REVENUE READY CREATIVE | Grow Your Art Business Online, Art Business Coaching, Increase Productivity, Passive Income for Self-Employed Artists

77. Why Your Creative Income Feels Unpredictable 🎟

🎟 LIVE WORKSHOP ALERT!!! 🎟 Ready for more revenue clarity? Join my upcoming live workshop where you’ll learn to map out your Revenue Mix and identify the revenue streams that make the most sense for your season of life and business.
Reserve your spot here:https://revenue-ready-creative.kit.com/workshop

76. 5 Unexpected Ways to Love on Your Customers This Month ❤️

Let's make selling and marketing fun today!📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
In this episode, I reframe selling as care—and share five practical, unexpected ways artists and creatives can “love on” their customers while supporting their own revenue goals.
You’ll learn how small shifts in communication, clarity, and planning can make it easier for your audience to say yes—without changing what you make or who you are as an artist.
In This Episode, We Cover:
Why deadlines can actually help your customers (not pressure them)
How giving advance notice of events and offerings builds connection and trust
Simple ways to audit your sales funnel to make buying easier
How to help customers see your work as a meaningful gift
Why inviting people to invest in themselves is a powerful form of service
Your Homework:
Choose one small way this month to show up more clearly for your customers—and let clarity, not hustle, do the heavy lifting.
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.

75. Listener Question: Should I Change the Name of My Creative Business? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Should you change the name of your creative business — or stick with what you have?📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get Heather's free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
In this listener Q&A episode, Heather responds to Christine’s thoughtful question about rebranding and renaming her creative business. If you’ve ever wondered whether a new name would make you feel more professional, attract better clients, or signal a new direction in your work, this conversation is for you.
We explore:
How your target audience should influence a rename or rebrand
When your personal name is actually your strongest business asset
The real role word-of-mouth plays in creative businesses
Why rebranding should be tied to where you want to go, not just feeling bored or stuck
If you’re considering a rebrand — or quietly questioning your business name — this episode will help you think through the decision with clarity and confidence.
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.

74. Selling Your Art Feels Hard — Is Your Buyer Too Blurry? 🤔

Selling your art shouldn’t feel this hard — and if it does, it might not be your work that’s the problem.
📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked reasons selling feels heavy, awkward, or unpredictable for artists: a blurry buyer.
You’ll learn why understanding who your work is for doesn’t mean changing what you make — it means making clearer, more confident decisions that naturally lead to sales.
We’ll cover:
Why selling feels harder when your buyer is unclear
How audience clarity leads to clearer offers and easier marketing
Real-world examples of how artists make different business decisions (not different art) when they know their people
How to use past sales and wins to inform smarter decisions this year
When looking back is helpful — and when it’s time to take a thoughtful risk forward
If selling has felt frustrating or unpredictable, this episode will help you step back, refocus, and start making decisions that support more consistent revenue.
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.

73. Preparing for Your Creative Future: Cash Flow, ROE, and Passive Income 🌊

Let's prepare for the next semester of your creative business by laying the groundwork for more predictable, sustainable income.
📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
In this episode, Heather introduces three essential concepts every Revenue Ready Creative should understand: cash flow, return on investment (ROI), return on effort (ROE), and passive income. Together, these ideas help artists, makers, and designers think more clearly about how money moves through their business — and how much energy it truly requires.
This episode is an invitation to step back, look ahead one to two years, and begin planning a creative business that supports both your work and your life.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Why cash flow matters more than one-off sales
The difference between ROI (return on investment) and ROE (return on effort)
Why ROE is especially important for creatives who wear many hats
A realistic perspective on passive income for artists and designers
How to start planning now for future income, capacity, and life changes
Being revenue ready isn’t about doing more — it’s about planning smarter so your creative work can support you consistently over time.
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.

