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Doing business on your own can sometimes feel like the hardest part – especially when deeper questions come up and there’s no one to reflect them with. That’s why I love creating spaces where people like @softdrivefoundry can pause, think aloud, and turn their thoughts into structure.

@softdrivefoundry is a newly started type foundry at the intersection of design and code. In a 4-hour workshop, we went through their finances and operational setup, defined focus, and mapped next steps. Watching someone move from “I’m not sure if I’m doing this right” to “Okay, I see it now in the numbers and this makes sense” never gets old for me! ☺️🩵🌀

Thank you for the trust and for letting me be part of it right from the start!

Doing business on your own can sometimes feel like the hardest part – especially when deeper questions come up and there’s no one to reflect them with. That’s why I love creating spaces where people like @softdrivefoundry can pause, think aloud, and turn their thoughts into structure.

@softdrivefoundry is a newly started type foundry at the intersection of design and code. In a 4-hour workshop, we went through their finances and operational setup, defined focus, and mapped next steps. Watching someone move from “I’m not sure if I’m doing this right” to “Okay, I see it now in the numbers and this makes sense” never gets old for me! ☺️🩵🌀

Thank you for the trust and for letting me be part of it right from the start!

Doing business on your own can sometimes feel like the hardest part – especially when deeper questions come up and there’s no one to reflect them with. That’s why I love creating spaces where people like @softdrivefoundry can pause, think aloud, and turn their thoughts into structure.

@softdrivefoundry is a newly started type foundry at the intersection of design and code. In a 4-hour workshop, we went through their finances and operational setup, defined focus, and mapped next steps. Watching someone move from “I’m not sure if I’m doing this right” to “Okay, I see it now in the numbers and this makes sense” never gets old for me! ☺️🩵🌀

Thank you for the trust and for letting me be part of it right from the start!

Doing business on your own can sometimes feel like the hardest part – especially when deeper questions come up and there’s no one to reflect them with. That’s why I love creating spaces where people like @softdrivefoundry can pause, think aloud, and turn their thoughts into structure.

@softdrivefoundry is a newly started type foundry at the intersection of design and code. In a 4-hour workshop, we went through their finances and operational setup, defined focus, and mapped next steps. Watching someone move from “I’m not sure if I’m doing this right” to “Okay, I see it now in the numbers and this makes sense” never gets old for me! ☺️🩵🌀

Thank you for the trust and for letting me be part of it right from the start!

Open for business 🩶📂📐

Thanks to @markjulienhahn_ for setting this up!

Last month, I spent time with my long-term friends from the architecture studio @supertypegroup looking at the financial side of their practice.

Like many creative studios, they create high impact work with limited resources (they’re even nominees for the German Architecture Prize this year! 😱). But the unpredictable rhythm of architecture projects and the complexity of coordinating with external partners are real challenges. Having your financial numbers in order isn’t just helpful—it’s essential!

Throughout the workshop we looked at different aspects of their business and pinned who takes the lead in which area—particularly important in their three-person founding team.

My favorite part is always that moment when everything clicks (‘AHA!’) and people see how these seemingly annoying structures and processes actually create space for more creativity, not less.

Try it, it’s cozy here! 😌

Last month, I spent time with my long-term friends from the architecture studio @supertypegroup looking at the financial side of their practice.

Like many creative studios, they create high impact work with limited resources (they’re even nominees for the German Architecture Prize this year! 😱). But the unpredictable rhythm of architecture projects and the complexity of coordinating with external partners are real challenges. Having your financial numbers in order isn’t just helpful—it’s essential!

Throughout the workshop we looked at different aspects of their business and pinned who takes the lead in which area—particularly important in their three-person founding team.

My favorite part is always that moment when everything clicks (‘AHA!’) and people see how these seemingly annoying structures and processes actually create space for more creativity, not less.

Try it, it’s cozy here! 😌

Last month, I spent time with my long-term friends from the architecture studio @supertypegroup looking at the financial side of their practice.

