Ilene Squires has 18 years of experience in tax preparation and a decade of experience as a creative entrepreneur. In this free course from Zoo Labs, Ilene teaches what taxes are and how to pay them, basic bookkeeping tools, common business deductions for creatives, and shares tips she wishes someone had told her. Learn strategies to take the fear out of taxes and create a strategy for growth in your business.


Your Instructor: Ilene Squires

"I'm here from the future to tell you that if you price yourself correctly now, in the future you'll be able to work less and make more."


Ilene Squires has nearly two decades of experience in tax preparation and over a decade of experience as a multi-hyphenate creative entrepreneur; her unique perspective has taught her how to work smarter, not harder.

In this course Ilene covers:

  • Pricing your outcomes rather than your time
  • Gross vs. Net: Why your take-home is the real number that matters
  • Calculating your tax-informed rates
  • Tips on sharing your rates (without apology)


This 25-minute mini course will help you calculate your rate and ask for what you're worth with clarity and confidence!




Course Preview


Ilene Squires has 18 years of experience in tax preparation and a decade of experience as a creative entrepreneur. In this free course from Zoo Labs, Ilene teaches what taxes are and how to pay them, basic bookkeeping tools, common business deductions for creatives, and shares tips she wishes someone had told her. Learn strategies to take the fear out of taxes and create a strategy for growth in your business.
Tax-Smart Pricing

"When you step back and think about how you're including the operational costs and tax expenses into your proposals, that's gonna really help you reconsider what your gross ($ before expenses) and net (take-home $) are."

Ilene Squires has 18 years of experience in tax preparation and a decade of experience as a creative entrepreneur. In this free course from Zoo Labs, Ilene teaches what taxes are and how to pay them, basic bookkeeping tools, common business deductions for creatives, and shares tips she wishes someone had told her. Learn strategies to take the fear out of taxes and create a strategy for growth in your business.
Value Over Hours

"When you price by outcome (for example: the transformation, solution, or impact you're going to deliver), you anchor your price to the value created, not how much time you spent getting there."

Ilene Squires has 18 years of experience in tax preparation and a decade of experience as a creative entrepreneur. In this free course from Zoo Labs, Ilene teaches what taxes are and how to pay them, basic bookkeeping tools, common business deductions for creatives, and shares tips she wishes someone had told her. Learn strategies to take the fear out of taxes and create a strategy for growth in your business.
Strategic Price Increases

"You need to do the research. You need to ask your peers, you need to go to shows, you need to talk to prospective clients. And then you can adjust your prices when it may be justified; this is market benchmarking."

What are you waiting for?