Welcome to the Smart Art Business Podcast hosted by art business coach Rachel Wilkins. The Smart Art Business Podcast aims to help visual artists and creative entrepreneurs grow and sustain a successful business. Featuring tangible advice and inspiring interviews with artists and industry experts, you will learn how to brand, market, and sell your art the smart way.

 

In this episode, Rachel Wilkins speaks with Rodrigo Valles Jr and Gilbert James Ruiz from Aktual Money about financial resources that are available to artists running businesses, tips on record keeping, tax compliance and business structure that artists should consider having in place. Aktual Money explores a list of items that artists can claim on their taxes but may be overlooking, expenses related to bringing the studio into your home versus running a studio separately, separating business from personal expenses, pitfalls, the difference between federal and state taxes and its importance.

 

Aktual partners with bankers, art consultants, CPAs and scientists to help the creative individual work through business challenges and bring in fresh and personal approaches to their businesses in areas of tax preparation, business strategies and formation, Business plan development and non profit creation.

 

Rodrigo Valles Jr is a founding partner and co-owner of Aktual LLC. For over 15 years he has functioned as a neuroscientist, health center director, artist and serial entrepreneur. He created Aktual because he saw an opportunity to give artists and creative professionals the same knowledge and resources leveraged by other industries.

 

 

Gilbert James Ruiz is a co-owner and chief strategy officer for Aktual, LLC. He has been in the banking and finance industry for 20years, having worked with and for startups, small businesses and Fortune 100 organizations. He created Aktual to help the community of artists position themselves for growth, success and to have access to resources that often elude them.

 

 

In this episode we discuss:

  • Financial resources that are available to artists running businesses
  • Tax compliance and business structure that artists should have in place
  • Things that artists can claim on their taxes that they may be overlooking
  • Expenses related to bringing the studio into your home versus running a studio separately
  • Separating business from personal expenses
  • Tips on record keeping and the pitfalls
  • Difference between federal and state and why it is important

 

Aktual Money Website here: https://www.aktualmoney.com/

Rachel Wilkins Website: http://www.smartartbiz.com/

 

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We hope you find this episode packed with value and resources that help you with your art business. We wish you ongoing success.