Collective Blog — Collective Hub

Inspiration and advice on leveling up your business-of-one.

4 Retirement Savings Options For The Self-Employed

Retirement accounts are important for anyone who wants to retire someday. When you work for a big company or organization, you may have access to a 401(k), 403(b), 457, or similar retirement account, and perhaps an employer contribution. When you run your own solo business, retirement planning is on your shoulders. But that’s not necessarily […]

Want a sustainable business? Try diversifying your income

I’m sure you’ve heard that the average millionaire has 7 streams of income. I know, not EVERYONE dreams of being a millionaire. So, why generate new revenue streams? The more you diversify the ways you get paid, the more money you can make. Why generate more revenue streams? As entrepreneurs, we are hit with many […]

7 Tips for Successfully Hiring Your First Freelancer

Learning how to find and hire the right help to scale my business has been one of the most difficult aspects of my career. Hiring help was never part of the original plan when I launched my small graphic design business in 2017 as a solo freelancer. But just a few months in, I found […]

The Self-Employed Guide to Health Insurance

When you’re self-employed, you don’t have a human resources department to pick your insurance plan. As the boss, it’s up to you to choose your own health insurance and make sure that you and your family, if you have one, are adequately covered for anything from a minor ear infection to a catastrophic illness or […]

5 Personal Finance Best Practices for Six-Figure Business Owners

You must be doing something right since your business is scaling to the multi-six figures. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back for the work you’ve put in so far. As you grow to a new level in your business, thinking about the personal side of things is just as important. Whether there are other […]

5 Tips on How to Scale a Business from a Successful Freelancer

In the early stages of my business, my main goal was to generate enough revenue to provide for myself and my family. Sustainability was my focus, and scaling my business was the furthest thing from my mind. But in just eight months, I found myself at an unexpected crossroads. I had more work than I […]

Four Queer Entrepreneurs Share their Advice for New LGBT+ Businesses

In the early days of my life as a queer entrepreneur, I agonized about how out I should be in my business. I worried that if I came out to my audience, I would lose customers and revenue. Finally deciding to be open about my sexuality, I sent a newsletter to my email list mentioning […]

5 Ways to Build a More Queer and Trans Inclusive Business

For many LGBTQIA+ folks, Pride month is a time to celebrate our identities, honoring those who paved the way (shout out to Marsh P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera) and reflect on the work we need to do to support our marginalized community members. It’s also a time for rainbows. Lots and lots of rainbows. But, […]

How to Account for Health Insurance, Vacation Time and Other Benefits in your Hourly Rate

The topic of insurance and “benefits” as a full-time freelancer is one that both fascinates and perplexes old and new friends alike. “I could never leave my salaried job – I need benefits!” they exclaim. “But what do you do about insurance?” they effusively inquire. To which I usually reply, “Same thing Jeff Bezos does […]

3 Reasons Why I Don’t Work Weekends: The Importance of Setting Boundaries as a Freelancer

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to setting professional boundaries in your freelance career. For many, boundaries are a constantly evolving construct, ever-changing to realign with new goals and aspirations. For instance, early on in my career, I had very few boundaries. I frequently pulled as many hours as I could and was constantly […]

Three Ways Entrepreneurs Can Cultivate Mental and Emotional Health

There’s a mental health crisis in entrepreneurship and it’s not going away anytime soon. Many entrepreneurs don’t talk about mental health struggles, the stuff that’s actually happening behind closed doors, because of the stigma associated with mental health. In my book Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons To Help You Find Purpose Prosperity and Happiness, I […]

Announcing Collective $20M Series A to Support the Rise of Businesses-of-One

We launched Collective to the world in September 2020, introducing the first online, back-office platform crafted for businesses-of-one. Our vision was simple — enabling members to be more successful by focusing on their passion, not their paperwork. It’s been a wild ride since then. As entrepreneurs, we believe that access to world class financial services […]

Tax Tips

5 Outstanding Tools that Make Filing Your Self-employed Taxes a Breeze

Expert Tips for Tax Time: 6 Solo Entrepreneurs Weigh In

Are you making one of these self-employed tax mistakes?

