When scrolling through your Instagram or TikTok feed, it’s easy to appreciate the creativity and hard work that went into the creation of the content. However, in most cases, the audience doesn’t see the administrative tasks that goes on behind it to make a content creator’s business run successfully.
It’s safe to assume that most creators didn’t get into content creation to do sit behind a desk answering emails. Instead, most started for their love of creativity, and like many people in other creative fields, that’s where they thrive. The idea of doing mundane tasks like bookkeeping, reading brand deal contracts, and sending out pitches either doesn’t appeal to most creators or doesn’t come naturally (or both).
Most creators are running solo businesses with the operational demands of a small company. On top of this, they’re usually doing it alone and without the infrastructure to make it happen sustainably. Instead, creators get bogged down by mundane tasks that take them away from their zone of genius: actually creating.
Content Is Only Half the Job
“Content is only about half the job,” says creator Andrales Abreu, a content creator with over 30k followers on Instagram, “Behind every Reel are hours of pitching brands, negotiating contracts, and tracking invoices.”
Most creators, like Abreu, take on invisible roles. They’re obviously the creative director, but they also play the part of accountant, project manager, and customer service representative.
Creator Reagan Baylee has over 179k followers on Instagram, and she feels the weight of the admin tasks so greatly that she’s onboarded her entire business onto a project management platform, Monday.com, and employs a full-time assistant.
“A huge part of my business is operations,” she notes, “Managing brand deals, emails, contracts, timelines, invoicing, and coordinating content across multiple platforms.” Doing it all alone or without a system in place is not an option for her.
The Realization Hits When You’re In It
People watching social media creators from afar often envy their lifestyle, wishing that they could wake up, create content, and get paid too. The issue is that once they start and “accidentally” create a legitimate business, they realize they’re also responsible for a whole to-do list of tasks they didn’t sign up for.
“You don’t realize until you’re in it how much admin work there is,” says Rachael Austin, an Instagram creator with 92k followers, “The admin tasks often end up being more of your day than the actual creating.”
When creators who are unprepared for the operational layer of this business find themselves in this scenario, it’s where a lot of them quit. It’s a learning curve that may feel too steep for some, especially considering it’s largely self-taught.
Though some creators do actually enjoy structure. Austin mentions she uses Notion extensively across calendar, pitches, brand deals, and expenses. The fact that she has found a great system to run her business on makes it easier for her to run it sustainably.
Thankfully, for the creators who do find admin work more daunting, there is the option of outsourcing as well. However, outsourcing costs money, which creates its own challenge for emerging creators.
The Potential Issues Creators Run Into
The chunk of time that admin work takes creators on a daily basis is one thing, but the potential danger to their business is something else they need to consider. Creators regularly enter into agreements without legal training, standard contract templates, or institutional backing, which could lead to potential thousands of dollars in lost profit.
Grace Tabib, founder of DUPAY, set out to fit exactly this problem. Their mission is to eliminate late and unpaid invoices for creators, as well as provide them with the tools and services to improve their cash flow and well-being as business owners.
“The exciting part of being a creator is landing the deal and making the content,” notes Tabib, “But what takes being a creator from a side gig to a sustainable business is having the right foundation in place.”
DUPAY has recovered over $1M for creators across invoices ranging from $47 to $120k. They’ve completely removed hours of admin work from creators’ plates, from reading confusing contracts to dealing with unresponsive clients.
“Unlike the alternatives, we never take a percentage of what you recover or charge high hourly fees,” says Tabib. One flat monthly rate gives creators access to tools like their Contract Check Report (a 15-point evaluation of contracts that points out red flags), Contract Creator (generates lawyer-built agreements), Invoice Generator & Tracker, Unpaid Invoice Advocacy, and more.
Bottom Line
“The admin work is invisible to most people, yet it’s what keeps the business running and allows me to keep creative,” says Abreu. Creators who build systems are the ones who scale. These tasks, while daunting to some, are the foundation of creative longevity for creators of all sizes, whether they take it on solo or invest in growing their team. This alone is proof that the creator economy has matured into a legitimate industry and is only getting bigger.
