Expenses

There are four letters that can shape your entire future as a creator:

C.O.D.B.

When I first went full-time as a creator, I thought the cost of doing this was close to zero. A camera, a laptop, and Wi-Fi. What else do you need?

But two years in, I’ve realized: the real cost of being a creator isn’t obvious until you try to make a living from it.

One question I get asked more than almost anything else makes this brutally clear:

“How much should I charge for a brand deal?”

Most creators have no idea what to charge and just ask around what’s “normal” or play a game of chicken with the brand, trying to sus out how much they are willing to pay.

But there’s a better way. A simple, reliable method to figure out the minimum you have to charge without losing money:

Calculate your Cost Of Doing Business

As simple as this formula is, and as basic as it will appear to you once I explain it, I am constantly surprised (shocked to be honest!) at how few people pay attention to this simple number. Even veterans often don’t know what their C.O.D.B. is.

It’s a concept I first learned from Vincent Laforet (an OG in the Creator space) during my freelance filmmaking days.

The math is simple: Add up all your yearly business expenses (software, gear, rent, salary, taxes, etc.) and divide it by the number of workdays or deliverables you plan to take on in a year.

That number is your baseline, the minimum amount you need to make per day (or per deliverable) just to break even.

If you're a creator who sells sponsorships, ask yourself: How many brand deals can you realistically do in a year?

• One per week? 52 deals

• Twice a month? 24

• Once a month? Just 12

Now divide your total expenses by that number. What you get is the minimum rate you need to charge per deal to run a sustainable business. It’s not about charging more. It’s about charging on purpose.

Knowing your CODB gives you clarity, confidence, and leverage:

• You know exactly what your time is worth

• You can explain your rates to brands with confidence

• You stop saying yes to deals that quietly drain your energy and bank account.

And to help you get started, I’ve built a free spreadsheet that walks you through the process. It includes common creator expenses and automatically calculates your break-even rate.

Basically it’s a number that represents what it costs you to operate your creator empire.

Just click this link and make a copy of it.
If you use it, just let me know what you think of it. This is the V0 but together we can shape it into a tool that allows all of us to charge what we are worth.

💛 Valentin

PS: for July I’m doing something different. Instead spending each Friday morning writing I’ll be taking your calls.
If you have a question or just want to catch up book a slot here.

PPS: Remember a few weeks back when I wasn’t sure if I belong in the room or not?
Well today I got confirmation that I’ll be attending Press Publish NYC!
HMU if you’re in town.