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Out the Trunk

Out the Trunk is a collaboration between DAM Events, Spesh Made and Lexx Marie Arts with the intention to curate a space in which small business owners and creatives alike can connect with one another and receive active support. Collaboration, creation and connection are at the core of the experience.

Next Date : January 27th
The Tax Prep + Bookkeeping Sessions feat MissVell

The third edition of Out the Truck features TWO sessions working alongside Creative Consultant extraordinaire @MissVell of Covell Tax. The first session will take place on Monday December 11th from 6-8pm PST via Zoom. The second session will be a hybrid session on Saturday January 27th from 11am-2pm, with the option to join in person in Oakland or via Zoom. We'll use the first session to prepare our finances for the end of the year + questions for MissVell, and then use our time in January to ask our questions, actively prep for tax season, + beyond!

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We've all heard that one of the smartest things you can do to improve your tax situation is operate a home based business. Whether it's a side hustle or full time, if the goal is to make money, it's a business, and it can benefit you. The tax code was written to benefit businesses, but you've got to know how to take advantage of those rules and loopholes. Sometimes the "left brain" rules and details of taxes and business strategies don't translate well into the more "right brain" language of creatives. Even if you've found a tax preparer you like, that person or software rarely understands the ins and outs of your specific business. I will lean on my experience in working with DJs, creatives, and small businesses for the last 25 years to translate these ideas into plain English for you. You'll leave the workshop with tools you can immediately put to work in your own life and business to feel more empowered, less overwhelmed, and in a better tax situation overall for 2023 and beyond.


Sarah Covell (@missVELL on twitch) has spent the last 25 years in the music and creative spaces, and the last 20 years as an attorney immersed in all things small business and taxes. It only made sense to combine these two loves, especially when she discovered a gift for translating legalese and tax code into language "for the rest of us" in a nonjudgmental manner. The first decade of her tax career was spent in resolving tax problems with IRS, state, or local collections, and then she shifted to a more proactive stance in educating people in the best ways to manage their businesses and taxes so that they would never need a resolution specialist. She streams "Nerdy but Necessary" tax and business tips on Twitch, and is in a constant search for topics that will answer questions, no matter how specific or broad, so that as many as possible can feel more certainty about how to make the best decisions for themselves and their businesses.

The Vell Resources:

The OTT Archive

Interested in joining us and building your network/community? Use the email in the flyer OR apply directly here.

Second Edition
June 24, 2023 @ Artthaus, Oakland

The second edition of the Out the Trunk Mixer took place on June 24th in Oakland, CA featuring the amazing life coach/ creative ARLOsoriano , who led a workshop on crafting + refining the dreaded but oh so useful 30 second pitch!

First Edition
December 11, 2023 @ Energy Body Ink & Art Studio

The first edition of the Out the Trunk Mixer took place on December 11th in Vallejo, CA .

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