Running a creative business is fulfilling, but let’s be real: it can also be financially stressful. You pour your energy into building something meaningful, serving clients, and keeping the lights on. But when it comes to paying yourself? That often gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list.

Maybe you take whatever’s left at the end of the month (if anything). Maybe you feel guilty taking money out of your business. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that paying yourself last is just part of being an entrepreneur.

If your business isn’t paying you a consistent, sustainable salary, it’s time to fix that. Here’s how.

The Risk of Overcommitting to Fixed Costs

Many creative founders fall into the trap of treating their expenses as rigid commitments, setting up financial structures that don’t account for natural fluctuations in income.

Think about it: You build your business expecting steady client retainers, but what happens when a client leaves or a payment gets delayed? If you’ve structured your pay and team expenses in a way that assumes everything stays the same, you can quickly find yourself in a financial crunch.

Sarah, a freelance designer, consistently brought in $10K a month. She committed to a fixed team cost of $5K, rent and software at $2K, and took home the remaining $3K. When two clients delayed payment, her entire system collapsed. She had to dip into personal savings to cover team costs while waiting for overdue invoices.

The key takeaway? Your business needs financial flexibility. If every dollar coming in is already allocated to a fixed cost, there’s little room for the natural ups and downs that happen in any business.

2. Creating a Financial Model That Supports You in Any Season

Instead of locking in high, fixed expenses, think of your finances as a system that adapts with your business.

A flexible financial model allows you to:

Pay yourself consistently, even when revenue fluctuates.
Grow your team in a way that doesn’t create unnecessary pressure.
Cover operational costs without feeling strapped for cash.

A good approach is to define pay structures that are responsive to revenue.

This means:

Setting aside a percentage of each client payment for your salary instead of a static amount.
Structuring compensation in a way that scales—so when revenue is high, you can increase pay, and when it’s lower, you aren’t overextended.
Building cash reserves to create stability during slow months.

Mark, an agency owner, switched to a percentage-based pay system. Instead of taking a fixed $6K monthly salary, he took 40% of gross profit. This meant during high-revenue months, he earned more, but in lean months, he still had enough to sustain his business without financial strain.

By treating your salary and expenses as adaptable rather than fixed, you create a business that supports long-term sustainability and profitability.

3. Paying Yourself First—With Built-In Protection

With a flexible system in place, you can build in consistent pay for yourself without risking business stability:

Set a percentage-based salary: Instead of a fixed amount, pay yourself a percentage of net revenue after operating costs.
Automate cash reserves: Set aside a percentage of profits into a business savings account to cover unexpected slow months.
Pre-plan raises and bonuses: As revenue increases, allocate a portion toward increasing your salary rather than waiting until “things feel stable.”

This ensures that even if the business hits a rough patch, you don’t have to personally absorb all the financial stress.

4. Plan for Taxes

A non-negotiable part of paying yourself is preparing for taxes. If you don’t set money aside proactively, your salary isn’t actually your salary—it’s partially the IRS’s (or your country’s tax authority).

A simple rule: Set aside 25-30% of every paycheck for taxes.

If you’re a sole proprietor or LLC, this covers your self-employment taxes.
If you’re an S-Corp, you’ll also have payroll taxes, but you might save on self-employment tax.

5. Give Yourself a Raise (and Even a Bonus)

You didn’t start your business to scrape by. As your revenue grows, your salary should grow too.

Here’s how to give yourself a raise the smart way:

Review your finances quarterly – How’s cash flow? Are profits steady? (psst, we can help with that).
Increase your salary in small increments – Don’t jump from $3K to $10K overnight. Start with a 5-10% bump.
Set up a bonus system – If your business has a high-profit month, take a percentage as a bonus.

Final Thoughts: Paying Yourself Is a Non-Negotiable

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of underpaying yourself, now’s the time to change that. You can run a mission-driven, creative business and take home a real paycheck.

Build an adaptive financial model that adjusts with revenue.
Pay yourself a consistent percentage instead of relying on fixed salaries.
Set aside taxes before you touch your paycheck.
Plan raises and bonuses proactively as you grow.

Your business isn’t truly successful until it can afford to pay you well. Let’s make that happen.

Need help setting up a financial system that supports your salary goals?

Let’s chat. Mindful Means helps service based creative founders and agencies build sustainable, profitable businesses – without the financial stress through our bookkeeping, advisory, and tax offerings.

The Creative Entrepreneur’s Guide to Paying Yourself