Midnight. Again.

Half-finished projects scatter your desk. Another family dinner missed. All because “just one more thing” turned into five more hours.

(This isn’t exactly the creative business freedom you dreamed about, is it?)

Remember that dream? The one where you’d spend your mornings creating in your sun-filled studio, your afternoons sparked with inspiration, and your schedule… well, your schedule would actually be YOURS.

Instead? You’re drowning in admin tasks, saying yes to clients who drain your soul, and wondering if weekends off are just a myth other business owners made up.

Here’s the thing: 

As both a creative business coach and outsourced COO, I’ve watched countless talented entrepreneurs like you hit this same wall. Through my business coaching services, I’ve helped dozens break through it – transforming their businesses from “overwhelmed and overworked” to “organized and genuinely enjoyable.”

Truth is, as a business coach specializing in creative businesses, I’ve seen firsthand how unique our challenges are. My experiences have taught me something crucial: building tangible freedom into your business isn’t about working less – it’s about working right.

And through years of business coaching and mentoring creatives just like you, I’ve cracked the code on exactly how to do it.

Want to know how I built a business that lets me get my kids off the bus every day, spend summers at the beach, and choose only projects that light me up? 

Better yet – want to know how to build that kind of freedom into YOUR business?

Let me show you.

True Business Freedom

“I started my business for the freedom.”

I hear this from creative entrepreneurs all the time. But freedom isn’t just one thing – it’s not exclusively about time, or money, or location.

Real, sustainable business freedom? It’s built from seven essential elements that work together to create a business that truly serves your life (instead of the other way around).

Through my decade plus as a creative business coach and outsourced COO, I’ve identified these seven types of freedoms and, more importantly, how to build them into your business intentionally.

Ready to learn what they are?

#1 Time Freedom

The first form of freedom we’ll explore is time freedom. Time freedom is all about owning your schedule instead of your schedule owning you. It’s the ability to work when you’re most creative, take breaks when you need them, and structure your day around what matters most to you in each season of life and business.

Here’s what time freedom looks like in my business as a creative entrepreneur: I get my kids on and off the bus each day, completely unplug on weekends, and use Fridays as my CEO day.

Sound impossible? I thought so too.

When I started, my calendar was a mess of overlapping commitments and “urgent” client needs. Every notification felt like it was yanking me away from what mattered most. But step by step, I rebuilt my schedule to serve my life instead of drain it.

And here’s what I learned: claiming your time as a creative business owner isn’t about dramatic overnight changes. It’s about small, intentional steps that add up to big shifts. With the right planning and systems, you can build this freedom too.

After coaching dozens of creatives, I know this is possible for you and your business.

Picture this:

• Sketching designs over coffee at 7am (because your best ideas flow before the sun comes up)
• Spontaneous Thursday lunch dates (without checking your phone every 2 minutes)
• School concerts and soccer games (without racing back to your desk)

Quick steps to get started reclaiming your time:

1. Audit your calendar (because you can’t fix what you can’t see). Here’s a free time audit to get you started!
   
   
2. Lock in your non-negotiables. (Ideal working hours? School pickup? Morning yoga? Name it to claim it.)
   
   
3. Develop repeatable, scalable systems that protect your time (my favorite part of being an outsourced COO) – like a client portal that handles all your booking, email templates that set boundaries automatically, and project workflows that run themselves while you’re getting creative behind-the-scenes.

Because here’s the truth: Your calendar isn’t just a collection of meetings and deadlines.

It’s the story of how you’re choosing to live your life.

(And it’s time to make it a story you actually want to read.)

#2 Priority Freedom

Speaking of choices…

Ever said yes to a project your gut was screaming “no” about?

(Yeah, we’ve all been there.)

Priority freedom means having the power to say yes to what you want and no to what you don’t. It’s about aligning your business decisions with your personal values, vision, and goals.

I’ve learned that true freedom means choosing what matters most. 

For me? 

That’s volunteering at my kids’ school, pursuing passion projects, and making arrangements to work away from home for family time at our shore house. It allows me to prioritize what is important to me at this point in my life, rather than having to set my schedule up around someone else’s priorities (i.e. a boss).

Your priorities probably look different than mine. That’s exactly why my approach to business coaching is about building YOUR version of freedom.

Quick steps to dial in your priorities as an entrepreneur:

1. Define what success means to YOU (not what Instagram says it should be)
   
   
2. List your current commitments (brutal honesty required). Is there anything you can let go of or delegate so you can prioritize the most important commitments?
   
