Category: Running a Business

I hadn’t previously written about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for content creators because of unclear guidance from the IRS. That’s changed a bit now, so let’s dive into it. This is only relevant to US-based creators. What’s the PPP? The PPP is a federal program helping companies cover their payroll costs during quarantine/lockdown due to COVID-19. It’s disbursed as a loan with potential for getting part or all of the loan forgiven. The basic loan portion must be repaid over 2 years and has an insanely low 1% interest rate. The funds are disbursed on a first come, first served basis. Why are you only writing about this now? Previously, it was unclear whether someone who is an owner/operator (owns and runs the business) could get their personal payroll…

I give a lot of advice on this blog that involves some sort of cost for your business. A lot of those things, while important, can be tough to take on right as you’re starting your business. Given that, we’re going to cover some free steps you can take that would help. We talked about this on YourBrandYourBusiness, if you’d prefer audio/video format. Separate business and personal banking We’ve discussed this before here. Basically, you should have a separate bank account for your personal and business money. It makes your accounting, tax prep, and just life in general easier. Fortunately, you can open some free bank accounts or even subaccounts at your current bank that should make this step relatively easy. Separate Paypal account You will really want a separate…

Twitch moved to a net 15 payout structure! Previously they were net 45. Today we’re going to talk about what that means, why it’s good for you, and the one minor downside. What was net 45? The “net” in net 45 meant that Twitch paid you out 45 days after the end of the month in which you earned the money. So, if you earned money in April of this year it would be 45 days from the end of the month before you saw the money. That means your April payout came around June 15th. That’s a while to wait! What is net 15? Net 15 means your Twitch payout comes 30 days earlier than a net 45 day payout. So, your April 2019 earnings should come on May…

I love going to conventions. They’re a ton of fun, I get to meet great people, and I get to learn a lot of interesting information. They’re almost always worth the cost. Today we’re going to look at the convention follow up you can do to help make sure you’re getting the most out of your experience. Define what you’re hoping to achieve This is the big one. After all, it’s a lot harder to hit what you’re aiming for if you don’t know what you’re aiming for. What is it that you’re hoping to get out of the conference? For me I generally aim to make one new professional connection and have one more prospect because of my time at the conference. I won’t complain if I achieve more…

Recently I talked to Naomi (Twitter) about the Twitch Bounty Board. I originally reached out because I’d noticed that she completed a lot more bounties than I’d seen anyone else do. Before we jump in to the interview you should review our recent article on what the Bounty Board is. Enjoy this Bounty Board interview! What’s worked well with bounties? Naomi’s major kudos for the Bounty Board is how easy it is to use. “You can start the bounty at any part during the stream. Just change the title, add #ad or ‘sponsored’ and it’s automatically counted. You can wait for the perfect time and it promotes collaboration with other broadcaster.” Basically, it’s flexible and somewhat automated. Additionally, the deals that match your stream are offered to you and you…