72. 4 Things Creatives Can Focus On for a Profitable Year Ahead 🎧

A more profitable year doesn’t require a full creative overhaul—but it does invite more intention in these four areas.📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
In this episode, we’re talking about four practical areas artists, makers, and designers can focus on to support profitability in the year ahead—without burnout or guesswork.
You’ll learn:
How to set realistic revenue targets using past data
Why planning for rising costs now protects your profit later
How to focus your visibility efforts where they actually work
What to pay attention to so your creative work supports sustainable income
If you’re entering this new “semester” of creative business with profit in mind, this episode will help you focus your energy where it counts most.
🎧 Listen in and choose one small step you can take this week to support a more profitable year ahead.
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.

71. THIS Is Essential for Any Artist's New Year's Goals ☝🏽

📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
 
Today's Episode
The New Year is full of fresh goals, plans, and possibility — but what actually carries you beyond these first few weeks isn’t your to-do list. It’s your mindset.
In this episode, we’re returning to the idea of a Revenue Ready Mindset and why it’s the foundation that supports every goal you’ve already set for your creative business this year.
You’ll hear:
Why mindset matters more than motivation once the New Year energy fades
How to return to confidence and clarity when fear, uncertainty, or doubt show up
A simple, grounding mantra you can use all year long to stay prepared for sales
Think of this episode as a reset you can come back to anytime you need to reconnect with your vision, discipline, and direction.
 
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.

70. Year-End Review for Creative Business Owners 🎇

Give yourself a pat on the back, friend.
You got through another big year for your creativity and your creative business.
Let's celebrate your wins and reflect!
Take a moment to go through this simple yet powerful year-end review exercise with me in today's episode. 
I'll walk you through a start-stop-continue (and enhance) model with the addition of ONE THING you probably aren't thinking about for the year ahead--your team.
That's right. The people who can help you make the New Year even brighter!
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.
📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss

69. Trusting Your Creative Impulses: How Artist Nadine Prada Found Deeper Authenticity in Process 👩🏽‍🎨

📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
 
In this second part of my conversation with artist Nadine Prada, the focus shifts inward.
This episode explores what happened when Nadine stepped more fully into her authentic self—and allowed her creative work to follow. You’ll hear how she learned to trust her artistic impulses without doubt, releasing external expectations in order to create a deeper, more personal body of work.
Nadine also shares how serendipity plays an active role in her creative process, including how it unexpectedly showed up in the planning of this very conversation.
If you’re questioning your work, second-guessing your instincts, or feeling stuck in fear or self-doubt, this episode offers reassurance and perspective from an artist who has learned to listen closely to herself—and let the work lead.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
What it means to step fully into your authentic creative voice
Learning to trust your instincts without needing external validation
The role of intuition and serendipity in the creative process
Creating from a place of honesty, presence, and self-trust
This conversation is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and give yourself permission to create the work that only you can make.
✅ Find out more about Nadine Prada:
On Instagram @Pradagallery
https://thepradagallery.com/
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.
 
📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss

68. Landing Your First International Gallery Show: Lessons from Artist Nadine Prada 🌎

In this first episode of a two-part conversation, I sit down with artist Nadine Prada—a longtime creative colleague and friend, for a deep, behind-the-scenes look at how Nadine landed and executed an international solo show in Trinidad.
You’ll get a fly-on-the-wall view into her experience navigating:
Working with a gallery in another country
Negotiating contracts and clarifying who pays for what
Preparing and shipping work across borders
Reconnecting with her roots in Trinidad to inspire a new body of work
Building trust with a gallery through familiar connections
Securing not just one show—but a second invitation
If showing internationally or partnering with galleries is on your list for the coming year, Nadine’s story offers practical insight, real-world details, and creative fuel.
Part 2 (coming next episode) shifts into a more personal conversation about how Nadine stepped into a deeper, more authentic version of herself to create more meaningful work.
You won't want to miss it!
📥 Become a Revenue Ready Creative Insider!!Get my free Revenue Streams for Creatives download, weekly growth tips, and early access to offers: https://bit.ly/CreativeBoss
 
✅ Next Steps: 
Get your questions answered on the pod! https://www.speakpipe.com/HeatherAllenOnline
Respond to the Call To Artists: Request for Topics
Find more information at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com.
Buy a copy of the book "Let Your Creativity Work for You: How to Turn Artwork into Opportunity" by Heather Allen, MGIM-MBA at www.HeatherAllenOnline.com/book.