100 Episodes In: What Teaching Creatives About Money Has Actually Taught Me

100 episodes ago I sat down to record because creatives weren't getting honest financial education anywhere. Today's episode looks back at what's happened since, plus what the next 100 are going to focus on.

Whether you've been here since episode 1 or this is the first time you've pressed play, this one's for you.

In this episode

• Why I started Creative Minds, Smart Money in the first place, and the gap in financial education for creatives that pushed me to do it.
• The pacing lesson I learned the hard way: how I'd balance solo vs. guest episodes if I were starting again today.
• The two episodes my listeners keep coming back to (quarterly estimated taxes and "do I actually need a bookkeeper?") and what that tells me about what creatives are really searching for.
• The Bench shutdown moment that reframed how creative business owners think about who's actually behind their books.
• Who this podcast is for at every stage of business, from brand-new creative to the year-three "I still don't fully get my numbers" stage.
• What I do on the weeks where hitting record feels hard.
• Where the show is going next: more fractional CFO conversations, why monthly meetings with your bookkeeper matter, and what your monthly financials should be doing for you beyond a PDF.

Mentioned in this episode

• The quarterly estimated taxes episode → https://player.captivate.fm/episode/f6cd0615-c0fd-4318-b159-54379e36dbcd/
• The Bench shutdown episode → https://player.captivate.fm/episode/658899ef-5408-4d81-a75d-494f16bd150e/
• The "do I need a bookkeeper" episode → https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ed03f8dc-d955-4fcc-8918-376a1702fb93/

A favor before you go

If this podcast has helped you, the single best thing you can do is send it to one other creative who's overwhelmed by their finances. That's how the show grows and it's how more creative business owners get access to financial education that doesn't make them feel small.

If there's a topic you wish I'd cover, send it to me. Some of the best episodes have come straight from a listener question and I'm never going to charge you for asking one.

If you have 30 seconds, a rating and a quick review on Apple Podcasts is the biggest gift you can give the show. It's also how new listeners decide whether to give us a try.

Want to work together?

Firestorm Finance offers monthly bookkeeping and fractional CFO services for creative business owners and SMBs. Three tiers and every one of them includes a branded financial report plus forward-looking advisory you can actually act on.

• See the service tiers → [firestormfinance.com/services]
• Get on the calendar for a fit call → [firestormfinance.com/contact]
• Find me on Instagram → [@firestormfinance]

About your host

Samantha Eck is the owner of Firestorm Finance, where she helps creative business owners and small businesses understand their numbers, plan ahead, and stop dreading their finances. Creative Minds, Smart Money is her free weekly podcast, built to close the financial education gap creatives keep telling her about.

Subscribe so you don't miss the next 100, and as always, farewell, fellow travelers.