318 – Your Relationship with Money. Take a Seat on the Couch with Connie Vanderzanden
What’s your relationship with money? If you’re like me, you know numbers are an important part of your business. But truthfully, you’d rather be working on something creative.Today’s down-home honest girl chat all about things financial will help you feel a little bit more friendly toward your budget so you can start building a healthy relationship with money and numbers.
Connie is a cash flow and business mentor. And even with her 35+ years of accounting experience, it didn’t prepare her for the monster of a business she created. It had $50,000 in debt and she didn’t pay herself for 6 years!
So, what did she do? Connie crafted a solution with an easy system that worked to turn things around. Then she started sharing it with others. Now she works one on one with women entrepreneurs, blending the how-to with the mindset to create a healthy, long-lasting relationship with money.
It’s not about what your topline revenue is, it’s what you do with it that matters. While a budget is the first step, you also have to look at what your natural style is with money and your subconscious beliefs. That way you can call those things out in the budget before they sidetrack your efforts.
Connie is a true Oregonian born and raised in the Pacific Northwest where she spends time with her husband of 35 years and their furbaby.
BUSINESS BUILDING INSIGHTS
- Create more innovation to be found in a wider spectrum.
- Innovation and creativity are key as you overcome business challenges. There are lots of different options, we just have to be willing to be creative.
- Create a plan for your business so you end up with what you actually want.
- Figure out if you have an employee mindset. If you do, work on developing a more entrepreneurial mindset.
Build A Healthy Relationship With Money
- Money is really here to support us. Numbers are your friend because they can help support your lifestyle.
- Create a relationship with money according to your desire and goal.
- Take a moment to pause, think, explore your own money habits and figure out what to do next.
- To avoid going into debt:
- be sustainable and be profitable
- explore your costs
- know your value when you put a price on your goods
- and create some cash savings that will instantly make your business more sustainable
- It’s up to us as the maker to determine what price is good. That makes us sustainable so that we can show up and do it again and again and again.
- Be intentional with how you set your prices. Remember your customer doesn’t know what your overhead is. They just want the product. Make sure the price is sustainable so you can keep doing it! <– Pro tip!
- Invest for the future of the growth of your business. Make sure you cover your overhead costs PLUS some extra so you can cover unexpected costs and grow in the future.
- Give your dollars a job. Create a business savings account name it so you know what its purpose is. Break it up into multiple accounts if you need to see what it’s all for.
- Intentionally pay yourself first and intentionally pay for taxes as money comes in. This creates a smaller bucket for operational costs and provides sustainability so you know whether you can grow or not. <– Check out the Profit First book for more on this!
- A financial plan is essential for any business. Like for any good adventure, we’re going to need some type of road map. Figure out your good, better, best stages.
- Use a calendar to remind you when charges are coming up. Evaluate whether you really need to spend on certain apps and tools. Pause spending if necessary. Stop paying for things that don’t serve you anymore.
- If you get into a position where you don’t know what to do, bring in an outside person who can help you walk through your numbers unemotionally. Find someone you can talk things through with.
- Changing the way you do business doesn’t mean you have failed. It’s just part of the evolution of your business.
- Get creative! There are so many options for innovation today. Think outside the box when it comes to growing your business.
- Tune in to the full conversation for lots more money and mindset tips!
Resources Mentioned
Connie’s Contact Links
Website | Instagram | Linkedin
Join Our FREE Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Community
Become a Member of Gift Biz Breeze
If you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe so you automatically get the next episode downloaded for your convenience. Click on your preferred platform below to get started.
Also, if you’d like to do me a huge favor – please leave a review. It helps other creators like you find the show and build their businesses too. You can do so right here: Rate This Podcast
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify
Thank you so much! Sue
Know someone who needs to hear this episode?
Click a button below to share it!
Transcript
Gift biz unwrapped episode 318 Is going to have a thing
Speaker:that happens in their businesses like,
Speaker:Oh, attentive gifters bakers,
Speaker:crafters, and makers pursuing your dream can be fun.
Speaker:Whether you have an established business or looking to start one.
Speaker:Now you are in the right place.
Speaker:This is give to biz unwrapped,
Speaker:helping you turn your skill into a flourishing business.
Speaker:Join us for an episode,
Speaker:packed full of invaluable guidance,
Speaker:resources, and the support you need to grow.
Speaker:Your gift biz.
Speaker:Here is your host gift biz gal Sue moon Heights.
Speaker:Hi there it's soon.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me here today.
Speaker:We are entering into a motivating new season in person shows
Speaker:are opening up again and the opportunity to present your product
Speaker:and find new customers in this face-to-face format is finally here.
Speaker:I want to remind you that doing events like craft shows
Speaker:and farmer's markets offers great photo and posting opportunities for social
Speaker:media. We talked about this in one of our tips and
Speaker:talk episodes in the podcast just a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker:And I bring this up because you've told me you're discouraged.
Speaker:When you don't see any of the time and effort you
Speaker:put into social media,
Speaker:moving the needle on your sales.
Speaker:So given the time we're in right now,
Speaker:take this as a changing point to do something different,
Speaker:putting in more time posting in the same way isn't going
Speaker:to magically bring you results.
Speaker:You need to change the way you're posting and what you're
Speaker:posting. You don't need to put in more work.
Speaker:You need to put in the right work.
Speaker:That's when things will change.
Speaker:If you need some help with this,
Speaker:I've got you covered with the content for maker's program.
Speaker:Content for makers will enlighten you as to why your social
Speaker:media activities aren't converting into sales.
Speaker:It will also show you how to put less time in
Speaker:and start seeing activity that will increase your sales.
Speaker:Just imagine a day where you know exactly what to post
Speaker:and to get it done in five minutes or less,
Speaker:then you can spend your time interacting with potential customers,
Speaker:deepening relationships with those you already know too.
Speaker:And it builds upon itself naturally.
Speaker:Yes, this is possible.
Speaker:Content for makers includes a step-by-step strategy to formulating your unique
Speaker:plan based on your business and your products.
Speaker:Then you'll have 375 social media prompts over a full year
Speaker:of ideas.
Speaker:Along with the 375 prompts come 375 image suggestions.
Speaker:So you're not left hanging on the creative.
Speaker:These prompts and image suggestions can be used for all platforms
Speaker:and all types of posting images.
Speaker:Live streaming reels,
Speaker:even email direction,
Speaker:but that's not all posts aren't going to work.
Speaker:If the right people aren't seeing them.
Speaker:So you'll also receive a video and a worksheet on how
Speaker:to choose and use hashtags.
Speaker:This is a way to attract the right people who will
Speaker:become your customers.
Speaker:Most people are doing this wrong.
Speaker:There's more to content for makers too.
Speaker:To see all the details,
Speaker:just jump over to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash content for makers.
Speaker:But honestly at only $27,
Speaker:it's a no brainer.
Speaker:Why carry on posting as you've been doing all along expecting
Speaker:different results.
Speaker:Sign up for content for makers now and see the transformation
Speaker:of your posting experience change before your very eyes gift biz
Speaker:on wrap.com
Speaker:forward slash content for makers ready and waiting for your immediate
Speaker:access. Right now,
Speaker:moving into the topic of today's show.
Speaker:I have to say,
Speaker:I have the utmost respect for you.
Speaker:If you love numbers,
Speaker:as our guest would say,
Speaker:if it's in your human design,
Speaker:but my hunch is your more like me and understand that
Speaker:numbers are a necessary part of running your business,
Speaker:but you'd much rather be creating or talking with customers.
Speaker:You're going to hear a down-home honest girl,
Speaker:chat all about things.
Speaker:Financial that will help you feel a little bit more friendly
Speaker:towards your budget.
Speaker:Today. We're going to be chatting with Connie Vander.
Speaker:Zanden Connie is a cashflow and business mentor.
Speaker:And even with her 35 plus years of accounting experience,
Speaker:it didn't prepare her for the monster of a business.
Speaker:She created,
Speaker:it had $50,000
Speaker:in debt and she didn't pay herself for six years.
Speaker:So what did she do?
Speaker:Connie crafted a solution with an easy system that worked to
Speaker:turn things around.