   
3. Create boundaries that stick (my chief operating officer specialty) so that you can continue to prioritize what matters most to you.
   
   
4. Start building a basic business plan (click here to get started without the complicated business jargon) that acts as your North Star. When decisions come up, big or small, your plan becomes your priority compass – pointing you toward what matters most and steering you away from what doesn’t align with your vision.

COO Tip: Feeling genuinely successful is something we all strive for. But how we define success is not universal. In fact, it is deeply personal and unique to each person. To help, I’ve created this free Definition of Success exercise specifically for creative entrepreneurs like you so you can get clear on what success looks like in your life and business in a tangible and actionable way. Download it here.

#3 Financial Freedom

Ever get that pit in your stomach when you check your business banking account?

(Not exactly the creative entrepreneur dream, right?)

Financial freedom is having a business that consistently supports your chosen lifestyle without the feast or famine cycle. It’s not just about making money (although that’s 100% necessary) It’s also about having the stability to make choices from a place of want rather than need.

In my business: I’ve been able to weather every season – from my husband’s leap into entrepreneurship through COVID’s uncertainty and into exciting new opportunities. As a creative business coach, I’ve built financial stability that lets our family make choices based on what we want, not just what we need.

In your business, financial freedom means you can:

• Make decisions from abundance (not panic)
• Fund your dream projects (without the stress)
• Support your ideal lifestyle (yes, really)

Quick steps to work toward financial freedom:

1. Calculate your “enough point” (my favorite creative business coaching tool). This is your monthly target that covers necessities, lifestyle choices, and breathing room to run your business sustainably.
   
   
2. Design pricing based on your real value (not your competitor’s random numbers)
   
   
3. Structure your offers to meet these goals (so your business actually funds your freedom)

COO Tip: Ready to stop charging random numbers? Get proven pricing formulas + done-for-you calculators in my Pricing Mini-Course. Access it here. 

#4 Travel Freedom

Whether you’re an avid traveler or not, travel freedom can be about so much more than sitting poolside working from a laptop (although it can definitely be that). It simply means having a business that travels with you, not one that ties you down. 

It’s the ability to work from anywhere (an office, a different country, your studio or office, a luxury hotel, a local coffee shop, your bed) while maintaining the quality and consistency your clients expect. 

Whether you’re taking your work on the road or carving out some unplugged time, travel freedom opens up endless possibilities.

Fun fact: My wanderlust once led me to take on a short stint as a travel agent!

While I’ve stepped away from the travel agent side gig, I am still a huge lover of travel. Now I travel primarily with my family—summers at the Jersey shore, family trips to Disney—without ever having to “ask for time off.” 

Let’s explore how to build this kind of location independence so you can have the option to…

• Work from that dreamy beach town or your home studio
• Take annual family trips
• Catch a last minute flight to see a long-distance friend
• Or, simply avoid having to commute into an office 

Quick steps to start claiming more location independence in your business:

1. Audit your location dependencies (what’s really keeping you stuck?)
   
   
2. Choose cloud-based systems and tech stacks so you can access files, deliverables, and designs anywhere, anytime (like Google Workspace)
   
   
3. Create clear communication processes (so clients know what to expect while maintaining your boundaries)

Because freedom isn’t just about where you can work – it’s about being able to say “yes” to adventures without checking your PTO balance first.

#5 Family Freedom

Know that guilty feeling when you miss another special moment?

Family freedom means building a business that enhances your family life instead of competing with it. It’s the ability to be present for both the big moments and the small daily ones. Yes, I’m a mom, but whether you have kids or not, family freedom can mean so many different things.

In my business: From Disney adventures to spontaneous Friday explorations, from summer days at the shore to midweek school events – I’m there. As a creative business coach, I’ve built a business that puts family first. No commute means more family time, and a flexible schedule means being present for the moments that matter.

In your business this might allow you to:

• Create your own family traditions 
• Handle emergencies if and when they come up
• Plan to grow your family now or in the future
• Spend quality time with your chosen family (aka friends!)

Quick steps to carving out more family time:

1. Define your non-negotiable family time (in my business coaching services, we make these sacred). This could involve setting specific hours or days each week that are dedicated solely to family activities and obligations, with no work-related tasks or meetings allowed.
   
   
2. Create boundaries that protect family hours (start with one). This might mean turning off email and work notifications during designated family time, or having a policy of not taking business calls after a certain hour in the evening.
   
   
3. Build creative business systems that run without you. My favorite outsourced COO strategy is to focus on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that don’t require constant oversight like invoicing, customer service, call scheduling, etc. These save you time (no more reinventing the wheel) or can be effortlessly delegated to team members.
   
