Smutlancer Monthly Income Report: January 2020

What’s that saying about no plan surviving contact with the enemy? (Yes, I know I can just Google the expression…) My point is that while my focus on 2020 is meant to be on my own projects, my clients seem to have had other plans. While you won’t see this in the January income, I’ve taken on multiple new projects offered by clients…because I like money and financial security. Plus John Brownstone and I are buying a new house in 2020.

Will I go back to my original plan for 2020 (reducing client jobs for my own content)? I…don’t know. This brings to mind another expression — make hay while the sun shines.

Enough about that, let’s get into the numbers.

January 2020 Income

January income is primarily based on work completed in December. 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.

This month, my income was “saved” (from being lower than previous months) by a generous bonus from a client. He’s been giving me a bonus every year since we starting working together (2017) but this year was the biggest yet.

• Freelance Writing
  • Vanilla Content: $560.00
  • Sex/Adult Content: $5600.00
• Affiliate Sales: $311.41
• Podcast Sponsorship: —
• Sponsored Blog Posts: —
• Website Sponsorship: —
• Banner Ads: —
• Book Sales: $17.11
• Patreon: $854
• Consulting: —
• Donations: —
• Bonus (from client): $1250.00
• Product Sales: $23.99

Total Income: $8,616.51 ( down $611.84 from December)

January 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: —
• 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): $319.81
• Shipping/Postage: $22.33
• Tech Support: $66.95
• DepositPhotos (stock photo): — $29.00
• MailerLite (email newsletter): $15.00
• Adobe Premiere Pro: $21.00
• Brand Purchase Payment Plan: $200.00

Total Expenses: $1,762.06 (down $198.80 from December)

January 2020 Net Income: $6,854.45 (↓ $413.04 from December)

As you can see this year’s graph will be a bit different. I want to compare what I do this year to what I did last year. To find patterns, to check growth, and because it’s kind of cool to look at.

2020 is shaping up to be a busy year. One client is throwing as much work at me as he can (which will be reflected in the February report). I know it will slow down in a few months, though. A second client has asked me to be the lead on a huge expansion of a site he manages. It’s all great for my bank account but playing hell on my anxiety.

Taking on new projects always hits me right in the imposter syndrome. And my very routine-oriented self (routines help my anxiety) never believes I can adjust or cope with a change to the plan, schedule, or routine. I always do, but it takes a while to believe it. Usually after I’ve done the thing that made me so anxious.

January was a month of trying to figure out what my schedule is going to be while also questioning my decision to take the client work when I know that limits my time to work on my own content. But I’ve got financial and life goals beyond writing a blog post or recording a podcast, and that feels like the priority right now. How this plays out in the year ahead, I don’t know, but I’ll bring you along for the ride — as much as I possibly can.