Organic, social & brand marketing

Books and taxes for personal brand agencies.

A monthly retainer covering content, media, and speaking, a commission when a speaking engagement books, a slice of a client's course launch, and photographers and web designers hired for one project. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MarchExample month
$14,800
what you made

March came in at $14,800. Client P's course launch paid us a percentage of what the launch brought in, so I kept that apart from your flat retainers, it will not repeat until the next launch.

  • Retainer, Client PRetainer revenue
  • Launch revenue share, Client PLaunch revenue share
  • Speaking commission, Client QSpeaking fee commissions
  • Freelance headshot photographerContractor payouts
  • Website designer, Client Q rebuildContractor payouts
Money in$51,000
Money out$36,200
Set aside for taxes$3,800
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Personal brand agency books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a retainer and a bonus check. Your business is a flat monthly fee that sits next to a percentage of a client's course launch, a speaking commission that gets paid on its own schedule by an event organizer, and one-off contractors hired per project. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell how much of the business is steady versus one big launch away from a slow quarter.

  1. 1

    A launch revenue share looks like a bigger retainer

    A client's course launch brings the agency a percentage of what it earned, and that check can be worth several months of retainer at once. Booked as regular income, it makes a quiet retainer quarter look like it grew when the growth was really one launch.

    What we doKeeps launch revenue share separate from retainer income, so the recurring number stays the one you can trust between launches.
  2. 2

    Speaking commissions arrive on someone else's schedule

    An event organizer pays a booking fee weeks or months after a talk is confirmed, sometimes in a deposit and a final payment, so it is hard to tell which client relationship a commission actually belongs to once it lands.

    What we doTies each speaking commission back to the client and engagement it came from, so scattered timing does not turn into scattered records.
  3. 3

    Project contractors get lumped into one bill

    A headshot photographer for one client and a website designer for another both get paid through the same contractor line, so it is hard to see what building out any one client's brand actually cost.

    What we doTies contractor pay to the client and project it served, so real cost per client stays visible.
  4. 4

    A retainer's scope creeps without a new invoice

    A client who signed up for content and media support starts asking for speaking prep and launch planning too, and the retainer never gets repriced, so the agency ends up doing far more work for the same fee.

    What we doFlags when contractor and project activity for a client grows well past what their retainer typically covers, so a scope conversation happens before margin disappears.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a personal brand agency.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Retainer revenueMonthly billing covering content, media, and brand strategy.
  • Speaking fee commissionsA cut of booking fees when the agency lands a speaking engagement.
  • Launch revenue shareA percentage of a client's book or course launch.
  • Project feesOne-off brand refresh or website rebuild engagements.

Money out

  • Contractor payoutsPhotographers, web designers, and writers hired per client project.
  • Media and outreach toolsDatabases and software used for press and speaking outreach.
  • Coworking and officeShared office space or a home office setup.
  • Business developmentThe agency's own proposal and outreach tools.
  • TravelTrips to accompany a client to a speaking engagement or media appearance.

What we watch for you

  • Retainer revenue

    The steady piece of income, separate from launch shares and speaking commissions.

  • Launch share income

    How much of the year's revenue depends on client launches versus recurring retainers.

  • Cost per client

    What contractors hired for one client's project actually cost against their retainer.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month even in a quarter with a big launch check.

Ask Gus

Things personal brand agency owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

A client's course launch paid us way more than their retainer usually does. Will that make the business look bigger than it is?

No. I kept the launch revenue share separate from retainer income, so you can still see the steady number underneath the launch.

A speaking commission finally landed, months after the talk was booked. Can you tell which client it belongs to?

Yes. I tied it back to the client and engagement it came from, so late payments do not turn into a mystery deposit.

Do I need a 1099 for the photographer I hire for client headshots?

If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.

The tax side

The tax side of a personal brand agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A launch share counted like a retainer, a photographer treated like an employee, and a set-aside nobody started until April.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, a photographer, designer, or writer, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated agencies can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. Above roughly $200,000 single, the accountant checks how launch revenue share and speaking fees factor into it.
  • Self-employment taxA solo owner not paid through payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base, launch checks included.
  • Quarterly estimated taxesTaxes are due as the money is made, including a launch revenue share that can land in one lump. Payments fall on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.

Deductions personal brand agencies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Photographer and videographer fees
  • Web designer payments
  • Media outreach software
  • Business liability insurance
  • Travel to speaking engagements
  • Coworking space
  • Business phone and internet
  • Conference tickets
  • Website hosting for the agency
  • Accounting and legal fees
  • Proposal and outreach software

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A personal brand agency's year, kept every month.

Launches and speaking engagements land on someone else's calendar, but tax deadlines do not move. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Map out the year

    Last year's return gets started, the photographer and designer 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed and finalized

    Your return is filed and signed. Even a big launch check did not throw off the set-aside built since January.

  3. July

    Midyear standing check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and how much of the year's income has come from launches versus retainers.

  4. October

    Before speaking season

    Conference and speaking bookings for next year start landing around this time. Gus looks at cash flow and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for personal brand agencies. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions personal brand agency owners ask first.

A client's launch paid us far more than their retainer usually brings in. Does that skew our monthly numbers?

No. Gus keeps launch revenue share separate from retainer income, so your recurring revenue stays the number that actually predicts a normal month.

Speaking commissions come in on the event organizer's schedule, not ours. Can Gus keep those straight?

Yes. Gus ties each commission back to the client and engagement it came from, so a late or split payment does not turn into an unexplained deposit.

We hire different contractors, photographers, designers, for different clients. Can Gus show real cost per client?

Yes. Contractor pay gets tied to the client and project it served, so you can see what building out any one client's brand actually costs.

One client keeps adding more to their retainer scope without a new invoice. Would Gus notice that?

Often, yes. When contractor and project activity for a client grows well past what their retainer typically covers, Gus flags it so a repricing conversation can happen.

My books mix retainers, launch shares, and speaking commissions with no real system. Can that get sorted out?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus separates each income type, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever