Creating and Selling Digital Products

Are you a freelancer yearning to break free from the expectations of others and truly embrace who you are? The freelance journey is an open field for creativity, self-direction, and the chance to shape your professional identity. Or it's supposed to be — but sometimes it can feel like you need to fit a certain mold to succeed. We freelancers often feel pressured to fit into boxes—whether it’s matching a certain style, following industry trends, or projecting the persona we think clients expect. Maybe you’ve seen bold personalities like me, Hardy Brooklyn, and wondered if you need to be loud or extreme to succeed. The truth is, you don’t need to be flamboyant to attract…

Most freelancers don't have a time management problem. They have a time allocation problem. You're booked solid, but your bank account doesn't reflect it. You're working constantly, but the numbers don't add up. You wake up looking at your calendar and think, "How did I get here?" You're not bad at managing time; the problem is what you're spending those hours on. You're replying to Slack messages that don't move projects forward. You're formatting client deliverables for three hours when the actual strategy work took one. You're on your fifth "quick call" of the day that wasn't on the original scope. You're spending Tuesday afternoon learning a new project management too…

The deadline for filing your personal tax return as a freelancer (including your Schedule C if you are reporting your income as an LLC on your Form 1040) is just around the corner on April 15, 2026. As you may be aware, being a freelancer means that you face a unique tax landscape. Unlike traditional employees, you may juggle multiple income streams, diverse tax obligations and a wide range of deductible expenses. This complexity is part of the reason why your tax return may contain moving parts that put you at higher risk than the average tax filer of triggering the red flags that can lead to an IRS audit. To be clear, a tax audit notice is not an accusation of wrongdoi…

At SXSW, the future of music and culture is always on display. From packed showcases to surprise sets and branded activations, the festival offers a glimpse of what’s next. But behind every viral moment and seamless event is a workforce SXSW rarely acknowledges: freelancers. They are the sound engineers running live sets, the videographers capturing performances that travel the world, the stage managers keeping showcases on schedule, the photographers, producers, and crew who turn ideas into experiences. SXSW depends on them. I saw this up close at a Latino Victory Fund event during the festival, where filmmaker Robert Rodriguez took the stage to celebrate Los Lobos — an …

As businesses grow, financial decisions become more complex. Cash flow planning, forecasting, hiring, pricing, and long-term strategy all start to matter more, yet many small and mid-sized businesses are not ready to hire a full-time Chief Financial Officer (CFO). That’s where fractional CFO services come in. A fractional CFO can give businesses access to high-level financial expertise without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive. For many companies, it’s the missing link between basic bookkeeping and true financial leadership. What Is a Fractional CFO?A fractional CFO is a senior financial professional who works with a business on a part-time or contract basis…

As an independent worker, you shouldn't have to choose between flexibility and security. Freelancers Union is designing a new portable benefits program, and we need your input to get it right. We know that in the months following the expiration of the Affordable Care Act subsidies, access to healthcare has narrowed dramatically, with basic plans out of reach for many freelancers. The demand for flexible healthcare will only continue to grow, particularly as more and more workers across the country go independent. New portable benefits proposals seek to remediate this, clearing barriers for clients to disperse money into an independent worker’s account to use for healthc…

For many business owners, bookkeeping is one of those things you know you need, but may not fully understand until something goes wrong. Late invoices, confusing bank balances, missed deductions, or surprise tax bills often trace back to one issue: poor bookkeeping. Whether you’re launching a new company or running an established business that’s never had consistent financial tracking, understanding the basics of bookkeeping is essential. What Is Business Bookkeeping? At its core, bookkeeping is the process of recording and organizing your business’s financial transactions. Every dollar coming in and going out of your business needs to be tracked properly. This includes:…

Deductions are a key part of the tax preparation process for freelancers. It’s important than freelancers consider all of the potential deductions available to them, as to ensure they don’t inadvertently pay more in taxes than needed. To that end, we’ve put together some career-specific tax deductions, to help you brainstorm as you look to capture all possible expenses for your records. Keep in mind that the lists below are not necessarily meant to be exhaustive, and that many of the deductions can apply to multiple professions. WriterWebsite hosting fees Writing competition fees Lit journal submission fees Business cards Printing ActorHeadshots Printing headshots Ticke…

I was speaking to a new client yesterday and she shared that her overwhelming wish for her business this year was to approach it with more intention. Can you relate? I know I can! Being a creative freelancer or business owner often feels like reacting to things in the moment and doing the best you can. It reminds me of a “fun” game my kids played for a while. It involved them tossing something to me unexpectedly (like an egg!) and triumphantly shouting “too slow” when I didn't react and catch it in time. Basically, 2025 was like an eight-year-old boy tossing an egg and expecting you to catch it! Reactivity is an easy habit to fall into and an especially hard one to bre…

This post is brought to you by our partners at TaxAct. It initially appeared on their blog. There are many similarities between being self-employed and being a small business owner. Both allow you to be your own boss, for one thing! But in the eyes of the IRS, your formal business classification can mean very different things when it comes to filing your taxes and reporting your business income. Here’s how to determine which category you fall under as an entrepreneur and how it will impact your taxes. Self-employed vs small business owner: Understanding the differenceThe simplest way to differentiate between being self-employed and being a small business owner is to look …

Sales tax: What is it and do freelancers have to pay it? Sales tax is a state-level tax imposed on the sale of goods and, in many states, certain services. Unlike income tax, which you pay out of your own earnings, sales tax is something you collect from your customer and then pass along to the state. In other words, you’re acting as a temporary steward of the state’s money, not paying a tax out of your own pocket. However, not every freelancer is required to collect sales tax. Whether you need to collect sales tax depends on what you sell, where you sell it, and whether your state taxes the type of service or product you offer. Sales tax rules vary dramatically from stat…

