I used to deal with paying myself like a nice-to-have. On this episode I share the behind-the-scenes of how that considering stored my enterprise feeling like a interest even once I was working so laborious on it.
You’ll hear the messy center too – why I modified jobs so I might have extra time for my enterprise with out extra monetary stress, the imprecise “substitute my revenue” purpose that didn’t assist me make more cash and the second I created some constructive stress that quietly modified every little thing.
For those who’ve been ready for an enormous money month to lastly have the ability to begin paying your self persistently, this may provide a special means ahead.
Sources to provide help to get out of your individual means in your corporation:
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FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Introduction
Hello and welcome to a different episode of The Perfectionism Undertaking. A podcast filled with perfectionism recommendation for entrepreneurs. My title is Sam Laura Brown, I assist entrepreneurs launch their perfectionism handbrake, to allow them to get out of their very own means and construct a satisfying and worthwhile enterprise. I’m the founding father of the Perfectionists Getting Shit Carried out group teaching program, which is in any other case referred to as PGSD. And for much more perfectionism recommendation that can assist you with your corporation, you may observe me on Instagram @perfectionismproject.
Sam Laura Brown (Customized introduction)
At this time’s episode is a chatty one which I recorded once I was simply feeling impressed to speak about how I began paying myself a constant wage from my enterprise. This that is one thing that I work on with virtually all of my one on one shoppers, if not all of them, since you don’t simply wish to have with your corporation constant income, constant gross sales, that’s vital, for certain. However what you need is constant private revenue and to not need to really feel prefer it’s a interest. As a result of when it’s a interest that’s once you paying your self is negotiable, and also you pay your self with what’s left over on high, if there occurs to be something left after you’ve paid your bills, otherwise you’re simply not paying your self in any respect. There’s so many ways in which it will possibly present up the negotiable wage, and we wish to have you ever having a non negotiable wage that you’re really capable of pay your self persistently from your corporation, that is without doubt one of the most tangible methods to go from feeling like your corporation is a interest to feeling like it’s a actual enterprise.
So on this episode, I’m simply sharing with you the story of how I began paying myself a constant wage, among the errors that I used to be making when it got here to this, after which what I did to really have the ability to pay myself a constant wage, which I’ve been paying myself ever since, it doesn’t matter what’s been occurring within the enterprise, we’ve been extremely worthwhile once we’ve had years that weren’t worthwhile, and every little thing in between that I’ve paid myself persistently, and this episode, what I share on this episode was actually the beginning of it and having these shifts. So I hope you discover this episode useful.
Sam Laura Brown
I wish to share a narrative about paying your self that I feel it’s actually vital to share. For those who really feel like you may have a interest enterprise. A part of that like, I’ve actually been learning this, as a result of so many perfectionists that I work with, once they come to me, they really feel like their enterprise is a interest, regardless that they’re working so laborious at it, it’s the principle factor they give thought to. It seems like a interest. And so I’ve actually been dissecting why is that like, Why does it really feel like a interest? And I feel there’s a number of issues that go into that, and one in all them is in the case of paying your self, in case you are actually not paying your self or and I see sometimes two methods with my one on one shoppers, they’re not paying themselves in any respect as a result of they want to earn more money first to have the ability to pay themselves, they usually need to have the ability to pay themselves persistently, so they should wait to have the ability to begin paying themselves.
And there’s that, or there’s they see what’s within the enterprise checking account on the finish of the month or the week, or nonetheless, typically they pay themselves, after which they switch that throughout to their private account. And it’s very very similar to, Nicely, if there’s extra cash, then I’ll pay myself. And I actually assume that strategy to enterprise is what makes it really feel like a interest, as a result of that’s actually how you’d strategy an precise interest enterprise. Like, if we take into consideration how we strategy a interest versus a enterprise or a job, a interest is form of like, I’ll do what I really feel like. After I really feel prefer it’s this, form of like, I’m doing it purely for the enjoyment of it. And every little thing is absolutely negotiable and may change, and that’s not a foul factor. A few of that mindset round hobbies may be actually useful to have in enterprise. However, however, however, however, we wish to hold the curiosity, we wish to hold the experimentation.
