V.OLT Weekly
V.OLT Weekly is a short, personal look at the business side of creative work. ~ Hi, I'm Vanessa Olt, a business consultant and accountant for the creative industry, based in Berlin. Each week I recap what happened, what I learned, what's on my mind. Structured by Kalenderwochen, because that's just how my brain works ;) For freelancers, studios and self-employed creatives in Germany and beyond. Think of it less like a podcast and more like a voice memo! ~ This podcast is not tax, legal or financial advice. General info based on my own experience, not tailored advice for your specific situation.
Episodes
A slightly more personal episode this week: after months of waiting, I didn’t get the funding I’d applied for. Along with the disappointment came a huge wave of relief, and questions about growth, working at my own pace, and having room to adjust.
It brought up a bigger question: what does success mean to me, beyond growth targets and other people’s expectations?
So this time, I’m turning the listener question...
This week might help you find ways to stay encouraged when you're just starting out and don't have many clients or a support network yet. You might also get a better understanding of why a passion project can work like a business card that opens doors and how to find a good balance between projects.
Mentioned in this episode:
- KW40: Interview with Pittogramma
- KW39: Introducing Pittogramma
- Open Circle Recording with Mario & Andre...
This week might help you understand what a business consultant for creatives does day to day, and how sorting and translating your numbers can make them feel less scary. And maybe it's a relief to hear that many creatives were simply never taught the basics of running a business.
Mentioned in this episode:
Pittogramma interview: "Structure enables creativity: bringing financial literacy into design" (6 October 2026): Read it here...
This week might help you understand which tax prepayments are usually relevant for solo self-employed people (specifically freelancers, or “Freiberufler” in the German legal sense) and when they are usually due. You might also get a better sense of why joining the Open Circle with Pittogramma could be worth it, and how a software tool might help if you have a limited company registered in Germany.
Mentioned in this episo...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about starting to set up FAQs for my own practice, a networking event around the attention economy, Open Circle group call #6, and a question I get asked often: are you a tax advisor, or can you recommend one?
Feel free to join the next Open Circle!
It's a free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany and beyond to talk about the business side of th...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about one of the biggest pitfalls I see when going freelance (and how digital bookkeeping can help), the launch of my new Business Health Check, and what a BWA (Betriebswirtschaftliche Auswertung) actually is and why it can be helpful.
Mentioned in this episode:
Feel free to join the next Open Circle!
I...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about planning out upcoming workshops and more Open Circle collabs, my 5th Open Circle, and what might be helpful to watch out for financially when going freelance.
Mentioned in this episode:
KW32 on VAT pre-reports
KW35 on my talk at the Forward Festival
Feel free to join the next Open Circle!
It's a free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germ...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about a full-circle moment with a friend about old controlling lessons I almost had forgotten and about my talk on turning ideas into action at the Forward Festival introducing one of the most basic, yet most powerful concepts: Break-even.
Feel free to join the next Open Circle!
It's a free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany and beyond to talk...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about why accounting feels meditative to me, my first collab Open Circle with Creatives Tool on rates and transparency in the industry, a logo emergency, and a question I kept running into while prepping for Forward Festival: "I'm just a designer, how should I know all this business stuff?" Spoiler: You don't!
Mentioned in this episode:
Feel fr...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about setting up financial snapshots for clients, how the solar eclipse showed a brilliant real-life example of a classic economic concept, and a more personal listener question: how I actually got into what I do.
Mentioned in this episode:
KW31 on balance sheets
My Instagram posts (1, 2, 3) on business dinner with clients & collab partners
Feel free to join t...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about VAT pre-report (Umsatzsteuer-Voranmeldung) deadlines and how an extension changes things, my third Open Circle, and a listener question on the difference between Netto and Brutto.
Open Circle is a free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany to talk about the business side of their creative practice, especially everything around the financial...
Not really a podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I walk you briefly through my end-of-month quality checks in accounting, why I'm looking for tech help, and a listener question on what a Bilanz (a balance sheet) actually is, explained in my own words.
Here's the 90s closing track from Bandulera's set at the festival that made my week. Enjoy!
Also, join the next Open Circle!
A free group call for freelancers and self-employed p...
Not really a podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I answer a listener question on revenue vs. profit, share a few thoughts from my second Open Circle on cash reserves and company structures (GbR vs. GmbH), and talk about a new collab I'm excited about: Creatives' Tool.
Also, join the next Open Circle!
A free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany talking about the financial, operational and accounting s...
Not really a podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about how valuable good old CSV exports still are, how good categorizations can unlock a new level of clarity, what a transit item is, a niche market, and I answer the first listener question: what VAT (Umsatzsteuer) actually is, explained in my own words.
Also, join the next Open Circle!A free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany talking about ...
Not really a Podcast, more like a "Sprachi" ;)
This week I talk about a potential surprising deadline for businesses in Berlin, my thoughts on AI agents vs. simple automations (and why simpler might sometimes be smarter), a new partnership with Lexware, and my very first Open Circle group call!
Open Circle is a free group call for freelancers and self-employed people in Germany to talk about the business side of their creative practi...
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