Did you know that you have free access to the Freelancers Union Legal Clinic? If this is the first you’re hearing about our Legal Clinic, we are excited to share some details with you! The clinic provides free legal support to all independent workers across the country. If you’re a freelancer, that means you. After you submit a complaint form on our website, our legal team will reach out directly to you and provide direct, specialized guidance based on your legal questions and concerns. Even if you have already sought every option for recourse without legal assistance (i.e. direct appeal to the client, demand letters, attempted mediation), the clinic can provide advice …

I’m an artist, so I can say this: Us artists, we can be super weird sometimes. And when we’re around gallerists, we get even weirder. When I was Fine Art Chairperson of ASMP NY, I produced our annual Portfolio Review. My job was to find gallery owners to volunteer their time reviewing photographers’ portfolios. One afternoon I was sitting at a downtown gallery, chatting with the owner for what could not have been more than twenty minutes. In that time, seven different artists barged in trying to show her their work—one even pulled a painting out from under his arm. She replied as kindly as possible: “Sir, this is a photography gallery.” His answer: “Okay, I’ll email you.”…

Freelancers Union is pleased to introduce Elle Toussi as Interim Executive Director. Elle first joined Freelancers Union as a member, helping to organize local LA Spark events that fostered community, collaboration, and connection among independent workers. Her commitment to strengthening the freelancer community led her to serve as a Member Representative on the Board of Directors, after which she was elected as a permanent Board Member and, two years ago, chosen by her peers to serve as Chair of the Board. With more than 15 years of experience in journalism and production, Elle has built her career around storytelling and advocacy for creative and independent professio…

Every year, freelancers unintentionally hand the IRS more money than they need to simply because they overlook deductions they’re fully entitled to claim. This breakdown of the 14 key business deductions to be aware of is designed to help you avoid revenue-boosting blind spots on your freelance business tax return before you file. It’s easy to miss expenses that qualify as business deductions because the tax code is complex and constantly shifting. This is why it is important to be aware of changes that may affect your freelance return and work with a tax professional who can help you identify additional opportunities to reduce your taxable income and maximize any refund…

I remember it clearly: my first freelance gig, back in 2005. On the way there, I’d see Freelancers Union posters in the subway, and it felt like a lowkey way of seeing my future home — that’s exactly what I’m joining, once I get started on my career. I’d look around the train and wonder how many other passengers were also freelancers, building their lives quietly in parallel. That day’s work was low wage street intercept — stopping people, showing them big studio movie trailers, and asking how likely they were to watch the film. It wasn’t the foot in the door I imagined for filmmaking, but like most freelancing, it built real skills: how to talk to strangers, how to trans…

This post is brought to you by our partners at TaxAct and was first posted on their blog. If you and your significant other are living together without being married, you probably share many expenses. One of you may even be financially supporting the other. In such a scenario, you may wonder if you can claim your girlfriend or boyfriend as a dependent on your tax return to take advantage of any tax benefits. Claiming a dependent on your taxes can lower your taxable income, but does your significant other count as a dependent? Here are the facts on how you could claim a domestic partner on your tax return, according to the IRS dependent rules. What are the tax benefits of …

Change is in the air at the Freelancers Union. As Executive Director Rafael Espinal moves on to become the Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, we’re thrilled to officially announce three new hires. (Some of them are newer than others but if you haven’t met them yet, they’re new to you.) Read on below to learn more about each of them, their path to the Freelancers Union, and the work they’ll do now that they’ve arrived. Jonathan KimJonathan joined us back in June as our Hub Operations Assistant and since then has helped ensure our co-working space is well-maintained and all our events run smoothly. Jonathan is a lifelong New Yorker, who has alway…

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) recently announced a delay in resuming wage garnishment for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans. This offers temporary breathing room if you are a freelancer with such a loan. The following summarizes this new development and how freelancers can use this delay student loan garnishment to get ahead of potential financial strain and avoid the negative implications of garnishment. As you may be aware, when garnishment hits your radar it has strong potential to disrupt cash flow, jeopardize your tax planning and create other financial challenges. What’s Behind the DelayThe Department of Education has been working to transitio…

Artists are freelancers — among the most underpaid and structurally unsupported. What happens in the arts is a mirror of what happens across the entire freelance economy. Why Art Matters Without art, we lose what makes us human. Art generates meaning, but what is less acknowledged is that meaning is the foundation of what we choose to invest in. Without meaning, any possibility of sustainable profit collapses. Growth Requires Resources Making art demands growth. Growth requires resources. Ask a corporate worker to leave a stable 9–5 to start their own business and see how destabilizing that transition can be. Ask an author what it takes to write a book. Art requires this…

It’s easy to assume that landing clients and building your portfolio are the hardest parts of freelancing. However, the numbers paint a different reality. More than half of new freelancers never make it past their first six months, not because of a lack of talent, but because their money management falls apart before the business can grow.​ Here’s what the data actually shows. According to Bonsai’s 2025 freelancer survey, over 60% of independent workers admit to starting without a budget or financial plan in place. Industry-wide reports back this up: most new freelancers do not separate business and personal finances early on, nor do they consistently track cash flow, res…

Towards the end of 2025, we circulated a survey to our members, asking how they as freelancers will be affected by the expiration of the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies. Of the over 600 respondents, 58% said that they purchase their healthcare plan through the state marketplace. Seventy-seven percent of freelancers said that without the ACA enhanced subsidies, they would lose coverage, downgrade their plans, or need to cut back on essential spending, like housing, groceries, and transportation. Freelancers are overwhelmingly in support of the Affordable Care Act subsidies, with 91% of respondents saying they want to see the ACA subsidies extended. Whether or not f…