E46: Ever find yourself stuck in the hamster wheel of creativity, pouring your heart into your craft, but struggling to turn a profit? It's a challenge many of us face – the journey from creator to successful entrepreneur can feel like an uphill battle. Get ready as Yong-Soo Chung (@YongSooChung) chats with Daren Smith (@DarenTSmith), the founder of Craftsman Creative, a film producer and the author of "Five Figure Creators Build Six-Figure Businesses." Daren shares his incredible story of being broke to making it as a creative entrepreneur. On today’s episode, you’ll learn: - Mastering the Creative Entrepreneurial Mindset - The Secret to Success as a Creative Entrepreneur - Why Books Are "Business Cards on Steroids" - How to Build a Profitable Creative Business Let's get down to business! *** SPONSOR: Big thanks to Swell AI for sponsoring this episode. Swell AI is like having a production assistant 24/7. If you're a content creator, do yourself a favor and try Swell AI. *** EXCERPTS: The Importance of Owning Your Audience: "Get an email list, have a website, have a lead magnet. These are the four things you need to be building right now. In times of uncertainty like COVID, it's crucial to establish direct connections with your audience. Don't rely solely on social media platforms that can change their algorithms or shut down. By owning your audience, you have the power to grow your business and adapt to any circumstances." — Daren Smith  (8:51) Designing the Life that You Want: "Take the longer path to focus on your mindset, your outcomes, and build that business that's going to give you that long-term success and fulfillment that you want.' - a reminder to be intentional in creating a business that aligns with your desired lifestyle and values." — Daren Smith  (28:08) *** LINKS: Episode 36 Craftsman Creative Scorecard by Craftsman Creative JOIN: First Class Founders Premium Membership DOWNLOAD: Hyper-Visual For This Episode *** FOLLOW / REVIEW: - Follow - Leave 5-star review *** CONNECT W/ YONG-SOO: - X - Threads - LinkedIn - Newsletter *** First Class Founders is a show for indie hackers, bootstrapped founders, CEOs, solopreneurs, content creators, startup entrepreneurs, and SaaS startups covering topics like build in public, audience growth, product marketing, scaling up, side hustles, holding company, and more. Past guests include Arvid Kahl, Tyler Denk, Brad Stulberg, Clint Murphy, Andrew Warner, Chenell Basilio, Matt McGarry, Nick Huber, Khe Hy, and more. Additional episodes you might like: Future of Newsletters with Tyler Denk, Founder & CEO at Beehiiv From Zero to 100K Subscribers: How to Grow Your Newsletter like a Pro with Newsletter Growth Expert Matt McGarry ...