   
4. Communicate your availability and boundaries early and often. Make sure you tell your team, clients, vendors, and any other stakeholders (yes, even your family members themselves).

Ultimately, when you build your business right, those core family memories aren’t just dreams on your vision board – they’re regular entries in your calendar.

#6 Lifestyle Freedom

Lifestyle freedom means building a business that supports your dream life – not just in theory, but in real, everyday moments. It’s about creating space for the life you want now, not someday.

In my business: In 2018, pregnant with my second child, I had a dream of summering at the shore with my kids. Instead of filing it away as “someday,” my husband and I focused on that goal and were finally able to buy a beach house. Now, I’ve built a business that lets me spend summers ocean-side with my family, sinking our toes in the sand on random Tuesday afternoons. 

My business also gives me the flexibility to build neighborhood walks into my schedule when we’re home in PA, pop into the kitchen between meetings to tend my homemade sourdough, or cook a healthy meal for my family. 

But, I’ll be honest – I’m not perfect at maintaining all these habits. They come and go, and sometimes get bumped by other priorities. But that’s the beauty of lifestyle freedom: you get to choose, adjust, and evolve as your life does.

In your business:

• Design your days around what matters (not just what pays)
• Make space to put yourself and your wellbeing first (at every stage)
• Create pockets of joy in your schedule – whether that’s a midday workout, learning a new craft, or simply having lunch away from your desk (because these daily choices shape your quality of life)

Quick steps to start living your ideal lifestyle:

1. Define your ideal lifestyle like morning routines, family time, hobby time, and those daily moments that matter to you
   
   
2. Identify your non-negotiables so you can intentionally build a business that funds the lifestyle you want (from mortgage payments to spontaneous family adventures) 
   
   
3. Create systems that protect your schedule: establish clear client hours in your contracts, use scheduling tools that block personal time, and create efficient workflows that respect your creative peaks. Leave breathing room between projects for life’s unexpected moments.

The truth is, lifestyle freedom isn’t about being perfect – it’s about having the choice to live life on your own terms.

#7 Work Freedom

New projects should be exciting, but we’ve all had that one client who makes us worry as soon as we see their name. Ever notice your stomach drop when certain clients show up in your inbox?

Work freedom means having the power to choose your projects, clients, and work style. It’s about building a business that excites you rather than drains you.

In my business: I choose my clients, decide what kinds of services and deliverables I will offer, and say no to work that doesn’t align. Through business coaching and mentoring, I help others build this same selective approach.

In your business:

• Work with clients who energize you
• Only take on the types of projects that light you up
• Say no without guilt or hesitation (and yes with excitement)

Quick steps find more freedom in your work:

1. Define your ideal client (be hyper-specific) so you know who you do and do not want to work with
2. Create a strong qualification process to weed out poor-fit leads
3. Work on building out multiple income streams (freedom requires options) so that you never feel completely dependent on one type of project 

That inbox anxiety? It’s optional. (And freedom is way more fun.)

Ready to Build Your Dream Creative Business?

Ready to build your business in a way that allows you to make real money doing the creative work you love? 

(You know, the kind that actually lets you live the life you dreamed about?)

Look, I get it. Right now you might be:

• Drowning in endless to-do lists
• Struggling to make all the pieces fit
• Wondering if true creative business freedom is even possible

(By now I hope you can see, it absolutely is.)

That’s exactly why I created Business Building for Creatives – the first self-paced business course of its kind designed specifically for creatives, by a creative business coach who’s actually been there.

As both a COO and creative entrepreneur coach, I’ve packed everything I’ve learned about building sustainable creative businesses into this comprehensive program.

Inside, you’ll discover:

• How to set goals that excite you (and actually achieve them)
• Systems that work for YOUR creative brain (no corporate templates here)
• Rhythms that keep you moving forward (not starting over every Monday)

What’s waiting for you:

• 5 self-paced modules (because freedom means learning on your schedule)
• 30+ bite-sized video lessons
• 5 interactive workbooks (that you’ll actually want to use)
• 16 customizable tools & spreadsheets 
• 7 easy-to-implement templates tested through my business coaching services
• 2 bonus modules (because who doesn’t love extras?)

Through my chief operating officer experience and business coaching and mentoring programs, I’ve helped hundreds of creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses.

Now it’s your turn.

Stop dreaming about business freedom and start building it. Partner with an experienced creative business coach who knows what it takes to thrive as a creative entrepreneur – join Business Building for Creatives today.