Speaker:Then she started sharing it with others.
Speaker:Now she works one-on-one with women entrepreneurs blending the how to,
Speaker:with the mindset to create a healthy,
Speaker:long lasting relationship with money.
Speaker:It's not about what your top line revenue is.
Speaker:It's what you do with it.
Speaker:That matters while a budget is the first step.
Speaker:You also have to look at what your natural style is
Speaker:with money and your subconscious beliefs.
Speaker:That way you can call those things out in the budget
Speaker:before they sidetrack your efforts.
Speaker:Tiny is a true Oregonian,
Speaker:born and raised in the Pacific Northwest,
Speaker:where she spends time with her husband of 35 years.
Speaker:And they're for baby.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:you already have me up for a baby Connie.
Speaker:Welcome to the gift biz on rapt podcast.
Speaker:Thanks you.
Speaker:I am so excited to be here,
Speaker:but yes,
Speaker:my fur baby is just enough for us.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:Love it.
Speaker:What kind?
Speaker:He or she it's,
Speaker:she she's a black Lab mix with the Weimer Amer and
Speaker:German short hair.
Speaker:So she's got that the lab,
Speaker:ears and attention to this playfulness and the winery and her
Speaker:body though.
Speaker:So it's kind of a sleek body.
Speaker:And then the German short hair is like,
Speaker:she loves squirrels and balls.
Speaker:Absolutely love that.
Speaker:And all our life we've always had black dogs too.
Speaker:I've just gravitated to the black guys for some reason.
Speaker:I don't know if they're so,
Speaker:so super cute.
Speaker:At one point we were thinking of getting another dog and
Speaker:my kids wanted white and I'm like,
Speaker:Nope, we're not having two different colors of fur in the
Speaker:house. It's one or the other only.
Speaker:I like that.
Speaker:Yes. Yeah.
Speaker:One color is enough for me to handle,
Speaker:but anyway,
Speaker:let's do,
Speaker:what's become a tradition here and that is,
Speaker:have you share a different side of yourself by way of
Speaker:a motivational candle.
Speaker:So if you were to describe a candle that would be
Speaker:made just for you,
Speaker:Connie, what color would it be and what would be a
Speaker:quote on your candle?
Speaker:Yeah, so I've always got back to what my first life
Speaker:coach and I worked on.
Speaker:So when I was reached burnout,
Speaker:I reached out to a life coach and the work we
Speaker:did, the phrase came,
Speaker:the calm that cradles the universe.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:it was hard to really dive into that piece,
Speaker:but that's,
Speaker:I think what the candle would be called.
Speaker:I think it's like you would look at it and you
Speaker:would like,
Speaker:just feel into the calm of whatever's chaos of whatever storm
Speaker:is around you and then just breathe.
Speaker:And there wasn't a full saying around it.
Speaker:It's just,
Speaker:I felt that that's what the candle wanted to be called
Speaker:today. I love it.
Speaker:And boy,
Speaker:we all need your candle.
Speaker:And my calm,
Speaker:like when I need to reset is going out into the
Speaker:Pacific Northwest,
Speaker:into the forest where there's lots of pine Douglas first.
Speaker:So it would be dark forest green.
Speaker:And the key piece would be getting that first smell because
Speaker:that forest smell can be very clingy and overwhelming in some
Speaker:candles. So I have to work really well with the smell
Speaker:ologist to get that.
Speaker:But I think there would also be some frankincense are clove
Speaker:and cinnamon and probably some spearmint to round out that first
Speaker:smell. Beautiful.
Speaker:That would be a candle I would buy for sure.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:and there's always that piece in calming of getting into nature.
Speaker:We forget that often,
Speaker:so, okay.
Speaker:I cannot even start this conversation without understanding more about this
Speaker:business. They got you so heavily in debt.
Speaker:Like we can not just pass over that.
Speaker:You've got to tell us the story.
Speaker:The story was,
Speaker:I got married at 19 and this is kind of a
Speaker:little longer story,
Speaker:but at 19 I just thought I wanted to be married
Speaker:and eventually have kids.
Speaker:So I chose a career that was really easy for me.
Speaker:And so math had always been easy for me in school.
Speaker:And my math teacher was very unhappy with me,
Speaker:but I decided to go into bookkeeping and accounting.
Speaker:I think he thought I was going to be a teacher,
Speaker:which is funny because that's what I do now.
Speaker:So I went into bookkeeping,
Speaker:accounting, and that's what my mom did.
Speaker:And it was just going to be short-term.
Speaker:We were going to have kids and I had some infertility
Speaker:issues five years later.
Speaker:And the problem was,
Speaker:is I never changed the career.
Speaker:So we changed our dream or life dream.
Speaker:And I just continued into accounting and then founded a business
Speaker:of 19 years.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:wait a minute.
Speaker:I got to be 52.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:wait a minute.
Speaker:I do not like this.
Speaker:How does that even happen?
Speaker:Right. How do those numbers creep up?
Speaker:And we don't even realize it both in our age,
Speaker:but then also in our debt.
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:I don't get that.
Speaker:Well, I think it's because in the hustle phase,
Speaker:like a lot of times I work with business owners that
Speaker:are so much in the hustle phase of growth.
Speaker:So this didn't happen until I decided to grow my business,
Speaker:to expand what I was doing.
Speaker:And so I've been in business seven years before that happened
Speaker:and had this big dream.
Speaker:And the problem was I didn't create any plan.
Speaker:I just dove straight into it.
Speaker:And I drove straight into expenses and I created expenses in
Speaker:an office and all the things that went with it based
Speaker:on what I thought other people wanted.
Speaker:And I still continued to ignore the numbers.
Speaker:And I would like only pay attention to money.
Speaker:Like at one o'clock at night,
Speaker:1:00 AM in the morning,
Speaker:actually, because that's the only space I had that I wasn't
Speaker:running the business or managing the team or doing client calls
Speaker:or anything.
Speaker:It was very minimal paying attention to what was going on
Speaker:and the debt slowly and slowly increased until I hit a
Speaker:rock bottom moment.
Speaker:And I was like,
Speaker:wow, I can't do this.
Speaker:I think that the moment was when I pushed a W2
Speaker:across the table where my husband had to see it to
Speaker:our financial advisor and they were like,
Speaker:that's your W2?
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:yeah, that's my W2.
Speaker:And I had been doing some figures for my business for
Speaker:a long time,
Speaker:but nothing was coming down to me.
Speaker:Everything was going out based on occupancy and to the team
Speaker:and everything else.
Speaker:But I wasn't feeding myself.
Speaker:I wasn't feeding my family and I had debt on the
Speaker:family and on the business and it just couldn't continue that
Speaker:way. So I had to have a moment where I had
Speaker:to pause and breathe and figure out what else to do
Speaker:next. And this happens all the time in businesses.
Speaker:We just get so busy in that hustle.
Speaker:We don't pay attention to what else is going on.
Speaker:Well, it's really true.
Speaker:And I appreciate you sharing this with us because someone who
Speaker:is a number of efficient natto to have that happen to
Speaker:you, I think it helps other people who might be listening,
Speaker:who are in a similar situation,
Speaker:get the fact that it's not about them and their lack
Speaker:of whatever the story is that they're trying to tell themself.
Speaker:Right? I see.
Speaker:So often people who are starting their businesses,
Speaker:they're doing one of a few things.
Speaker:First, they're saying,
Speaker:well, I have X amount of money and I'm going to
Speaker:start that way,
Speaker:but they're like,
Speaker:but I'm going to grow so slow.
Speaker:So there's that challenge.
Speaker:And then we have people who will say,
Speaker:well, I'm going to go and get it,
Speaker:take out a loan because then I'll have money.
Speaker:And then they run through their loan without really having produced
Speaker:anything that can start paying it back.
Speaker:So they get stuck there.
Speaker:Or there's the whole saying you have to spend money to
Speaker:make money.
Speaker:So they take savings and keep spending and keep spending and
Speaker:keep spending because they think the real turn is right around
Speaker:the corner.
Speaker:And then it leads into $50,000
Speaker:worth of debt.
