I usually go with two managers as well. They were great at keeping me above water until I got to Lvl. 3 of Performance, then I could make more money by just spamming performances. Try finding a nice balance between promotion and performance, and let the managers do their job. If you're struggling with your finances, spend a few days choosing performances. If you have a decent amount of money, invest in promotions. Try to level them up as soon as you can, especially Performances. The sooner you level up, the sooner you'll get to that financial comfort zone, so then you can stop worrying about photoshoots and just focus on singles (which are much more effective than promotions when it comes to getting new fans).
Viewing post in The game is very frustrating but also I love it
Just in case if it interests you or someone else:
I made it and put myself into a positive spiral by taking out a 10.000.000 Yen loan from that landowner. The weekly loan payback was tough (~400.000) but it bought enough time to release monthly singles and become steadily more profitable. Just when I was going into the red solid it was all paid back and it seems like the toughest part is over from there.