Smutlancer Monthly Income Report: August 2020

Yes, it’s mid-September, and I’m looking back to August when we’re nearly to October. Time is weird, and I let myself fall behind. But we’re here now, so let’s look at my income for August 2020. I think I know what these numbers will look like (spoiler: down from other months). I’ve already had my own moment about it, and yet I have to remind myself that the decrease in my income was (slightly) strategic. There was no way to keep up my former level of freelance work and get any other projects off the ground. It’s a short-term (I hope?) decline for a long-term gain (I hope?).

Okay, enough procrastinating…here we go.

August 2020 Income

August income is primarily based on work completed in July. I bill clients on the last day of every month, and they have 10 days to pay. Affiliate sales tend to pay quarterly, but some pay monthly. I break down my freelance writing between vanilla and sex content because I want to show what’s possible in either category.

Note: For those who are curious, I am linking “Sex/Adult Content” to a post I wrote that outlines what kind of work that means for 2020. If it changes drastically in 2021 or even later in the year, I may update it. But if you’re curious about what “Sex/Adult Content” means, click the link.

• Freelance Writing
  • Vanilla Content: $550.00
  • Sex/Adult Content: $5375.00
• Affiliate Sales: $188.09
• Podcast Sponsorship: —
• Sponsored Blog Posts: —
• Website Sponsorship: —
• Banner Ads: —
• Book Sales: $33.28
• Patreon: $928.00
• Consulting: —
• Donations: —
• Bonus (from client): —
• Product Sales: $94.97

Total Income: $7,169.34 (up $106.57 from July)

August 2020 Expenses

Some expenses are monthly, some quarterly, and some annual. I pay taxes monthly under my current business structure.

• Web Hosting: $67.67
• Domain Renewals: $79.87
• Podcast Hosting: $32.00
• Canva: —
• Buffer: $58.25
• InLinkz: $2.99
• Blog Contributors: $61.06
• Taxes: $1000.00
• Payment Fees (PayPal, Stripe): $284.31
• Shipping/Postage: $28.51
• Tech Support: $68.91
• DepositPhotos (stock photo): $29.00
• MailerLite (email newsletter): $15.00
• Adobe Premiere Pro: $21.00
• Closed Captions (YouTube Videos): $48.40
• Business Internet: $215.68
• TubeBuddy: —
• Video Capture License: $19.95

Total Expenses: $2,032.60 (down $192.86 from July)

August 2020 Net Income: $5,136.74 (↑ $299.43 from July)

And that’s why it’s good to track your income. If asked, I would have said I made the same as last month or less, but in reality, I made just a little more. Though, let’s be real, it’s still lower than what I’ve made in the past.

With multiple streams of income, it can be difficult to keep up with what’s coming in and what’s going out. I hope these income reports are valuable to you, but I am positive they help me, too.

With new projects that generate revenue coming soon, I’m thinking about changing the format of these income reports to break it down not just by the type of income but (if there’s interest) by which project, too. I have freelance income, of course, but I also have income from Loving BDSM, The Smutlancers, the kinky shop I help John Brownstone run, and a new project to be announced very soon. Each one generates vastly different levels of income. Would it be interesting or helpful (or both!) to see that breakdown? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or on social media.