Smutlancer Monthly Income Report: February 2020

Where the hell did February go? It was a whirlwind.

On one hand, I took on extra work, made more money, and invested in the business. On the other hand, I lost sleep, stressed out, and felt like the world was moving much too fast. So far March is calmer — not because I have less work, but because I am adjusting my schedule and giving myself much needed breaks.

Here’s what February looked like in terms of income and expenses.

February 2020 Income

February income is primarily based on work completed in January. 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 this year. 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: $2570.00
  • Sex/Adult Content: $5525.00
• Affiliate Sales: $74.15
• Podcast Sponsorship: —
• Sponsored Blog Posts: —
• Website Sponsorship: —
• Banner Ads: —
• Book Sales: $39.71
• Patreon: $861
• Consulting: —
• Donations: —
• Bonus (from client): —
• Product Sales: $232.00

Total Income: $9,301.86 ( up $685.35 from January)

February 2020 Expenses

Some expenses are monthly, some quarterly, and some annual. Taxes are something I save for monthly to be paid quarterly.

• Web Hosting: $42.98
• Domain Renewals: $37.85
• Podcast Hosting: $32.00
• Canva: —
• Buffer: $10.00
• InLinkz: $2.99 (linky tool for Masturbation Monday)
• Blog Contributors: —
• Taxes: $1000.00
• Payment Fees (PayPal, Stripe): $334.23
• Shipping/Postage: $54.70
• Tech Support: $101.00
• DepositPhotos (stock photo): $29.00
• MailerLite (email newsletter): $15.00
• Adobe Premiere Pro: $21.00
• Brand Purchase Payment Plan: $200.00 (final payment)
• Closed Captions (YouTube Videos): $60.00
• Event Registration: $198.00
• 2019 Tax Preparation: $730.00

Total Expenses: $2,868.75 (up $1,106.69 from January)

February 2020 Net Income: $6,433.11 (↓ $421.34 from January)

As you can see, yes, I had a higher income in February, but because of several additional expenses, my net decreased. This is something I’m learning to embrace. When I have enough income to pay myself and take care of my business, I need to use it. (Also, look how similar February 2020 is to February 2019. Weird, right?)

Tax preparation expenses will occur quarterly going forward. Thanks to the magic of a good tax person and setting our business up in a good way, the monthly amount I pull for taxes is more than enough to cover us at our current income. If you can afford it, I highly recommend hiring someone to do your taxes and help you set up your business. (And if I ever find a smut-friendly tax person who wants to write about smutlancer taxes, I will absolutely give them space on the site to share their knowledge. If you’re that person or know them, slide into my inbox and let’s talk.)

In other tax news, once our taxes were done, we started the pre-approval process to buy a house. As of the date of publication, we’re under contract and speeding towards a close date (likely in April). Fingers crossed there are no major bumps ahead in this process.

The event registration is a one-time expense. I can’t go to Eroticon this year (which makes me so sad!) but John Brownstone and I are going to the Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) in Atlanta. It’s much closer and less expensive and geared to the work we currently do, so we’ll benefit from the expense. We’re also using our increased income to slowly add closed captions to our YouTube videos. The amount will fluctuate each month but as long as we can afford to do it, we will keep doing it.

Ultimately February flew by, and I held on by my fingernails to get through it. March is busier, but I’m handling it better. Expenses will fluctuate in the months ahead as I figure out how to wisely invest back into the business while also working towards my non-client goals. Thanks for coming on the ride with me.