Speaker:Like there's so many ways you can get there.
Speaker:And I'm also going to say that I think $5,000
Speaker:of debt for some people is way,
Speaker:way, way too much.
Speaker:50,000 is for some people,
Speaker:way, way,
Speaker:way too much.
Speaker:Everyone is different.
Speaker:So you've got to take all the conversation.
Speaker:I think in what we're going to talk about,
Speaker:Connie, I have no idea where we're going to get into,
Speaker:but it's very personal,
Speaker:I think.
Speaker:Would you agree?
Speaker:Yeah, it is.
Speaker:Everyone has a different set point for their numbers and yeah,
Speaker:5,000 can be just excruciating for one person.
Speaker:50,000 to me was the most heaviest thing I could carry
Speaker:and the things I had to learn to be okay with
Speaker:that and to like learn how to love and understand where
Speaker:my debt came from and love and understand the person that
Speaker:created that.
Speaker:Oh, that's interesting.
Speaker:Yeah, that was the interesting piece.
Speaker:Was there was no blaming,
Speaker:but that person just didn't know enough at that time.
Speaker:But now that I do know that I can look back
Speaker:and give them compassion,
Speaker:just like our younger self,
Speaker:when we do inner child work,
Speaker:is that understanding and giving love to that person because they
Speaker:didn't know anything.
Speaker:It took a while to get to this point where I
Speaker:could talk about it today.
Speaker:Right. But for you,
Speaker:we hear this often in the entrepreneurial world,
Speaker:don't we is,
Speaker:you've created a solution that now you can share forward to
Speaker:for others.
Speaker:So bring us to the hero.
Speaker:Part of your story with your first business,
Speaker:how did you get out of debt or just like the
Speaker:summary story of what happened with that and what led you
Speaker:to where you are today?
Speaker:First, my coach at the time gave me a book called
Speaker:profit first by Mike<inaudible> and was that light bulb moment.
Speaker:Everyone's going to have a thing that happens in their businesses
Speaker:like, Oh,
Speaker:and that was it.
Speaker:And so I started implementing it and then I saw all
Speaker:the places where I hit roadblocks.
Speaker:I stole from the accounts,
Speaker:I didn't follow the plan.
Speaker:So I found out that this wasn't the end all solution.
Speaker:There was some good pieces in it,
Speaker:but it wasn't the end all solution.
Speaker:So I had to like take a moment and pause and
Speaker:think, okay,
Speaker:what's going on?
Speaker:And I had to explore my own money habits,
Speaker:a little further realized I was a spender.
Speaker:I get a lot of pleasure from that.
Speaker:And that as a risk taker,
Speaker:as an entrepreneur,
Speaker:I can't create money.
Speaker:As I'm jumping off the cliff,
Speaker:I have to create some stability.
Speaker:That's such a scary Image,
Speaker:Right? Jump off the cliff.
Speaker:So the combination of the two is what happened.
Speaker:So it took a year for me to figure out,
Speaker:okay, what is going on with me?
Speaker:And then what kind of structure and pieces can I have
Speaker:in place and had to create a brand new relationship with
Speaker:me and money.
Speaker:And it's different for every business I work with.
Speaker:Every person has a different desire and goal.
Speaker:We call it their big dream and how is money going
Speaker:to show up and support that.
Speaker:But overall,
Speaker:they just need a little bit of structure,
Speaker:a way to talk to money and a way to know
Speaker:their numbers so that they can move forward.
Speaker:But it's going to look different depending on where everyone is
Speaker:in their journey.
Speaker:Yeah. What I'm hearing you saying if I were to summarize
Speaker:is textbook learning,
Speaker:isn't all of it.
Speaker:It's part of it,
Speaker:but then understanding who you are as a person where your
Speaker:sensitivities are,
Speaker:what motivates you and how you interact with money,
Speaker:wherever that came from is the additional component that you have
Speaker:to have to make sure that you're putting in place and
Speaker:then taking actions that are going to work for you.
Speaker:Yeah. That's a beautiful summary.
Speaker:All right,
Speaker:good. So this is an area that I am not as
Speaker:good at.
Speaker:I've always been good with money in terms of my Results,
Speaker:for the most part,
Speaker:like we all have our hiccups,
Speaker:right. But I also take the slow and careful approach.
Speaker:Most of the time we were talking a little bit as
Speaker:we were chatting before I pushed the record button,
Speaker:that a lot of the grounding that we have with money
Speaker:comes unconsciously as we're growing up.
Speaker:When we're young.
Speaker:Let's talk about that a little bit.
Speaker:Yeah. Our actual money mindset is actually put into our subconscious
Speaker:by the time we're around seven,
Speaker:maybe eight or nine.
Speaker:So whatever was going on in your family,
Speaker:it could be your parents.
Speaker:It could be your grandparents or your external family unit,
Speaker:whatever you saw,
Speaker:whatever languages you heard or fights you might've seen and heard
Speaker:that got set in your subconscious.
Speaker:So for me,
Speaker:my dad was actual,
Speaker:he stole money and he stole money,
Speaker:not from my brother and I,
Speaker:which is why my parents got divorced.
Speaker:And so there was a lot of fighting.
Speaker:And my mom,
Speaker:as a single mother,
Speaker:there was a lot of lack.
Speaker:And so those pieces got stuck in my subconscious.
Speaker:And even though I wasn't actively making decisions from there,
Speaker:they would always come up and influence those decisions as I
Speaker:was going through it.
Speaker:And so it's interesting to go back and not to blame
Speaker:our parents or our family units,
Speaker:but to actually be aware of it.
Speaker:My grandparents went through the depression.
Speaker:And so a lot of the things that I have in
Speaker:my household,
Speaker:I don't know if anyone's else's grandparents did that,
Speaker:but I always have to have a little extra toilet paper.
Speaker:Of course we've gone through COVID.
Speaker:So we always have a little extra,
Speaker:We were all impacted with this and our children are going
Speaker:to pay for this future.
Speaker:It sounds like those things influence Our buying behaviors and how
Speaker:we interact with money.
Speaker:And so we have to start there.
Speaker:And then once we're aware of that,
Speaker:we can grow from that.
Speaker:But a lot of us weren't like I had no entrepreneurial
Speaker:parents, no entrepreneurial relatives,
Speaker:all of them were employee mindset,
Speaker:which is very different when you go to being an owning
Speaker:your own business.
Speaker:But that's exactly the mindset I came into the business with,
Speaker:which was hard was that person,
Speaker:that boss almost killed me.
Speaker:Well, how did you get raised?
Speaker:What was the influences around you when you were in that
Speaker:young developing mindset?
Speaker:All my life.
Speaker:And even now,
Speaker:like there always seems to be money equals tension.
Speaker:Whether it's talk about money,
Speaker:having enough money,
Speaker:what you will spend your money on.
Speaker:All of that,
Speaker:it seems like there's such emotion and conflict around money.
Speaker:I'm trying to think of anybody who hasn't had,
Speaker:something like that.
Speaker:So I guess it's interesting just to understand for yourself where
Speaker:it came from and define for yourself what your thoughts are.
Speaker:I'm quite sure some people have never really thought about it
Speaker:before in that way.
Speaker:No, we haven't thought about it.
Speaker:And then we're adults.
Speaker:Now we get to choose.
Speaker:Now, if that mindset is serving you,
Speaker:you may not want to change it.
Speaker:But most of the time,
Speaker:if we've created debt and something about our relationship with money,
Speaker:isn't going the right way.
Speaker:We're actually using a subconscious belief and we have to like
Speaker:get underneath.
Speaker:And it's not always the most happy experience to get under
Speaker:there, but to get under there and see,
Speaker:what's really helping us make those decisions and then choose.
Speaker:What other things would you like to do if you would
Speaker:like to be more of a giver or more of a
Speaker:saver, let's say as a spender,
Speaker:I want to be more of a saber.
Speaker:What would that look like?
Speaker:And how could I get there?
Speaker:And what's that number that I would want to have.
Speaker:Those are things that we can take action on.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So let's circle this to people who are listening here and
Speaker:thinking about this in relation to their business.
