Let me tell you about the $10,000 mistake that made me obsessed with income tracking and it wasn’t even mine. It was my husband’s.
He’s creative, brilliant, has a head full of big ideas. He’d spent a year building up his own thing, lots of late nights, experiments that flopped, offers that finally clicked. By all accounts, the year was a success. The Stripe notifications kept rolling in. Sales were consistent. Clients were happy.
And we just… kept living. Paying the bills. Topping up savings here and there. Treating the kids on weekends. Nothing extravagant, but life was good. Busy, but good.
But then, tax time hit. We sat down with the accountant, fully expecting a manageable bill. Maybe a couple thousand, tops. He clicked through a few tabs. Did some quick calculations. Then he looked up and said, “Okay, so you’ll owe about $10,400.”
I literally laughed. Thought he was joking. We hadn’t even pulled in six figures that year, how could we possibly owe ten grand? But he was dead serious.
Turns out, when you’re self-employed and not consistently setting aside tax, it adds up fast. Especially when you’re only looking at your income and not tracking things like expenses, tax obligations, or actual take-home.
My husband had the raw numbers, sure. Stripe totals. Stan Store dashboards. Payment notifications. But he didn’t have the full picture. And that picture? It matters.
Watching that moment unfold, the stress, the scrambling, the “how did I not see this coming?” It lit something up in me. I didn’t want to ever feel like that. I didn’t want anyone I knew, especially creators like you, to feel like that either.
Because let’s be real, most of us don’t start digital businesses because we love spreadsheets. We start them because we want freedom. Flexibility. Creativity. Impact. But somewhere along the way, the numbers sneak up on you. And if you’re not tracking them properly, you’re not just flying blind, you’re flying blind with a broken fuel gauge.
The truth is, most platforms weren’t built for financial clarity, they were built for sales.
Stan Store is amazing for making money feel easy. Upload a product, share your link, and boom, cash in the account. That feeling when your phone lights up with “You made a sale!” never gets old.
But once the buzz wears off, you’re left with questions.
- Can I afford to invest in a new offer?
- What’s actually working in my shop?
- Where did all that money go?
- …and am I secretly setting myself up for a tax nightmare?
Stan Store will show you sales. But it won’t tell you:
- How much you need to put aside for tax
- Which products are the most profitable
- Whether your expenses are creeping up faster than your income
- What months tend to dip (so you can prep instead of panic)
- How much of your “yay I made $438!” actually belongs to you
And listen, this isn’t a “be better with money” lecture. This is a “you deserve clarity” moment. Because you’re not just a content creator or a shop owner. You’re a business owner. And you deserve to feel like one. That means having a system, even a simple one, that shows you the full picture, not just the highlight reel.
What “tracking your income” should actually look like
Spoiler: it’s not just jotting down your total sales in a Notes app.
Here’s what I recommend (and what my husband and I now do):
1. Track gross revenue
This is your total sales before fees, refunds, or anything else. It helps you see growth, and it’s usually the number you feel excited about (hello, dopamine).
2. Deduct transaction fees
Stripe, PayPal, Stan Store they all take their cut. Most creators forget this step and end up overestimating their actual income.
3. Account for refunds + discounts
Even if it’s rare, it happens. You want to know how much money actually stayed in your business.
4. Log your operating expenses
Think: Canva Pro, email platforms, software, contractors, coaching, anything you pay to keep your biz running. This is where money leaks tend to hide.
5. Calculate your net profit
This is your real income. The amount that’s truly yours after all costs are accounted for. It’s often less than you think, but it’s also where all your power lies.
6. Set aside money for tax
This one’s huge. Whether you use a percentage (like 25-30%) or a formula, don’t wait until EOFY to scramble. Future you will want to hug you.
7. Break income down by product
Which offer is bringing in the most income? Which one is low-effort, high return? You can’t optimize if you don’t have this info.
8. Look at trends over time
Not just how much you made this month, but how that compares to the last six. Are you growing? Is summer always slow? Are your launches consistent?
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about patterns. And when you can see those patterns, you can plan.
Why this matters more as you grow
In the beginning, your business might feel small enough to “just wing it.” And maybe you can, for a while. But growth sneaks up on you.
Suddenly your $438 turns into $2,438. Then $8,438. And if you’re not tracking it properly, you don’t just risk being confused, you risk making decisions from a false sense of security.
I’ve seen it happen. You feel rich one month, and broke the next.
You invest in a course because your Stripe said “$5K this week!”
You don’t check if 40% of that went to affiliates and 30% to tax.
You keep operating off vibes, not numbers, until the numbers catch up.
But the good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated.
You don’t need bookkeeping software or a finance degree. You just need a spreadsheet that makes sense, works for how your brain works, and helps you track what matters.
My not-so-secret system
I built my own Google Sheets income tracker because I wanted something simple, visual, and pretty enough that I’d actually use it.
Something that shows:
- What I made this month
- What I spent
- How much is mine
- How much to set aside
- Which products carried the month
It’s not about obsessing over every number. It’s about knowing enough to make smart, empowered decisions — without waiting until tax time to clean up the mess.
TLDR: Stan Store shows you sales. You need a system that shows you strategy.
So yeah, use Stan Store. Enjoy it. Celebrate every ping and payout. But don’t rely on it to tell the full story. Track your digital product income like a real business owner. Because you are one.
