Last month, I spent time with my long-term friends from the architecture studioĀ @supertypegroup looking at the financial side of their practice.
Like many creative studios, they create high impact work with limited resources (theyāre even nominees for the German Architecture Prize this year! š±). But the unpredictable rhythm of architecture projects and the complexity of coordinating with external partners are real challenges.Ā Having your financial numbers in order isnāt just helpfulāitās essential!
Throughout the workshop we looked at different aspects of their business and pinnedĀ who takes the lead in which areaāparticularly important in their three-person founding team.
My favorite part is always that moment when everything clicks (āAHA!ā) and people see how these seemingly annoying structures and processes actually create space for more creativity, not less.
Try it, itās cozy here! š
You asked, I answered.
So, letās break it down.
Revenue, Turnover, Umsatz: They all mean the same thing. Itās the total value of everything you sold in a period. Before costs. Before taxes. Before your Figma subscription.
Three client projects at 2kā¬ each in one month? Thatās 6kā¬ in revenue.
But hereās where it gets interesting. You invoiced 6kā¬ in March, but the client pays in May. Your revenue? 6kā¬. Your cash? Still zero.
Letās be clear:
Revenue answers: how much did I sell?
Profit answers: what is actually left?
Cash answers: what is actually in my bank account?
Stop confusing them. Your business will thank you. āØ
For those of you who donāt know me yet:
Iām Vanessa and I help creative founders feel more secure running their business. Not by overwhelming them with frameworks or jargon, but by sitting down together, looking at the numbers, and making sense of them.
Some call it consulting. I call it ātherapy for your financesā.
Iāve been doing this since 2018 and the questions I get asked most are always the same:
Am I actually doing okay? Are my projects profitable? Where does all my money go?
If any of that sounds familiar donāt hesitate to reach out.
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Portrait by @marinahoppmann
Quarterly Check-in ššļø šŖ
1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didnāt?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?
#Q1 #2026