Speaker:So I think the very first thing I'm hearing is you
Speaker:don't have some thinking about where your position on money could
Speaker:have originated.
Speaker:That could be very insightful and kind of define who you
Speaker:are. Like,
Speaker:I think everyone knows if they're a spender or a saver,
Speaker:right. I told my daughter the other day that I said,
Speaker:we'd probably be broke if the financial control was just up
Speaker:to me because of whatever,
Speaker:I'm not going to go into that.
Speaker:However, interestingly enough,
Speaker:all my businesses have been profitable.
Speaker:Number one,
Speaker:this is interesting.
Speaker:So analyze me,
Speaker:Connie. So on the personal side,
Speaker:I will spend not to get crazy in debt,
Speaker:but I will spend without too much worry because if I
Speaker:want something but not obnoxious,
Speaker:not crazy,
Speaker:but when it came to the business,
Speaker:I was very rigid.
Speaker:If I didn't have the money,
Speaker:I didn't spend the money.
Speaker:And so every single business that I've created is now three
Speaker:have always been profitable without ever alone.
Speaker:I have really a different mindset,
Speaker:personal versus business.
Speaker:Yeah. And that's pretty common.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I think in that mindset is that we get so hung
Speaker:up. It's kind of the same thing.
Speaker:Why people have fear around the tax man or taxes,
Speaker:they want to do it right.
Speaker:And so sometimes when we get into business,
Speaker:it's all about,
Speaker:we got to do the right thing.
Speaker:We got to be the best steward of money.
Speaker:We've got to make the right choices with it.
Speaker:Now I will say,
Speaker:not a lot of businesses will do that.
Speaker:Maybe you're in the top 20% of the businesses I've worked
Speaker:with that,
Speaker:go in and say,
Speaker:okay, I'm going to not spend more than I have.
Speaker:But I think it's that,
Speaker:I don't know.
Speaker:Maybe did you have a family member that was like showed
Speaker:you how,
Speaker:what a budget was or showed you?
Speaker:What spin actual steward was Not a family member,
Speaker:but when I was in corporate,
Speaker:I was responsible for a budget worth millions and millions of
Speaker:dollars. And although it wasn't my own money,
Speaker:I knew my job would be at risk.
Speaker:If I didn't manage my budgets properly,
Speaker:I've always thought of it as I love the businesses that
Speaker:I have so much or else I would be doing something
Speaker:different that I want to make sure that they're healthy so
Speaker:I can keep going.
Speaker:Like I said earlier,
Speaker:I will grow slower so that I can sleep at night.
Speaker:Number one,
Speaker:not be worried about paying all the bills cause that's too
Speaker:stressful. And then just be healthier overall as business.
Speaker:I've always done it that way.
Speaker:So I don't know,
Speaker:but I understand how companies start and they raise money or
Speaker:they take out a loan because they have to for the
Speaker:product or the industry that they're going to be in.
Speaker:And then they recoup it and end up moving on to
Speaker:be a very successful business.
Speaker:That's just not me.
Speaker:And I'm thinking for our handmade creators here,
Speaker:that doesn't need to be them either.
Speaker:Right. It doesn't have to be that way.
Speaker:If I hadn't grown and gotten my commercial space and had
Speaker:to buy equipment for our team members,
Speaker:I could have done it differently.
Speaker:It's that growth phase of like,
Speaker:how are you going to get there?
Speaker:And I also did consider I wasn't friends with dad at
Speaker:the time as well.
Speaker:And so I hadn't considered the repayment plan.
Speaker:And my relationship with credit was interesting.
Speaker:Like one of my coaches said,
Speaker:why don't you freeze your credit card?
Speaker:And I felt like I was going to cut off my
Speaker:right arm.
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:seriously, I went into some so much panic and that she's
Speaker:just like,
Speaker:you're just going to freeze it.
Speaker:It's still there.
Speaker:You can the prostate and use it.
Speaker:But it felt like I was so dependent.
Speaker:I had a co-dependency relationship with debt again,
Speaker:that came from how I was raised and how I learned
Speaker:about debt.
Speaker:And so my husband has not the same,
Speaker:a relationship with debt as I do.
Speaker:And so it was interesting to see both point of views.
Speaker:Yeah. But businesses don't have to do that way.
Speaker:And I think with the cash handling system too,
Speaker:is like,
Speaker:people are starting their business and they're like,
Speaker:okay, I don't want to go into debt.
Speaker:I want to be sustainable.
Speaker:I want to be profitable.
Speaker:And so what does mean it could mean like you are,
Speaker:as every sale comes out,
Speaker:that you're really exploring your costs.
Speaker:You're really calling out your value.
Speaker:When you put a price on your goods and you're creating
Speaker:some cash savings that will instantly make your business more sustainable.
Speaker:If you can keep some of the money in the business,
Speaker:which I think is different than the restaurants or the,
Speaker:that are just going in there trying to survive.
Speaker:COVID is that every money that comes in is right,
Speaker:going right back out.
Speaker:And they're not creating that savings that sustainability there.
Speaker:Yeah. We talk a lot about pricing,
Speaker:a product because as handmade product maker is one of the
Speaker:things we often leave out when we're just starting is production
Speaker:time for ourselves.
Speaker:We're paying ourselves for that time that we've put in.
Speaker:And considering that as being part of product creation,
Speaker:which it is because if ever that portion of your price,
Speaker:you're going to have to job out because you are growing
Speaker:and you need to hire somebody that would then be going
Speaker:to them.
Speaker:But the other portion of that is your margin.
Speaker:And the way I like to say it,
Speaker:tell me what you think,
Speaker:because you might help me.
Speaker:I'm going forward here too.
Speaker:But the other way I talk about this is your margin.
Speaker:Isn't just the dollars that go into your pocket.
Speaker:Like how profit first talks,
Speaker:but also a portion that gets reinvested in the company.
Speaker:And I think both those line items are important salary for
Speaker:yourself. I don't even care if it's a penny or a
Speaker:dime to start with,
Speaker:but like having this specific line items.
Speaker:So you see them from the start.
Speaker:And if it's,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:the smallest number that it could possibly be,
Speaker:but allocating certain numbers to those lines.
Speaker:So you get in the habit right?
Speaker:From the beginning.
Speaker:I love that piece because that's exactly how I got into
Speaker:debt is that I didn't consider that I went from being
Speaker:a solo preneur to having commercial space and team.
Speaker:And I forgot to add all those costs into my overhead
Speaker:and I didn't increase my pricing.
Speaker:And so that's a common thing to happen and I just
Speaker:fell into that cycle and it took a while to get
Speaker:back out.
Speaker:But yeah,
Speaker:that profit it's about being intentional with how you want to
Speaker:do your pricing and your resources.
Speaker:And it's like calling out the lines and don't be afraid
Speaker:to call it out.
Speaker:Nobody's going to see it.
Speaker:It's your work.
Speaker:When I go buy a really good gluten-free scone at my
Speaker:local bakery,
Speaker:I'm not asking,
Speaker:so what's your market here.
Speaker:Right? I just want the product.
Speaker:If I'm really drawn to a piece of artwork,
Speaker:it's that emotional connection I'm making.
Speaker:I'm not thinking about what the back end of it is.
Speaker:So it's really up to us as the maker to call
Speaker:out what price is good that makes us sustainable so that
Speaker:we just show up and do it again.
Speaker:And again and again.
Speaker:And so I remember one coach I worked with,
Speaker:she was like,
Speaker:yeah, that profit margin.
Speaker:I want you to take all your costs and then add
Speaker:70% to that.
Speaker:And I couldn't do it,
Speaker:but I got up there.
Speaker:I got to like 40 to 50%.
Speaker:But there's that covering that?
Speaker:What if it takes longer?
Speaker:What if you're not creatively inspired to keep moving forward?
Speaker:What if there's a big issue?
Speaker:Is that covered a CYA?
Speaker:Yeah. Part of the budget as well,
Speaker:but it's also investing for taxes.
Speaker:It's investing for the future of the growth it's investing for
Speaker:the new machinery you might need to buy it's that overhead
Speaker:profit margin covers all those future things as well as what
Speaker:your existing costs are.
Speaker:Yeah. I remember when I started my first business,
Speaker:it was out of my house.
Speaker:So obviously the margins were a little different,
Speaker:but very,
Speaker:very quickly the business grew and I had to rent a
Speaker:facility for production.
Speaker:And luckily that all worked for me because I had landed
Speaker:a large account and that large account covered the lease a
Speaker:hundred percent.
Speaker:So I'm like,
Speaker:okay, this is great right now I'm at neutral.
Speaker:But any additional business that I have can go towards all
Speaker:these other expenses and et cetera,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:But seriously,
Speaker:I was finding hidden costs coming left and right,
Speaker:like city permit,
Speaker:business permit,
Speaker:X amount of dollars,
Speaker:fire license,
Speaker:X amount of dollars,
Speaker:garbage hauling X amount of dollars,
Speaker:like things you don't even know.
Speaker:And then that goes to your email list grows.
Speaker:So all of a sudden your service provider is charging you
Speaker:more because you've got a bigger email list.
Speaker:Like there's things that no matter what you do are going
Speaker:to come out of the woodwork that you weren't considering.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:because I told you,
Speaker:I like to sleep well at night.
Speaker:Yes. Having even just a little stash or knowing that you're
Speaker:going to need to fuel that stash at some point,
Speaker:because let's also bring it to reality.
Speaker:Sometimes you don't have the money for the stash yet,
Speaker:but recognizing that that should be in place.
Speaker:It just keeps you healthier.
Speaker:And when something comes up that you weren't expecting,
Speaker:you're like,
Speaker:okay, this is why I have that reserve ready to go.
Speaker:Great. And it depends on people's intention with money as well.
Speaker:It might be more than one account and you might need
Speaker:to give money an actual job,
Speaker:especially for businesses that require inventory,
Speaker:or they require to buy products to put on the shelves
Speaker:and like retail or items to build the product that you're
Speaker:doing. I don't have that as much.
Speaker:So sometimes you may need a savings counts just for that,
Speaker:because that will,
Speaker:especially in restaurants and bakery,
Speaker:they don't have the cash there to keep reinvesting and supplies
Speaker:can cause a lot of problems with the business,
Speaker:but have a savings account and give it a name,
Speaker:give it a job and break it up if you need
Speaker:to so that you can visually see it.
Speaker:And it makes more sense,
Speaker:okay. The savings accounts for this purpose,
Speaker:and this is for this purpose,
Speaker:again, create a better relationship so that you know how you're
Speaker:going to intentionally use those resources and then whatever number it
Speaker:is. So some of my clients like to co-mingle everything,
Speaker:but they have a set number that they need in those
Speaker:accounts. I need my accounts broken out because I need to
Speaker:see it that way.
Speaker:Yeah, no,
Speaker:that's good.
Speaker:Give your dollars a job.
Speaker:And if you need to the separate accounts so that you
Speaker:know that this is an,
Speaker:let's just say that this is the one that's going to
Speaker:be your safer emergencies.
Speaker:Once the money goes in,
Speaker:it does not come out unless it's for that particular thing.
Speaker:So I guess this circles back to our,
Speaker:I'm going to call it your money personality or your relationship
Speaker:with money,
Speaker:whether you need to have it separate,
Speaker:whether it can be mingled together and knowing yourself and how
Speaker:you manage money,
Speaker:being really honest with yourself,
Speaker:It does.
Speaker:And that's where the cash handling system works like that.
Speaker:And they've gonna go back to the profit first system.
Speaker:The things that it did get right was the cash handling
Speaker:system is like when money comes in,
Speaker:can we create paws around it so that we can intentionally
Speaker:move the money into the intentional accounts that we want before
Speaker:we spend it?
Speaker:Because a lot of the time we don't save for taxes
Speaker:because we've already spent the money to run the business in
Speaker:which we will get into tax liability issues.
Speaker:Or we haven't paid ourselves because we paid everybody else,
Speaker:but ourselves.
Speaker:So how can you flip those uses and intentionally pay yourself
Speaker:first or intentionally,
Speaker:say for taxes,
Speaker:as many comes in,
Speaker:creates a smaller bucket for operational,
Speaker:which again creates more sustainability so that you know,
Speaker:whether you can grow or not.
Speaker:And then the savings accounts can help you with those decisions
Speaker:about future growth and how to get there.
Speaker:That's where the pause in it.
Speaker:It helps and money loves that money.
Speaker:Loves it.
Speaker:If you hold onto it a little longer,
Speaker:you could throw some celebration in there with it and it
Speaker:helps just pay attention to it a little bit more.
Speaker:And sometimes depending on where you put it,
Speaker:it makes more money.
Speaker:Yes. That's a hard one right now,
Speaker:but yes.
Speaker:Yeah, for sure right now,
Speaker:but all right,
Speaker:so here's a question for you story.
Speaker:There's a woman,
Speaker:who's a knitter.
Speaker:She starts her business.
Speaker:Online customers are buying product from her in her community.
Speaker:All of a sudden,
Speaker:a cute little boutique opens up.
Speaker:She decides she's going to invest in it because she thinks
Speaker:it's a great idea to be able to sell her products
Speaker:there, start selling yarn.
Speaker:She can do little knitting circles cause she's very social.
Speaker:So people will come in and everything just sounds beautiful.
Speaker:So she gets started the first couple of months are pretty
Speaker:good because she's brand new.
Speaker:So everyone's coming in,
Speaker:checking her out.
Speaker:So she starts building inventory.
Speaker:So she takes that as a sign,
Speaker:that things are going really well.
Speaker:And then as the novelty wears off,
Speaker:numbers start to drop.
Speaker:And so she's still got all our costs and she goes
Speaker:month after month.
Speaker:And she tries to bring in more people.
Speaker:Some months are better than others,
Speaker:but the overall revenue is going down,
Speaker:which means she's now not covering her costs.
Speaker:What do you do when something like that happens from a
Speaker:mental standpoint because the challenge is always do I keep going?
Speaker:Cause it's just going to get better and I know next
Speaker:month will be better.
Speaker:And Oh,
Speaker:I'm just going to hang on one more month,
Speaker:but then you keep building up your debt.
Speaker:Is there any advice if someone gets themselves in a situation
Speaker:like this,
Speaker:of when you call it halt or you back off or
Speaker:whatever your options are that you choose to do,
Speaker:we'll hear Connie's advice when encountering a devastating situation like this,
Speaker:right after a quick break.
Speaker:Yes. It's possible.
Speaker:Increase your sales without adding a single customer.
Speaker:How you ask by offering personalization with your products,
Speaker:wrap a cake box with a ribbon saying happy 30th birthday,
Speaker:Annie, or at a special message and date to wedding or
Speaker:party favors for an extra meaningful touch.
Speaker:Where else can you get customization with a creatively spelled name
Speaker:or find packaging?
Speaker:That includes a saying whose meaning is known to a select
Speaker:to not only our customers willing to pay for these special
Speaker:touches. They'll tell their friends and word will spread about your
Speaker:company and products.
Speaker:You can create personalized ribbons and labels in seconds,
Speaker:make just one or thousands without waiting weeks or having to
Speaker:spend money to order yards and yards print words in any
Speaker:language or font,
Speaker:add logos,
Speaker:images, even photos,
Speaker:perfect for branding or adding ingredient and flavor labels.
Speaker:To for more information,
Speaker:go to the ribbon print company.com.
Speaker:It's a hard space to be in.
Speaker:So first is really know your numbers.
Speaker:And oftentimes I will say it is helpful at that point
Speaker:to bring somebody in who is not so emotionally attached to
Speaker:your numbers,
Speaker:but is very tied to your outcome.
Speaker:I'd be like,
Speaker:they're your cheerleader.
Speaker:They're going to support you.
Speaker:So oftentimes we'll reach out to our CPA or our bookkeeper,
Speaker:but they are so number focused that you may not get
Speaker:the exact answer you need.
Speaker:So usually this will be a coach or a strategic advisor,
Speaker:or maybe accountability partner,
Speaker:have them sit with you as you walk through your numbers.
Speaker:And a lot of it's going to be you,
Speaker:where is your pain point?
Speaker:Where is your risk factor?
Speaker:Are you willing to go four months?
Speaker:If you were to finance that,
Speaker:would you be willing to carry that?
Speaker:Do you have the resources to do that?
Speaker:A lot of the time it's the answer will be no.
Speaker:And so that's a good thing.
Speaker:So like I worked with a lot of clients through COVID
Speaker:and when it first happened,
Speaker:and that was what we talked about is like,
Speaker:well, if you have to be closed,
Speaker:do you have enough expenses or enough resources to stay close
Speaker:to pay for these things?
Speaker:And if the answer still is no,
Speaker:what would it take to wrap the business up?
Speaker:Could you find some other type of way to innovate it?
Speaker:Could you move home?
Speaker:Could you do it virtually to think about all those things?
Speaker:And that's why it's so hard to do it on your
Speaker:own. And especially if you're a woman entrepreneur or business owner,
Speaker:we tend to need to talk things through more often.
Speaker:So find somebody that you can do that with,
Speaker:but look at all the options and you're going to have
Speaker:to know your numbers to do that,
Speaker:then play with them.
Speaker:What would it look like to do this or do that,
Speaker:and then really look at where your own personal risk factor
Speaker:is because everyone's different.
Speaker:Okay. Right.
Speaker:So the answer really lies in the numbers and how different
Speaker:numbers could play out and the reality of that actually happening.
Speaker:Yeah. And so for that client or that story that you're
Speaker:telling, the things that we would want to look at is
Speaker:innovation. Of course,
Speaker:retail is hard because again,
Speaker:it's about getting people to you,
Speaker:finding you.
Speaker:And I think COVID has given us this opportunity though,
Speaker:that a lot of things can be virtual.
Speaker:A lot of things we can bring in from outside,
Speaker:from all over the country,
Speaker:it doesn't have to be just local,
Speaker:but finding a good retail spot can be difficult because it's
Speaker:all about being seen.
Speaker:So how can you create more innovation to be found in
Speaker:a wider spectrum?
Speaker:So like,
Speaker:I buy a lot of my stuff from a maker in
Speaker:Canada. I do a lot of apothecaries all over someone in
Speaker:Eugene for this,
Speaker:which is about a couple hours from where I live.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:I found them through Instagram and through different channels that I
Speaker:would never have done because I would not go to those
Speaker:locations. And that you would have never been their customer if
Speaker:it was location-based only either.
Speaker:Yeah. Right.
Speaker:Yeah. It's interesting.
Speaker:And I wasn't even thinking about bringing this up,
Speaker:but in a VIP call that I had this morning,
Speaker:we were talking about the pros and cons of brick and
Speaker:mortar, like a commercial production space,
Speaker:because you've just overgrown your house or home-based.
Speaker:And part of that conversation was,
Speaker:and I'll relate it back to the story.
Speaker:I just told ebbing and flowing and adjusting your business structure
Speaker:is a solution.
Speaker:Like, it doesn't mean that if you had a brick and
Speaker:mortar and all of a sudden you went back and were
Speaker:home-based for some time that you're a failure,
Speaker:it's just an adjustment.
Speaker:And many times people do that because they thought that they
Speaker:were really going to like it,
Speaker:but they don't like to have to staff the store 24
Speaker:six, or how,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:what, what is it like 10,
Speaker:six, or whenever that equation would be,
Speaker:or hire staff to do it,
Speaker:but they didn't want to feel tied down.
Speaker:So when they thought they would like a brick and mortar
Speaker:shop, it ends up that they really don't.
Speaker:And so they do some other type of a model.
Speaker:So changing the way you're doing business is absolutely fine.
Speaker:And I think that goes back to though what you were
Speaker:saying, Connie is looking at your numbers,
Speaker:understanding what they're saying and being realistic about where it's trending
Speaker:and whether that could turn around or not.
Speaker:If it was trending down and then being creative and making
Speaker:adjustments, it doesn't mean if it's trending down that you have
Speaker:to close up shop,
Speaker:there are other options out there.
Speaker:Yeah. And I think that creativity and innovation is key.
Speaker:It's how we used to do business even five years ago
Speaker:is not necessarily how businesses need to react going forward.
Speaker:There's so much innovation we can do with pop-up shops and
Speaker:coworking space.
Speaker:And here we have a lot of shared commercial space for
Speaker:kitchens. So there's a lot of different ways that 20 years
Speaker:ago were not available before 20 years ago.
Speaker:It was,
Speaker:you had to have brick and mortar.
Speaker:You had to do it on your own,
Speaker:but that is not the case.
Speaker:We are more community Wren.
Speaker:Now we are more,
Speaker:if it can't be your own brick and mortar.
Speaker:Great. But you're just getting to that point of like growth
Speaker:is like just a few feet out than from where you're
Speaker:at. There's lots of different options.
Speaker:We just have to be willing to be creative for sure.
Speaker:Sure. And especially with this community,
Speaker:because there are a lot of artists in co-ops where you
Speaker:have retail space,
Speaker:your own retail space,
Speaker:but you're not carrying the full load of the lease and
Speaker:the building and water.
Speaker:And like all the things that,
Speaker:that includes.
Speaker:So there are quite a few options.
Speaker:Let's take it back to someone who is starting.
Speaker:And you were saying earlier that you have to just be
Speaker:considering everything from the start.
Speaker:And part of what you've talked about is you need the
Speaker:budget. You need to figure all that out.
Speaker:What advice would you give somebody who's just starting or is
Speaker:a few months in maybe a year in now and is
Speaker:really kind of going off the cough they're selling money's coming
Speaker:in. They're kind of applying it where the bills fall,
Speaker:Call my people,
Speaker:your people talk to your people.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:Yes, no,
Speaker:I know these people.
Speaker:Well, yes.
Speaker:Cause budget to a lot of people that are listening is
Speaker:a four letter word.
Speaker:So it is also why I don't use it in my
Speaker:business. I call it a financial plan.
Speaker:It's like for any good adventure,
Speaker:we're going to need some type of roadmap.
Speaker:If you're going to go from Portland to New York,
Speaker:you pull the map out.
Speaker:So you kind of relatively know the way you're going.
Speaker:The same thing with business and the map is our numbers.
Speaker:Our numbers help us build that.
Speaker:And we,
Speaker:aren't going to know all the numbers for all the places
Speaker:on the financial plan,
Speaker:but we can give it a guess.
Speaker:And that's again,
Speaker:where bringing in a mentor or a coach or somebody who's
Speaker:has a little bit experience in your industry can help fill
Speaker:in some of the blanks.
Speaker:But I always recommend somebody when they're doing their financial plan,
Speaker:look at it in three stages.
Speaker:And right now that's a good,
Speaker:better, best is the best way I can explain it.
Speaker:So good would be like your bare minimum.
Speaker:What do you need today to survive or to keep moving
Speaker:forward better would be like,
Speaker:if you've got some growth and you've got some more bigger
Speaker:clients in or bigger sales in,
Speaker:what would that look like?
Speaker:And then best would be your big dream.
Speaker:Where would you like to go and just plug some numbers
Speaker:in play with them a little bit,
Speaker:a financial plan is not set in stone.
Speaker:It changes as things around us in our world change,
Speaker:or as innovation comes into play,
Speaker:those numbers will change.
Speaker:So we're constantly going to go back and make them our
Speaker:friend, and really look at them and change them quarterly or
Speaker:every six months,
Speaker:but really lean into that plan and just have fun with
Speaker:it. And I know that's weird.
Speaker:That's coming from somebody who numbers were easy and that is
Speaker:actually my human design.
Speaker:That's my gift.
Speaker:My purpose in this world is to make numbers easy for
Speaker:people. So sometimes you,
Speaker:again might need somebody to help guide that spreadsheet,
Speaker:but once you have it lean into it and find a
Speaker:ritual and a habit around paying attention it.
Speaker:Yeah, For sure.
Speaker:So I'll be curious to what you think about this.
Speaker:So I have a program that I introduce annually.
Speaker:It's called maker's MBA.
Speaker:It is now closed or just closed like a few days
Speaker:ago. But when I get to that financial section,
Speaker:what I do is for brand new people who are starting
Speaker:their business,
Speaker:I break it into year one expenses and then moving forward
Speaker:expenses, some of those are duplicated,
Speaker:but when you're starting your business,
Speaker:there are some things that are expenses that are one time,
Speaker:like when you're registering your business as an LLC,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:or a lot of different types of things that are one
Speaker:time expenses.
Speaker:Only that just to your point,
Speaker:when you put in numbers,
Speaker:the first year is pretty much standard.
Speaker:You know what it is,
Speaker:you're going to pay it.
Speaker:You have to have the money to pay it.
Speaker:And then that goes away forever more.
Speaker:But then that second year and forward you learn more over
Speaker:time, right?
Speaker:And if you overlay that on top of sales,
Speaker:that's kind of like a P and L statement,
Speaker:but it also helps you,
Speaker:like, if you try to anticipate the sales that you need
Speaker:to cover the expenses that you already know,
Speaker:you have,
Speaker:it helps you understand what you need to be doing moving
Speaker:forward. Do you agree with that?
Speaker:Oh yeah.
Speaker:I do agree with that.
Speaker:A lot of the times people start with the sales and
Speaker:they randomly pick a number out of the air because it
Speaker:sounds good.
Speaker:Or if you're in a mastermind or something,
Speaker:everyone else says they want to make 10,000.
Speaker:So that sounds like a great number a month I want
Speaker:to do.
Speaker:Right. And actually though,
Speaker:it's the expenses you have to start with.
Speaker:How do you want money to support you?
Speaker:How do you want money to support the business?
Speaker:And then what does it support you and your lifestyle and
Speaker:include that because then that generates,
Speaker:okay, this is the revenue I need to bring in.
Speaker:So what does that look like then?
Speaker:And then you can break it into however you want to
Speaker:create that revenue.
Speaker:And it can be different streams.
Speaker:It feels to me like a big puzzle then too,
Speaker:because if you know how much you can sell,
Speaker:and for us that starts with,
Speaker:if you're a one person business,
Speaker:how much of your product you could even make?
Speaker:Like if you were to say 10,000,
Speaker:but there's no way you could make 10,000
Speaker:worth of your product.
Speaker:Well, you already know that that's on achievable unless you bring
Speaker:in people to help you.
Speaker:Right? So let's start and just say,
Speaker:you are the only person.
Speaker:So you,
Speaker:at some point are maxed on how much you could make
Speaker:just by the bounding of product you could create.
Speaker:So then you lay out exactly what you were saying.
Speaker:It also helps you understand what types of services you can
Speaker:afford or the variance of services.
Speaker:So for example,
Speaker:like a customer management system,
Speaker:those range from free to hundreds of dollars a month.
Speaker:So based on the way you play your numbers,
Speaker:you're able to tell,
Speaker:well, I don't need that.
Speaker:Super-duper crazy expensive client management system,
Speaker:even though some other people I know are using it and
Speaker:love it,
Speaker:I'm going to go with something more fitting for where I
Speaker:am right now.
Speaker:And I can look at that later.
Speaker:Or like,
Speaker:I think of all the social media apps that are out
Speaker:and all the filters and all the fun,
Speaker:little things that you can do.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:it's $50 there,
Speaker:29 here,
Speaker:seven 99 a month here,
Speaker:all that stuff starts to add up.
Speaker:And so I think that there's a lot of hidden money
Speaker:that we don't even know is there because some of these
Speaker:apps we spend money for,
Speaker:and then we don't even ever use them.
Speaker:We forget we have them,
Speaker:but they're coming up on our charge card.
Speaker:Yeah, it does.
Speaker:I use my calendar to remind me when those charges are
Speaker:coming up so I can give some thought to it again.
Speaker:That's why you create the plan,
Speaker:right? You can identify what those are.
Speaker:I also think too,
Speaker:if you haven't identified that you're a spender and where your
Speaker:risk factor is when it comes to money,
Speaker:we will tend to not only buy those tools or buy
Speaker:that CMS tool.
Speaker:I'm thinking of one in particular that I invested in because
Speaker:everyone else was doing it.
Speaker:And it seemed like it was the perfect fit,
Speaker:but again,
Speaker:it was outside what my money could support at the time.
Speaker:And I didn't think about all the other support that was
Speaker:needed to implement that big tool,
Speaker:all the other,
Speaker:the qualified team member that knew the tool already that can
Speaker:help support it.
Speaker:So if you know that you're a spender,
Speaker:can you put some pauses in your spending as well?
Speaker:Like for me,
Speaker:I have to get myself at least 72 hours before I
Speaker:make a decision.
Speaker:Especially if it's over a certain dollar amount,
Speaker:because if it's under $197,
Speaker:I'll say yes and just do it.
Speaker:So I need to create some pauses in that for me.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:here we come back to knowing what your style is and
Speaker:where your risk factor is,
Speaker:and then also what your numbers can support.
Speaker:Yeah. I like that pauses in your spending.
Speaker:That makes a lot of sense.
Speaker:The other place we're talking a little bit of tips now,
Speaker:we're just going off the cuff.
Speaker:Right. And talking some tips.
Speaker:The other thing I think,
Speaker:where we can do some,
Speaker:what I'll call blind spending is when you sign up for
Speaker:something that's like seven day free trial,
Speaker:and then you still have to enter your credit card,
Speaker:but seven day free trial,
Speaker:you may try it.
Speaker:You may forget that you should try it,
Speaker:but then all of a sudden you start getting charged for
Speaker:it. And you don't know.
Speaker:So those are things to keep your eye on as well.
Speaker:Yes. And sometimes,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you're like,
Speaker:Oh, lesson learned,
Speaker:okay, I'll eat it.
Speaker:But go back sometimes and ask for a refund.
Speaker:I did that with one of my tools and they went
Speaker:back and said,
Speaker:Oh yeah,
Speaker:you haven't used it at all.
Speaker:And gave me a full refund.
Speaker:So, but yeah,
Speaker:again, put reminders in.
Speaker:If you're going to test it out,
Speaker:there's a new tool we're looking at right now.
Speaker:And I'm like,
Speaker:I don't have time to test it fully.
Speaker:So I'm not going to do the 14 day trial because
Speaker:by the time we're done,
Speaker:I'm not going to have decision made.
Speaker:I'm going to end up paying for it.
Speaker:And it probably be two months before I make a decision.
Speaker:So what's your bandwidth.
Speaker:When you're looking at tools,
Speaker:how much time we actually devote to figuring out if it's
Speaker:a good buyer or not.
Speaker:So maybe a free trial is at your best option at
Speaker:the time.
Speaker:Yeah. I did get caught in this where I went through
Speaker:a, I started this a year and a half ago or
Speaker:so. And like,
Speaker:I didn't even remember all that I had out there with
Speaker:between apps and tools and you know,
Speaker:all that stuff.
Speaker:And so what I started doing is every time I'm diligent
Speaker:on my credit cards,
Speaker:I look at every single line item,
Speaker:make sure it's actually mine first off.
Speaker:And then when something would come up,
Speaker:I would look at it.
Speaker:And then I was putting it in my daytimer because of
Speaker:the auto renewals.
Speaker:Right. So I was putting in my day-timer like,
Speaker:what am I paying for monthly?
Speaker:What am I paying for annually?
Speaker:So I'd write down what it was and how much I
Speaker:was paying.
Speaker:And I did something similar to you in a way,
Speaker:like, if this is something that's annualizing and shoot,
Speaker:I really am not using it.
Speaker:I have asked,
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:this just auto renewed.
Speaker:I'm not using it.
Speaker:I need to cancel this for now.
Speaker:Love your app.
Speaker:Maybe back,
Speaker:sometimes that works.
Speaker:Sometimes that doesn't work,
Speaker:but now I have a really good understanding of what I'm
Speaker:using. But then I think the next layer on top of
Speaker:that is what's the value and the return for what you're
Speaker:using. Like I'm thinking of something that I'm using as an
Speaker:add-on to my emails right now.
Speaker:And part of me is saying,
Speaker:you know what,
Speaker:it's pretty expensive.
