Someone
Else's Rent

You know your costs. You know your rent. You know what each class brings in. And on paper, the studio is covering itself — or close enough that you can tell yourself it's fine.

What you haven't worked out yet is what the business owes you. Not in a vague sense. In a number. The hours you worked before you could pay yourself. The wage you skipped because reinvesting felt more responsible. The years you ran it on goodwill and told yourself the love was enough.

Most studio owners carry that number without ever writing it down. Because writing it down makes it real, and real is harder to absorb than vague.

This guide is the money story — what underpricing actually costs, what recurring revenue actually means, and what I'd do differently if I were starting again. Written after ten years of doing it the hard way first.