> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://creatorscience.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Introducing the Creative Companion Club - URL: https://creatorscience.com/introducing-creative-companion-club/ - Published: 2022-03-18T19:08:21.000Z - Updated: 2024-07-31T19:33:01.000Z - Author: Jay Clouse - Tags: Monetization, Community & Memberships, Behind The Scenes I'm coming up on five years since I started my creator journey. I started writing Creative Companion in January 2017 (though, by a different name) and I took the leap to self-employment in April of the same year. I had **no idea** what I was doing. I was freelancing, but I didn't really have any clear direction. I built WordPress websites. I did copywriting. I helped produce podcasts, and I even helped a company choose a name for itself. All I *really* knew was that I just wanted to live life on my own terms. I wanted to choose my projects, choose my hours, choose my collaborators, and ultimately choose what my days actually looked like. I wanted to decouple my time from how I earn a living. Other than that...I didn't have much direction. So growth was slow. Painfully slow. And money was tight. Painfully tight. But I just kept at it. And all the while, I was slowly shifting my energy away from work that I didn't love doing and towards work that I really loved doing. ## **Warning: I want to talk about money** I don't talk about numbers much in this newsletter. I know that there's a lot of baggage that comes with money. We all have our own money stories and it can be a weird thing to talk about. But it's important to talk about money sometimes. Because, unfortunately, we don't live in a world where money is really representative of the amount of effort you put in. It's not even always representative of the *quality* of work that you do. There are *so many* factors that go into how much money someone earns – and it can feel unfair. But that can also be empowering. There is no real limit to what you can build and earn online. It's honestly mind-boggling once you start experiencing it. So let me be direct – my creator business had its biggest month ever in February, generating a little more than $18,000 in revenue. I was over the moon! And I didn't expect that March would keep that pace. But halfway through the month, the business has already generated more than $20,000 in revenue. I'm not working harder now than I was four or even five years ago. In fact, I was working *really hard* back in 2017 to get by. It was year three the business before I (barely) broke six-figures – and that was almost entirely service-based income. Then in year four (last year), the business generated a little more than $150,000, and that was with almost *zero* service-based income. And at today's pace, the business may be able to generate more than $200,000 in revenue this year. ## **An important distinction** Notice that I keep saying that **the business generated** these figures – because even though I'm the driving force *behind* the business, **I am not my business**. My personal worth and my identity are not tied to the business. That's important for a few reasons: 1. The business is a thing that exists to create value and generate profit. I'm building it, but generating profit is not \*my\* sole purpose. 2. If the business does poorly, it's easier to not get down about it 3. These numbers are all pre-tax. That's not all in my pocket! But these *are* numbers I'm proud of. It certainly looks and sounds better than it felt in real time. Because in real time, things felt (and still feel) like a *struggle*. Most days feel an uphill battle with no discernible payoff. Was that email really worth it? That Tweet? That post on LinkedIn? But those small, incremental commitments over a five-year time horizon have made all the difference. ## **Becoming a \*professional\* creator** My methodical, day-after-day commitment is the "secret" to becoming a **professional creator**. > **If you want to create a real business with meaningful profit, you have to approach your work professionally.** Anyone can be a creator...but to make a living as a professional creator, that takes a lot of effort and commitment. A professional shows up every day. A professional creates when they don't feel like creating. A professional is constantly looking for small, incremental improvements that add up. I know it doesn't sound sexy. It doesn't sound as "fun" as the pure creative work. But I can tell you after nearly 100 interviews on Creative Elements with some of the best creators in the world...that's what it takes. ## **The payoff** I don't have nearly the audience size of my podcast guests. I'm *just* starting to feel confident about my mission, vision, and strategy. I'm *just* starting to trust that my projections for digital product sales will actually sustain. ...but that's what's so exciting. I feel like I'm *barely* scratching the surface of what's possible for my own creator business, and I'm already experiencing a *huge* payoff. It took five years to get to this point. It took five years to build the supporting *systems* in my business so that I can really focus my energy on creating good content and building new relationships. **But there's nothing special about me.** There's nothing that unique about me other than my relentless consistency and professional approach. And now that I'm here...I can't tell you how lucky and grateful I am. ## **How I can help you** I can't imagine a better lifestyle than what I've now built for myself. I have so much freedom. So much control. I basically only wear sweatpants. So I want to help as many people experience this as possible – and that's the clarity I've found in my mission with Creative Companion. Not just this newsletter, but my entire business. **I help people become professional creators.** This newsletter is a big part of that, Creative Elements is a big part of that, and the courses and workshops I develop are a big part of that. But the biggest piece is brand new. The place where I'll be putting a huge amount of my personal time and attention is the [**Creative Companion Club**](https://join.creativecompanion.club/?ref=creatorscience.com). ​Inside the [**Creative Companion Club**](https://join.creativecompanion.club/?ref=creatorscience.com), you'll get to spend a lot of time interacting with me directly. And when I'm not interacting with members in real time, I'm recording videos and documenting everything I'm doing in my OWN business that I think you can learn from. Because I'm actively growing my OWN business as a creator, everything I learn is useful to the community. Everything I learn, I teach. Everything that works for me, I share.​ ![](https://creatorscience.com/content/images/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-18-at-3.04.34-PM.png) I've never been more proud of a product, and 60+ members already love it. If you're a creator who is actively building your business and you need some help going pro – the [**Creative Companion Club**](https://join.creativecompanion.club/?ref=creatorscience.com) is made for you. > I'm an early member in [@jayclouse](https://twitter.com/jayclouse?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=creatorscience.com) Creative Companion Club > > People are popping in day by day dropping their introductions and I am seriously pinching myself over the people I get to connect with and learn from. > > If you're a creator/learner/consultant/maker you must join 👀 > > — Becky Pierson 🚢 (@beckypierson) [March 11, 2022](https://twitter.com/beckypierson/status/1502309401478193158?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=creatorscience.com) No hard sell from me – if it feels like a fit, then it probably is. If you're not committed to the years of effort required to go pro, or if the price seems too steep, then it's probably not quite a fit. But I want to help as many creators go pro as possible, and the CCC is how I'm going to do it. [Look inside the Club](https://join.creativecompanion.club/?ref=creatorscience.com) **PS:* If you enjoyed the numbers talk here, you'll love the CCC. Every month, I record an in-depth video going through my business's financial performance, whether I reached my goals or not, lessons learned, and the decisions I'm making for the next month based on those lessons.* *And if you're a community-builder yourself, I think you'll really enjoy seeing the unique ways I'm building the CCC. It's my lab for testing new ways of cultivating online communities...and I'm really excited about the experiments.*