GB Tavern Tales Episode 14 - Conner Tyson: Ettin of Scarcity

The Ettin of Scarcity is a two-headed monster that's taken down more creative adventurers than any dragon. One head whispers "real artists don't care about money" while the other growls "who are you to charge that much?"

Tonight at the Tavern, financial coach Conner Tyson pulls up a chair to share how he helps creative entrepreneurs slay this beast. After climbing out of $60K in debt himself, Conner now guides designers, photographers, makers, and creative solopreneurs through the wilderness of irregular income, pricing custom work, and building systems that turn feast-or-famine into steady, sustainable gold.

If you've ever underpaid yourself, avoided looking at your numbers, or believed that charging what you're worth somehow corrupts your art — this quest is for you.

🎲 Business is an adventure. Don't be an NPC.

Breaking Through the Noise: Al Kushner on Amplifying Your Creative Voice Online

Every creative entrepreneur faces the same frustrating paradox: you're incredibly talented at your craft, but terrible at getting people to notice. You know your work should speak for itself—but in a world where everyone's shouting for attention, how do you get heard without losing your soul?

In this episode, Al Kushner, author of The AI LinkedIn Advantage, joins me at the Tavern to tackle the visibility challenge head-on. Al has spent years helping creative professionals build authentic online presence using AI—not as a replacement for creativity, but as a tool to amplify what makes them unique.

We explore:

• Why "my work should speak for itself" is keeping you invisible
• How to use AI without sounding generic or robotic
• Building visibility on LinkedIn when self-promotion feels uncomfortable
• The mindset shift from hiding your work to strategically sharing it
• Practical tools you can start using tomorrow to get noticed

If you're a photographer, designer, maker, or creative professional who's great at your craft but struggles with marketing—this conversation will change how you think about visibility.

Connect with Al Kushner: 

https://www.LinkAdvantage.com/Audit

https://www.linkedin.com/in/al-kushner/

Get free chapters from The Creative Player's Handbook: gamifybusiness.com/podcast

Subscribe to Gamify Business Tavern Tales for more conversations with creative entrepreneurs who've figured out how to thrive without losing their artistic souls.

Business is an adventure. Don't be an NPC.

Title: Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 12 - The Creative's Energy Potion: Avoiding Burnout in Your Business Adventure

Description:

Burnout destroys more creative businesses than bad clients or low prices combined. In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals how to build a business that energizes you instead of draining your creative soul - completing our foundational series.

Discover:

• How creative burnout happens (and why you can't just push through it)
• The Three Ingredients of Sustainable Creative Energy: Meaningful Work, Sustainable Pace, and Energy Boundaries
• Early warning signs your creative fire is dimming (catch these before full burnout)
• Why creative energy must be actively replenished, not just rested
• How to conduct your own Energy Audit to protect your most valuable resource

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who want to sustain their passion without sacrificing their wellbeing.

This Week's Quest: Track your daily energy patterns and identify one activity that reliably recharges your creative batteries.

Keep your creative fire burning bright with the right fuel.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales

Title: Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 11 - Contracts and Handshakes: Protecting Your Creative Work

Description:

Don't let a handshake become your most expensive mistake! In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals why even the nicest clients need contracts - and shares the three essential agreements that prevent 90% of creative business disasters.

Discover:

• Why handshake agreements cost creative entrepreneurs thousands of dollars
• The Three Essential Agreements: Project Scope, Payment Terms, and Intellectual Property
• Real horror stories of what happens when you skip legal protection
• How to create simple, clear contracts without needing a law degree
• Why good clients actually appreciate clear agreements (and bad clients avoid them)

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who want to protect their work without drowning in legal complexity.

This Week's Quest: Create your basic project agreement template covering scope, payment, and intellectual property in simple, clear language.

Legal protection isn't about suspicion - it's about professionalism.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales

Title: Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 10 - The Creative's Treasure Map: Multiple Revenue Streams That Make Sense 

Description:

Relying on one income source? You're one client away from financial panic. In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals how to build multiple revenue streams without losing focus or spreading yourself too thin.

Discover:

• Why the single-stream trap kills creative businesses (and what to do instead)
• The Three Types of Creative Treasure: Active, Product, and Passive Income
• How your creative archetype (Warrior, Mage, or Rogue) affects your revenue strategy
• Why diversification creates creative freedom, not just more money
• How to add ONE new revenue stream without overwhelming your business

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who want financial stability without sacrificing their creative focus.

This Week's Quest: Map your current revenue streams and identify ONE potential new stream that excites you and aligns with your archetype.

