Finding Balance as a Creative Business Owner

Ever feel like you’re running on empty, juggling client work, marketing, and the never-ending to-do list? In this episode of the Kaffeen Authority Builder podcast, Charlotte Ellis Maldari sits down with Jessica Abel—graphic novelist, author, and founder of Autonomous Creative—to talk about how mid-career creatives can reshape their client work into a sustainable business model that aligns with real life.

From Burnout to Balance: The Realities of Creative Work

Both Charlotte and Jessica open up about the challenges of managing a full client roster, the temptation to over-deliver, and the struggle to balance creative fulfilment with financial stability. Jessica shares her journey from being a working artist and author (and discovering just how tough it is to make a living from books alone) to teaching and eventually coaching other creatives on building businesses that actually work for them.

Why Business Models Matter More Than Marketing

A recurring theme is the importance of getting your business model right before throwing time or money at marketing. Jessica points out that many creatives try to fix foundational business issues with more marketing, but if your offers and pricing don’t match your capacity and financial needs, you’re heading straight for burnout. She explains:

“Having a business model that does not match the financial and time realities of your life means that you’re going to head straight into burnout. There’s no way around it.”

Who Does Jessica Help?

Jessica’s clients are typically mid-career creatives—people who have honed a specific expertise and are ready for honest, data-driven advice. They’re not looking for magic bullets, but want to understand the real numbers behind their business and make decisions based on reality, not wishful thinking.

Getting Real About Pricing and Capacity

One of the most practical takeaways from the conversation is Jessica’s approach to pricing. She encourages creatives to start with their actual financial needs and available capacity, then work backwards to design offers and set prices that are sustainable. Her “ground truth calculator” helps clients see, in black and white, how their time and money stack up—and what needs to change to make the business viable.

“Pricing is just a lens on every other part of your business. If you start with that and you’re like, ‘Okay, this needs to be my goal because this is the time and money equation I’m dealing with,’ then you go, ‘Oh, now I need to really address what it is that I have built.’”

Over-Delivering: A Creative’s Double-Edged Sword

The urge to over-deliver is strong among creatives, but Jessica warns that it can quickly erode profitability and set unrealistic expectations. She suggests using data—like the effective hourly rate after over-servicing a client—to help set boundaries and make more conscious decisions about when (and why) to go the extra mile.

Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Success

Beyond spreadsheets and calculators, Jessica highlights the ongoing mindset work required to run a creative business. It’s about toggling between self-belief and self-doubt, and using real evidence—client results, testimonials, and commercial impact—to ground your confidence.

“You have to sell yourself on your offer. And so you need to look for the evidence. I don’t think you do that just by going, ‘I’m great, I’m amazing.’ What works is, ‘Wow, my clients told me how happy they are. My clients are publishing their books. My clients are selling their products.’”

Practical Tools and Next Steps

Jessica has developed a free training, Stop Working Nights and Weekends, which dives deeper into the concept of capacity and how to design your business for sustainability. If you’re a creative who’s tired of the hustle and ready to build a business that works for you, it’s well worth a watch.

Listen to the Full Episode

This conversation is packed with honest insights, practical frameworks, and plenty of real talk about what it takes to build a profitable creative business—without burning out. Listen to the full episode of “Designing Profitable Creative Business Without Burnout, with Jessica Abel” on Buzzsprout.