Creative-preneur Roundup! How to set rates, thrive in cashflow dips + earn more in my epic 5 fave pieces.

written by Bari Tessler July 22, 2019
My top 5 essential, epic pieces on biz savvy and soul.

Dear Community,

Creative-preneurs, this one is especially for you!

We’re in full-on, sunny summertime in my mountain town of Boulder, Colorado. Things slow down a bit in the summer heat: people are tubing down Boulder Creek and the chai lattes are all iced.

But because I’m a creative-preneur, my days already flow in a different rhythm than most people.

Work and family and play all weave together, flowing in and out in an integrated way.

Dinner with my husband might flow into a business strategy brainstorm. A hike might inspire a brand-new offering or blog post. I connect with my business team, who live in all different parts of the country, at all different times of the day. (That photo on top I’m with my incredible virtual assistant Ali Willoughby in NY when we met for the first time).

Because my work is so dear to my heart — and my life is so integral to my work — there aren’t the normal, 9-to-5 divides.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Today I’m sharing some of my best-beloved pieces to support YOU, my kindred creative-preneurs.

Allow me to celebrate your courage with some practical, gentle, and out-of-the-box support.

#1: How to survive a summer cashflow dip
(without selling your soul)

Summer can be rough on a small biz! If you’re in a cashflow dip, hang onto your beach hat and listen to my fabulous conversation with Tad Hargrave: founder of Marketing for Hippies.

You’ll learn 9 ultra-practical strategies to bring in cash quick, how to soothe your money anxiety when you’re crunched, and the surprising reasons why a cashflow dip can actually be a GOOD thing.

Listen to my interview with Tad so you can start soothing your nerves and opening up cashflow today.

#2: What should you charge? 3 non-obvious perspectives

What should you charge

Everyone and their cousin Karen has an opinion on setting your rates. But it’s not as easy as “charge what you’re worth.” You are worth the moon and stars, not $15 or $150 an hour. And it’s not as simple as raising your rates by 5% every year.

Only YOU can know what’s best for you and your work. But how do YOU figure this all out?

Get the questions I recommend asking yourself to find your rates — plus heaps of cheering on — right here.

#3: Racheal Cook on pricing, biz models and revenue streams for your business.

Racheal Cook on pricing, biz models and revenue streams for your business.

We’ve never shared this fantastic interview outside of the private Art of Money community before — and it is SO good!

Racheal is an award-winning business strategist who specializes in helping soulful, smart women uncomplicated their businesses so they can work less and live more. We talk learning curves, common pitfalls, shifting pricing structures, creating additional revenue streams, and so much more in this warm, savvy-packed interview.

Get your biz savvy on with me and Racheal right here.

#4: How to earn more money: practical tips from 3 powerhouses {a mini-class}

How to earn more money. Practical tips from 3 powerhouses.

Take 3 visionary financial teachers at the top of their game. Fold in my warm guidance and teachings. And mash it all up with my dear husband’s narration and super clip-mixing skills. Whaddya get? One of the most powerful and best beloved pieces I’ve ever shared.

If you’d love to make more money but aren’t sure exactly how or what’s holding you back, please listen to this. You’ll hear from “business strategist, sonic alchemist, and suck exorcist” Fabeku Fatunmise; financial pioneer Barbara Stanny; and money coach Mikelann Valterra.

Access the thunder right here. (Repeat listens recommended.)

#5: How to “pimp your brilliance” with Monique Malcolm

Normally I’m the one asking the questions — but here’s your chance to hear me in the hot seat!

Hear serial entrepreneur and creative coach Monique Malcolm interview me about my money philosophy, charging based on your value, and the challenges that have defined my business.

Enjoy this playful and practical piece!

May we all find our own rhythms and flows — in work, in life, in summertime sun and beyond.