Build your treasure map one territory at a time.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5 minutes | Series: Tales from the Tavern

Title: Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 9 - Reading the Client Quest: Red Flags vs. Green Lights

Description:

Not every paying client is worth taking! In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals how to spot the difference between dream clients and nightmare projects before you start working. Learn the warning signs that save creative businesses.

Discover:

• The most expensive mistake creative entrepreneurs make (hint: it's not underpricing)
• The Three Warning Signs that destroy creative businesses: Scope Creeper, Price Fighter, and Decision Avoider
• How to identify your Dream Clients through their green light behaviors
• Why bad clients cost more than good clients are worth (and affect every project after)
• How to create your own Client Bestiary for better project selection

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who want to work with clients who respect their creativity and value their expertise.

This Week's Quest: Create your Client Bestiary - document the red flags and green lights you've experienced to build your ideal client checklist.

Stop taking projects just because they pay. Start taking projects because they're worth it.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales

Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 8 - The Time Dragon: Taming Creative Schedules That Actually Work

Description:
Tired of productivity advice that kills your creativity? In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals why corporate time management destroys creative work - and shows you how to tame the Time Dragon with schedules that honor your creative rhythms.

Discover:
•Why traditional productivity advice fails creative entrepreneurs completely
•The Three Keys to Creative Time Mastery (rhythms, batching, and buffer time)
•How to defeat the Time Dragon's attacks: Deadline Panic, Energy Drain, and Direction Loss
•Energy-based scheduling vs. rigid time blocks that fight your natural creative flow
•How to protect your peak creative hours like the treasure they are

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who want to work with their creative energy instead of against it.

This Week's Quest: Track your energy patterns for seven days to discover when your creativity peaks and when it crashes.

Stop managing time like a machine. Start working like the creative human you are.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5:28 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales


#CreativeTimeManagement #TimeManagement #CreativeScheduling #CreativeProductivity #EnergyManagement #CreativeEntrepreneur #TimeDragon #CreativeRhythms #ProductivityTips #CreativeWorkflow

Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 7 - Setting Creative Boundaries: The Shield Every Adventurer Needs

Struggling to say no to draining projects and difficult clients? In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals why creative entrepreneurs feel guilty about setting boundaries - and why boundaries are actually your most important business tool.

Discover:
•Why creative boundaries feel "wrong" but actually save your business and creativity
•The Three Shields Every Creative Needs (time, scope, and energy boundaries)
•How to set professional boundaries without losing clients (spoiler: good clients respect them)
•The Scope Creeper and other boundary-pushing client types to watch for
•How to communicate boundaries as professional standards, not personal preferences

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who are tired of working weekends, dealing with endless revisions, and saying yes to everything.

This Week's Quest: Identify your three biggest boundary problems and create one professional response for each that you can use with confidence.

Your boundaries protect your creativity - don't apologize for them.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5:25 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales

#CreativeBoundaries #BusinessBoundaries #CreativeEntrepreneur #ScopeCreep #ClientManagement #CreativeBusiness #ProfessionalBoundaries #CreativeProtection #BusinessShield #EntrepreneurTips

Hate social media but know you need it for your creative business? In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals how to build authentic social media presence that feels like community building, not cold marketing.

Discover:

• Why most social media advice fails creative entrepreneurs completely
• The Three Pillars of Tavern-Style Social Media (process, stories, conversation)
• How to choose the right platforms without spreading yourself too thin
• Platform-specific strategies for Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok that actually work for creatives
• How to share your creative work authentically without feeling like a pushy salesperson

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals who want to build genuine community around their work instead of just collecting likes.

This Week's Quest: Share one real story about a current project on your chosen platform - not a sales post, but an authentic behind-the-scenes moment.

Build your social media like a warm tavern where people actually want to gather.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales

Title: Gamify Business Tavern Tales: Minisode 5 - Building Your Creative Stronghold: Essential Systems That Don't Suck

Description:

Tired of business systems that steal more time than they save? In this episode, Game Master Paul Pape reveals why most business systems kill creativity - and shows you the three essential systems every creative entrepreneur actually needs.

Discover:

• Why complex systems sabotage creative businesses (and what to use instead)
• The Three Systems Every Creative Actually Needs (hint: it's not 47 steps)
• How to audit your current tools and eliminate the time-wasters
• The Creative-First Principle for choosing business systems
• Why simple systems scale while complex systems break

Perfect for artists, designers, makers, and creative professionals drowning in apps, workflows, and "productivity" tools that don't actually make them productive.

This Week's Quest: Audit every business tool you use and eliminate anything that doesn't directly support your creative work or help you get paid.

Build systems that support your creativity, not systems that steal from it.

Host: Paul Pape | Length: 5 minutes | Series: Gamify Business Tavern Tales