Speaker:Like, do I really need that to get the same result?
Speaker:Because it's not boosting Results and it costs $37 a month.
Speaker:So I'm like,
Speaker:that's a lot of money over the course of a year.
Speaker:Do I really need that?
Speaker:So going back and analyzing,
Speaker:but you can't analyze something you don't know about.
Speaker:That's just the way I managed it,
Speaker:because I think there's a lot of hidden dollars that we
Speaker:just forget about.
Speaker:And then when you find them and you recoup them,
Speaker:that's new money.
Speaker:Yes. That's fun money.
Speaker:Yes. Yeah.
Speaker:That's awesome.
Speaker:And evaluating sometimes in the world we're in right now,
Speaker:things are apps and things.
Speaker:A lot of people get stuck in,
Speaker:Oh, it will take too much time for me to change
Speaker:this app or change this tool.
Speaker:And so we continue to pay for these things that aren't
Speaker:serving us anymore.
Speaker:I did this with a project management tool recently we're in
Speaker:the process of changing back to a free tool.
Speaker:So again,
Speaker:where's your innovation,
Speaker:where's your ability to change that.
Speaker:And a lot of us aren't willing to be that innovative.
Speaker:So if you are going to buy a tool,
Speaker:consider that it's not your permanent end all tool,
Speaker:there may be a time to change.
Speaker:Yeah. And your business changes over time too.
Speaker:Your focus may be different.
Speaker:You may need different tools,
Speaker:either more weighty tools or lighter tools.
Speaker:You never know.
Speaker:I go back to what you said earlier,
Speaker:which is give your money a job,
Speaker:but then be very intentional with what you are looking at,
Speaker:doing next to just being super in control of your business
Speaker:and having the projection.
Speaker:Don't let actions of other things or unintentional actions guide your
Speaker:business, know where you're trying to go be intentional with what
Speaker:you're doing to get there specifically as it relates to money
Speaker:for this conversation.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:This has been so interesting.
Speaker:Kind of just had like a little girl chat all about
Speaker:money, a little less structured.
Speaker:But I think that that's really helpful because we brought up
Speaker:different points that I think are going to resonate with different
Speaker:people. But what would you say to somebody overall about money?
Speaker:If they've listened to everything we've said,
Speaker:because we've talked about beginning people,
Speaker:people who have been in business for a while,
Speaker:home-based brick and mortar,
Speaker:like all over the place,
Speaker:right? What would you say to somebody to make sure they've
Speaker:got the right mindset coming out of this conversation?
Speaker:What we were taught about numbers and money may not be
Speaker:true and you can choose,
Speaker:you're an adult.
Speaker:You can choose not always choose a new reality or,
Speaker:and so money and numbers can be super easy.
Speaker:And if you would like that to happen,
Speaker:then make that choice.
Speaker:And your action step will be to ask for a little
Speaker:help and then just keep that faith that it can be
Speaker:easy and numbers can support your lifestyle because that's what they're
Speaker:here for.
Speaker:Money is really here to support us.
Speaker:So it's the way we currently exchange energy.
Speaker:You have a product or service and somebody else would like
Speaker:to purchase it.
Speaker:That's our current exchange rate.
Speaker:That's all it is.
Speaker:There's not good or bad there.
Speaker:And numbers are not good or bad either.
Speaker:It's just the way we're keeping score for our business.
Speaker:And so you are in charge of what you'd like to
Speaker:create, and you have a gift that you'd like to get
Speaker:out in the world.
Speaker:So numbers and money are going to be your best friends
Speaker:to do that.
Speaker:So lean into that and try to find a new way
Speaker:of being with them in your space.
Speaker:And how do you help people like us.
Speaker:Get that done.
Speaker:Tell us a little bit more about what you provide and
Speaker:what you offer.
Speaker:Sure. Well,
Speaker:first off,
Speaker:I always want people to have their next step.
Speaker:So if you have any questions or anything,
Speaker:we give them a 30 minute free conversation of like,
Speaker:okay, I was confused about this,
Speaker:or I need more steps on this.
Speaker:That's what I'm here for.
Speaker:That's my purpose again,
Speaker:to make numbers easy for people.
Speaker:So what I normally do is clients will have a conversation
Speaker:with me and if they need more support in creating their
Speaker:financial plan,
Speaker:we do a strategy session.
Speaker:And then longer term,
Speaker:I work with business owners.
Speaker:One-on-one usually weekly to talk about what's going on in their
Speaker:business, more of a business mentoring role.
Speaker:And then how does number support that?
Speaker:And we configure it based on whatever their business model is.
Speaker:And it could go for six months.
Speaker:Sometimes it goes longer.
Speaker:There's not a really big structure there around it.
Speaker:It's I don't bring a set plan.
Speaker:We kind of like created as we go.
Speaker:So that is very custom,
Speaker:but it's all going to be with knowing your numbers.
Speaker:First, the financial plan is key.
Speaker:Being intentional with words,
Speaker:action, and resources,
Speaker:the cash handling system will be the next step.
Speaker:And then nurturing your relationship with money is looking at how
Speaker:you're interacting with it,
Speaker:what your mindset is around it.
Speaker:And what are you saying every day around it?
Speaker:So like one of my key phrases that somebody else had
Speaker:to point out to me was just make enough.
Speaker:And that is exactly what I was doing.
Speaker:I was just making barely enough to keep the business open,
Speaker:but nothing extra.
Speaker:And so sometimes it's about the words we say,
Speaker:unconsciously, that is stopping us.
Speaker:And so those are my pillars that I share in my
Speaker:business. This is so interesting because the combination of numbers with
Speaker:that overlay,
Speaker:that personality overlay is so,
Speaker:so important.
Speaker:And I don't hear a lot of people talking about that.
Speaker:So thank you for sharing all that you know,
Speaker:with us and giving us some little tidbits insights and all
Speaker:of it.
Speaker:I just appreciate you so much.
Speaker:Thank you,
Speaker:Connie. Thank you.
Speaker:Bye. See,
Speaker:I talk about numbers.
Speaker:Doesn't have to be dry or stiff at all.
Speaker:That was fun.
Speaker:Wasn't it take some time to think about Connie's question.
Speaker:Are you just making enough that can help you squeak by
Speaker:month after month,
Speaker:but you deserve so much more.
Speaker:I'm thrilled to say that after a short delay,
Speaker:next week,
Speaker:we'll be bringing Pinterest back up to the top of the
Speaker:list. It's actually been a good thing that this episode got
Speaker:postponed because a lot has been going on over in Pinterest
Speaker:territory, and now you'll have the latest and the greatest that'll
Speaker:be up and available for you next Monday.
Speaker:First thing,
Speaker:thanks so much for spending time with me today.
Speaker:If you'd like to show support for the podcast,
Speaker:a rating and review would be fabulous.
Speaker:That helps the show get seen by more makers,
Speaker:and it's a great way to pay it forward.
Speaker:Also make sure to follow the show.
Speaker:So podcasts automatically get downloaded to your phone.
Speaker:That way you don't miss a thing.
Speaker:Do you know that those who subscribe and follow are the
Speaker:first ones to get downloads and people who don't have to
Speaker:wait several hours later until the shows are available to them.
Speaker:You're special.
Speaker:I want you to get it first and now be safe
Speaker:and well,
Speaker:and I'll see you again next week on the gift business,
Speaker:Unwrapped podcasts.
Speaker:I want to make sure you're familiar with my free Facebook
Speaker:group called gift is breeze.
Speaker:It's a place where we all gather and our community to
Speaker:support each other.
Speaker:Got a really fun post in there.
Speaker:That's my favorite of the week.
Speaker:I have to say where I invite all of you to
Speaker:share what you're doing to show pictures of your product,
Speaker:to show what you're working on for the week to get
Speaker:reactions from other people and just for fun,
Speaker:because we all get to see the wonderful products that everybody
Speaker:in the community is making my favorite post every single week,
Speaker:without doubt.
Speaker:Wait, what,
Speaker:aren't you part of the group already,
Speaker:if not make sure to jump over to Facebook and search
Speaker:for the group gift biz breeze don't delay.