With my dearest wishes,

Hi, I’m Bari Tessler, M.A., a financial therapist and Founder of The Art of Money, a year-long money school for lay folks and a 4-month Mentor program for therapists, coaches and financial professionals. I trained as a Somatic Therapist and received a Masters degree from Naropa University in 1998. Then I ran a bookkeeping business for therapists and artists. In 2001, I merged all my training and created a somatic-based Financial Therapy methodology that I’ve been teaching for 20+ years. I am also the Author of The Art of Money: A Life-Changing Guide to Financial Happiness and The Art of Money Workbook. In my group programs and private financial therapy, I’ve guided thousands of people to new, more loving, and refreshingly honest relationships with money. And, I’m on a mission to bring healing, un-shaming, and empowerment to our money relationships and all that it touches. I live in Boulder, Colorado with my husband, son, many cats + large puppy.

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16 years. 4 phases. Plus questions for YOUR journey.

Dear Money Adventurer, The journey of growth is rarely a straightforward path. Sometimes it looks like a Cha Cha. You embark on a new direction, follow the rhythm with a sway of your hips, and, in the end, find yourself back where you started. Please know that it is totally normal and okay if this happens to you. We’ve all been there. In fact, I recently found myself doing the Cha Cha with the Art of Money. So, when I was asked why I stopped offering my Art of Money program in an Evergreen format, I wanted to share my story. Why DID I go back to our traditional launch model? My simple answer…because human nature likes a deadline. At the end of 2020, I was done with launching. I didn't like the pace, the intensity, or the energy. I had been doing it for many years and needed a break. So, I decided I would move to an Evergreen/On-demand model where folks could join The Art of Money whenever they were ready. I imagined that would be more in alignment with my business and teaching philosophy. It was working great for a while. I was running FB ads to the program, and folks were signing up directly from that one link. Then the Apple algorithm changed in late February/March 2021, and my FB ads stopped working, and my Evergreen basically stopped working for my business to run well. We still got students signing up during the evergreen but not sustainable numbers in comparison to launch numbers. So, at the end of last year, with some surrender, I decided to go back to a launch model with an open/close registration period. I accepted human nature, and my team put together a simple email series that I felt really good about giving to the world. I told my husband “no” when he recommended I do a FB live or Kickstarter call because I wanted to keep the energy simple and calm. And those calls can be really intense for me. We decided not to use FB ads (and save those resources) which was my first launch without them in years. We created a very simple email series (a new money mocha series) and put that out into the world, mostly my email list but on socials as well. And we opened registration for 12 days. We met our 2nd big goal for the registration period. Not the top goal (which usually happened in our October launch) but my 2nd tiered goal, and I'm super grateful for this. The open/close registration did better than my January registration in the last two years. And yes, the sign-ups followed a similar predictable launch pattern (even though you never know the final numbers), with a spike at the beginning, trickles coming in daily, and then a big spike at the end. We got more than half our sign-ups in the last 48 hours (especially the last 24 hours). There are always unknowns in a launch. This round, we were in the middle of a big covid spike around the country and in Europe. Also, Forest and I both had Omicron during the launch, so we were horizontal a lot of the time (and Forest was even writing some of the final launch emails this way). So, huge props to my amazing V.A. Ali The Happy VA and incredible alumni guides who were helping support the community behind the scenes and in the program. I was able to check in daily with Ali throughout the registration and then went back to sleep (or ate more chicken soup). So, while I would have loved for the Evergreen model to have worked for my business and community, it didn't. I had to adapt my thinking, surrender to the reality of human nature, and go back to a launch model - but make sure to do it in a way that was in alignment with my values and how I want to support and grow my community. That's why I had to pivot in my program registration model. For me, running a business has its ebbs and flows. It's not always a growth year. I love growth years, but some years are maintenance years or dip years due to life, health, pandemics, and changing priorities. But we always have to adapt, fine-tune, learn, and grow from it all. Thanks to everyone who helped with this Art of Money registration period. We are welcoming in a wonderful new crew of students and I'm incredibly grateful to do the work that I do. If you missed your chance to join the Art of Money, don’t sweat it! We’ll be opening registration one or two more times this year, so stay tuned! And you get on the waitlist here. Sending dear wishes,

Peek Behind My Biz Model and Sustainable Choices