For transparency, more solopreneurs are revealing their incomes

“Well, friends. I did it. I’ve now had my highest-income month of my life again.”

So begins a TikTok video by content creator Chelsea Langenstam detailing her “$56,244 income month” breakdown, along with deductibles, as a solopreneur. 

Langenstam then outlines her various income streams: budget templates, brand deals, referral fees. “I don’t share to brag,” she says in the video, currently sitting at over 100,000 views. “I share because I want to show you what’s possible in real time.” 

Her videos are among hundreds on TikTok and Instagram, lifting the curtain on how much solopreneurs of all kinds actually earn month to month—and exactly where each dollar comes from. 

These “income breakdowns” sit within a wider trend toward financial transparency online. From “loud budgeting” to “no-spend challenges,” talking about money is no longer taboo for the online generation. They are bucking the decades-old trend of silence: 53% of Gen Zers and 58% of millennials say they would post how much money they make online. 

Show me the money

Solopreneurs—or businesses with no paid employees—contribute $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy, representing 6.8% of total economic activity, according to recently published U.S. Census Bureau data. 

But when striking out on one’s own, the honest truth is that few have any idea what they’re doing at first, let alone where the next paycheck is coming from. Now, social media is democratizing the process, with a number of content creators breaking down the financials of running a business solo.

Not every month is a five-figure month for Langenstam. She has also divulged what a lower-income month looks like, for the sake of transparency. Others reveal their financial particulars to advocate for the solopreneur life, breaking free from the corporate grind and embracing the freelance economy. 

Freelance social media manager Mila Holmes has been sharing her project rates since 2020, but only recently started opening up about income breakdowns. “The whole reason I make content on TikTok is to advocate for freelancing,” she says, explaining which streams of income made her $14,616.99 over the past three weeks. These include consulting calls, freelance influencer marketing, and hosting classes on brand partnerships. 

“I want people to know financial security and prosperity are possible through nontraditional means,” Holmes tells Fast Company. “I think a lot of people view freelancing and/or content creation as a temporary thing between real jobs. I believe it can be more than that. It’s one thing to tell them that’s possible, and another to actually show earnings.”

A new model of transparency

Income breakdowns push the needle further by modeling how the money is made, as well as how much. But, as with anything you see online, influencers announcing regular five-figure months should be taken with a grain of salt. In particular, you should be wary of any income breakdowns by those who try to sell you “quick fixes,” with a promise of achieving similar results. Still, that’s not to say solopreneurship can’t be lucrative. 

According to MBO Partners’ 2025 “State of Independence” report, 5.6 million independent workers reported earning more than $100,000 annually. This was up 19% from 2024, and nearly double the number of six-figure earners in 2020. The average U.S. worker salary, by comparison, is $66,000. 

“When I started freelancing, the idea of a $10,000 month felt like it was a world away, and a $20,000 month felt even further,” solopreneur Grace Lemire says in a TikTok video, reporting an income of $10,700 for the month. “But when I started to see other entrepreneurs break down their revenue streams, it started to feel within reach.” 

Lemire doesn’t reveal her top-line revenue, but she did start sharing what she charges clients, as well as certain monthly earnings, a few years ago. “I share because I want people to see what’s possible,” Lemire tells Fast Company. “I want to show people that there is more out there for them than they might be able to conceptualize with the information they have available to them.”

For a younger generation already seeking a fast track to success, the allure of solopreneurship is clear. A 2023 study found that Gen Z places greater importance on being rich than any other age demographic. And with the traditional career ladder shakier than ever, young and ambitious workers are forging their own paths and not risking their future in anyone else’s hands. 

Thanks to social media, it’s never been easier to go it alone. Instagram, YouTube, Patreon, and TikTok give solopreneurs a number of platforms to establish their brands and get their products or services in front of millions of people worldwide. That’s something these young female solopreneurs understand better than most. 

“Finance is a big player, and content earnings are high,” Holmes explains. “Creating under #financialtransparency, #income, #money, and #budgeting opens up a whole new world of opportunity for me. Not only on the brand partnership side, but also on the digital product side.”

For young solo business owners online, sharing income breakdowns not only promotes financial transparency, but it’s also a smart business strategy. 

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