsy Essentials Guide from Zero to Biz
- Handmade Website Jumpstart from BexMarie
The Toolkit is designed to make these sometimes difficult concepts as engaging and understandable as possible.
We often learn better with visuals - seeing the work in action, hearing real life examples, and putting pen to paper. This isn’t just a course where you read a bunch of dry, boring material. You will be literally checking items of the list as you go. When you’re done, you’ll be left with a totally legit business with all your financial ducks in a row.
What will your biz look like after you finish the Get Legit Toolkit?
Your bank account and bookkeeping system will be set up with confidence.
Your biz will be squared away with all its local, state, and federal requirements.
You'll feel confident about dealing with tax time and understand your financial forms & responsibilities.
You'll be ready to have a profitable business without worrying about missing a detail!
You'll be able to sleep easy knowing your money's safe.
NOW is the best time to get legit.
If you’re on a shoestring budget, I get that it can be scary making an investment in your fledgling biz.
But the plan of “oh, I’ll just start listing things for sale and worry about the tax thing later on ” is a bad (and in many cases, not legal) plan!
Not laying the proper financial foundation for your business can result in fines, penalties, stress, and anxiety.
Do it right. You can’t afford to NOT set your business up correctly.
The Toolkit will save you hours of time and energy. Trying to piecemeal together your business’ financial requirements on your own is hard. You'll be better off (financially and emotionally!) investing those hours working on other aspects of your business, like creating new products to sell!
Treat your business like a business, not a hobby. Starting now and investing in this course means getting these items taken care of, and then moving on to the work that actually makes you money!
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