Self-Employed Taxes 101: How they work and what you need to know

14 Self Employed Expenses You Can Write Off On Your Taxes

Should I Pay Someone to Do My Self-Employed Taxes? Here’s How to Know

5 Self-Employed Tax Mistakes that Cost You Big Time

What You Need to Know About the 2020 Tax Deadline Extension

7 Things You Need to Do to Prepare for Your Self-Employed Taxes

10 Tax Deductions that Creatives Needs to Know

How to File your Freelance Taxes (and Save Money)

Are You Sure You’re Legally a Freelancer?

Six Pro Tips for Freelancers to Save Big on Taxes

How an S Corp Could Save You $5,000 (or more) on Your Freelance Taxes

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Freelance Taxes Right

Bookkeeping

How to Write Off Your S Corp Mileage using QuickBooks Online

The Best Payroll Provider for Freelancers

5 Ways to Organize your Money with QuickBooks Online

What Every Freelancer Should Know About Bookkeeping

Setup Your Business

Collective makes setting up and running your freelancing business simple and affordable while saving you some serious money on taxes. See how much you could save with Collective.

Estimate Your Tax Savings

Business Setup

How to Setup an LLC for an Online Business

Should you start an LLC or S Corp? Here’s How to Decide

6 LLC Setup Mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Self-Employed and Moving to a New State? Here’s What You Need to Know

Here’s How Starting an S Corp Leveled Up my Online Business

LLC vs S Corp- Which is the best for freelancers?

When is the best time to switch to an S Corp?

Can you afford to be an S Corp?

Why are you still a sole proprietor? It’s time to switch

Started an LLC? These Are the Most Important Things to Do First

12 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a New Business

Business Entities for Freelancers: Which One Is the Best?

Getting an EIN is Easier Than You Think- Here’s How

Everything You Need to Know about Registered Agents

Money Management

4 Retirement Savings Options For The Self-Employed

5 Personal Finance Best Practices for Six-Figure Business Owners

How to Account for Health Insurance, Vacation Time and Other Benefits in your Hourly Rate

How to Save When You’re Self-Employed and have Inconsistent Income

How to pay yourself when you’re self-employed

How to Run Payroll for an S Corp

How to Use your Personal Financial Identity to Grow your Business

9 Reflection Questions to Help Your Business Level Up Next Year

How the 80/20 Rule Helped me 3x my Revenue in Less than a Year

How to Create an Authentic Budget for Your Business

Create a Better Business Using Values-Based Spending

Level Up Your Freelance Finances with These Expert Tips

How to Pay Yourself When You’re a Freelancer

How to Pay Yourself from an S Corp the Right Way

How to Open a Business Bank Account for Your New Business

Small Business Hacks

Want a sustainable business? Try diversifying your income

7 Tips for Successfully Hiring Your First Freelancer

The Self-Employed Guide to Health Insurance

5 Tips on How to Scale a Business from a Successful Freelancer

Four Queer Entrepreneurs Share their Advice for New LGBT+ Businesses

Community Spotlight

Mark Griffo II on new projects as stepping stones to success

Teena Thomas on starting a business during a pandemic

Aurelia Lane on the importance of self-care

Priscilla Cornwell on taking care of your mental health

Kenzel Fallen on the importance of nurturing relationships

Tyrone Marshall Jr on how to create a solid foundation for your business

Stephen Larmer on knowing when to hire the right help

Michael Nguyen on embracing failure

Stephanie Wong on evolving with a rapidly changing industry

Brian Stanton on working on your business — not just in it

Garrett Oden on going from coffee shop manager to agency owner

Tallia Deljou on staying in her zone of genius by asking for help

Shirley Ansley on creating systems to simplify your business

Nikki Venus on using her mistakes to empower others

Delyanne Barros on the power of empathy in business

Matthew Silverman on learning to say no

Brigid Shivers on starting a business during COVID

Joshua Plicque on viewing failure and adversity as feedback

Jinnie Lee Schmid on outsourcing to create forward traction

Camille Tintle on designing a business on her terms

Estimate your tax savings

With Collective, freelancers save an average of $16,845 or more in taxes every year. Plus they never have to worry about the legal or tax side of running their business. See how much you could save with Collective.