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skills · Creative business: pricing, income, merchandise, production costs, funding and contracts for creators

Get paid fairly for the creative work you already do well.

Six short lessons on pricing, income, merch, costs, funding and deals. You work on your own numbers; ATLAS checks the maths and you make the call.

By the end, you'll be able to:

  • Set a day rate you can explain and defend
  • Pick the income streams that fit your audience
  • Plan merch without a box of unsold stock
  • Know what each video, episode or event really costs
  • Pitch a project with a clear use of funds
  • Get deals out of text messages and into writing

From $9/month~90 minutes1 chapter6 lessons

“Your rate is a calculation, not a feeling.”

About this course

Who it's for

  • You make videos, photos, designs, audio, writing or events and want to be paid fairly for it
  • You have a small but real audience, or you sell your creative time as a freelancer
  • You work at a small studio, production company or events business and help with quotes and deals

What you'll need

  • Some creative work you sell or want to sell
  • Comfort with a calculator or a simple spreadsheet

What you'll be able to do

  • Set a day rate from the income you need, and show how you got there
  • Pick two or three income streams that fit your audience
  • Cost a product line by line and choose between print-on-demand and a bulk order
  • Work out what one video, episode or event really cost against what it earned
  • Turn a deal agreed over text messages into a one-page written agreement

Skills you'll practise

  • Pricing your work
  • Day rates
  • Brand deal quotes
  • Income streams
  • Product costing
  • Pitching for funding
  • Simple contracts

How long it takes

About 1.5 hours in total

  1. Chapter 1 · The business side of creative work1.5 hours

What's included

  • 6 lessons
  • 24 readings
  • 6 worked examples
  • 18 exercises
  • 12 quick checks
  • 6 common myths
  • 6 quizzes
  • 1 end-of-chapter check

Curriculum

1 chapters, 6 lessons

The full expedition — every chapter and lesson. Tap a chapter to expand. Lessons unlock when you start.

    • Know What Your Work Is WorthPreview
    • Turn Your Audience into Income
    • Cost Your Merch Before You Order It
    • The Real Cost of Your Content
    • Pitch Your Project and Get Funded
    • Put Every Deal on One Signed Page

Career

Where this course can take you

The roles this course maps to, and the skills you can list on your resume and LinkedIn once you finish it.

Skills you will master

Ready to paste into your resume or LinkedIn profile once you have finished the course.

  • Pricing creative workCalculate a day rate from income, costs and billable days
  • Creator revenue planningMatch revenue streams to an audience
  • Merchandise unit economicsBuild a unit cost and gross margin for a product
  • Production costingSeparate direct and fixed costs for a production
  • Pitching a creative projectWrite a one-page pitch with a use of funds
  • Deal and contract basicsTurn an informal deal into a written statement of work

Questions

Before you commit

Creators with a small but real audience, freelancers who sell creative time, and early-career people at small studios, production companies or events businesses.

No. It teaches how to think about money for creative work. For contracts, tax or investment decisions, talk to a qualified professional where you live.

No. The maths is a calculator or a simple spreadsheet, and every step is shown.

No. ATLAS checks your working, points out what is missing and asks questions. You decide the number.

Start today

Start learning today

From $9/month