Like many creative studios, they create high impact work with limited resources (they’re even nominees for the German Architecture Prize this year! 😱). But the unpredictable rhythm of architecture projects and the complexity of coordinating with external partners are real challenges. Having your financial numbers in order isn’t just helpful—it’s essential!

Throughout the workshop we looked at different aspects of their business and pinned who takes the lead in which area—particularly important in their three-person founding team.

My favorite part is always that moment when everything clicks (‘AHA!’) and people see how these seemingly annoying structures and processes actually create space for more creativity, not less.

Try it, it’s cozy here! 😌

Last month, I spent time with my long-term friends from the architecture studio @supertypegroup looking at the financial side of their practice.

Like many creative studios, they create high impact work with limited resources (they’re even nominees for the German Architecture Prize this year! 😱). But the unpredictable rhythm of architecture projects and the complexity of coordinating with external partners are real challenges. Having your financial numbers in order isn’t just helpful—it’s essential!

Throughout the workshop we looked at different aspects of their business and pinned who takes the lead in which area—particularly important in their three-person founding team.

My favorite part is always that moment when everything clicks (‘AHA!’) and people see how these seemingly annoying structures and processes actually create space for more creativity, not less.

Try it, it’s cozy here! 😌

Last month, I spent time with my long-term friends from the architecture studio @supertypegroup looking at the financial side of their practice.

Like many creative studios, they create high impact work with limited resources (they’re even nominees for the German Architecture Prize this year! 😱). But the unpredictable rhythm of architecture projects and the complexity of coordinating with external partners are real challenges. Having your financial numbers in order isn’t just helpful—it’s essential!

Throughout the workshop we looked at different aspects of their business and pinned who takes the lead in which area—particularly important in their three-person founding team.

My favorite part is always that moment when everything clicks (‘AHA!’) and people see how these seemingly annoying structures and processes actually create space for more creativity, not less.

Try it, it’s cozy here! 😌

na, wer von euch zählt mir die Pflichtangaben einer Rechnung auf?

You asked, I answered.

So, let’s break it down.

Revenue, Turnover, Umsatz: They all mean the same thing. It’s the total value of everything you sold in a period. Before costs. Before taxes. Before your Figma subscription.

Three client projects at 2k€ each in one month? That’s 6k€ in revenue.

But here’s where it gets interesting. You invoiced 6k€ in March, but the client pays in May. Your revenue? 6k€. Your cash? Still zero.

Let’s 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. ✨

For those of you who don’t know me yet:

I’m 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 ‘therapy for your finances’.

I’ve 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 don’t hesitate to reach out.

🤍

Portrait by @marinahoppmann

More insights from the survey! 🌀🩵☁️

Did I miss anything? 🤔

Did I miss anything? 🤔

Did I miss anything? 🤔

A few weeks ago I started a small survey — thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and share so openly! ꩜🩶

A few weeks ago I started a small survey — thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and share so openly! ꩜🩶

A few weeks ago I started a small survey — thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and share so openly! ꩜🩶

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

Quarterly Check-in 🔄🗒️ 🪛

1. Highlights?
2. Changes compared to last quarter / year?
3. What worked? What didn’t?
4. Biggest challenges?
5. Outlook & Opportunities for Q2?

#Q1 #2026

found myself on berlin.de — link in bio! ☺️💫✨

#berlinerunternehmerinnen

found myself on berlin.de — link in bio! ☺️💫✨

#berlinerunternehmerinnen

It’s time to collect real insights!

Last week I started a small survey in the creative design industry to better understand how people in creative businesses manage their finances and where they get support.

If you’d like to participate, you can fill out the questionnaire via the link in my bio (it only takes ~5 minutes and you can ofc stay anonymous) — or DM me and I’ll send you a link to a 15‑min call if you’d like to speak in person.

Your input means a lot to me and will help shape better, more relevant financial support for creative businesses.

Survey is open until March 27.

PS: If this makes you think of someone, feel free to forward this.

🌀🩵☁️ V.OLT