We wish to hold it feeling gentle and enjoyable and satisfying. That’s nice. However in the case of enterprise, in case you really feel like you may have a interest enterprise, an enormous a part of that’s since you’re paying your self like there’s a interest enterprise. So that you’re both doing what I mentioned earlier than, you’re both paying your self in no way simply ready to have this like massive windfall, after which you’ll begin paying your self, or you might be paying your self with what’s left over. And that is why, one of many key issues that we do in my one on one teaching sooner or later in the course of the teaching container, when it is smart for the consumer, is we’ll have a look at the monetary facet in the case of paying themselves, and the way like the particular steps for them to based mostly on their scenario, to have the ability to pay themselves persistently, in a means that doesn’t freak them out, in a means that doesn’t put this pointless stress on them.
However it’s a actually vital shift to make, to have the ability to go from not paying your self or paying your self sporadically to paying your self persistently, as a result of if you find yourself paying your self persistently, you’ll really feel a lot extra like an actual enterprise proprietor since you’re not making fee to your self. Being negotiable, that’s a interest factor to do. And if you consider as properly in a job, you aren’t they’re not. Like, okay, properly, we’re paid this month. If there’s cash, , if there’s revenue left over within the enterprise or no matter, then we’ll pay you. In any other case, , I hope you loved it and had fun, however we’re not going to pay you or, like, we’re simply not making sufficient cash but to pay you. Hopefully, sooner or later we will likely be, you form of be like, properly, that’s not going to work for me.
However in enterprise, we simply say, Okay, properly, that’ll work for me if I simply deal with this like a negotiable factor as an alternative of, okay, that is what I can begin paying myself now. That is what I wish to construct it as much as, and that is my particular plan to get there, which is often constant gross sales, and that’s one of many key outcomes that we work on collectively within the one on one teaching. And right here’s precisely what that’s going to appear to be. And right here’s some obstacles that may come up. Right here’s my plan for overcoming them. We try this work collectively so that you simply actually cease treating your corporation like a interest, as a result of in case you are paying your self sporadically or in no way, that’s a key purpose it seems like a interest. You’re actually treating it like a interest.
So right here’s what occurred for me when it got here to determining, like paying myself and all of that. So initially, once I first began my enterprise, I didn’t pay myself something. It felt like a interest. I didn’t pay myself something, and I didn’t have something on the market. I didn’t have a product. I didn’t have something on the market. I wasn’t like, there was no means for me to really make income. I used to be not promoting something. I had nothing to ship. I used to be simply creating content material. I used to be simply, like, making an attempt to get to some extent of constant advertising for my enterprise. And I figured that out, and I train that now in PGSD, easy methods to go from just like the inconsistent advertising and exhibiting up that occurs when our perfectionism handbrake is on to really with the ability to market persistently. So then I began making gross sales, and it was sporadic at first. So with my one on one shoppers, we I we work on constant gross sales. That’s the end result you get. Nevertheless it all the time begins with sporadic gross sales. In order that’s the place I began too.
So sporadic gross sales, I used to be simply on this mentality. So my purpose had all the time been, I would like to have the ability to have, like, be full time in my enterprise. I would like to have the ability to have that. After I say that, I don’t imply like, I’ve to work full time, 9 to 5 hours. What I meant was, I need a full time revenue. So now what I’ve, I’ve a full time revenue, or greater than that, a full time revenue on half time hours, and that’s what I needed. So when it got here to figuring that out, my plan for that, by the point that got here round, my plan for that was, I’m going to do an enormous launch, and I’m going to make, I feel my purpose was perhaps like I needed to make, I’ve $100,000 a yr, for certain. That was an enormous purpose for me, however I’m going to do a launch. I’ll make $50,000 in that launch, which I’ve by no means executed something like that earlier than. Gonna make $50,000 on this launch, after which I’m going to have the ability to begin paying myself and have the ability to substitute my revenue, and have the ability to go full time in my enterprise.
And what occurred was that made paying myself so distant and put a lot stress on, like I’ve to do that massive, loopy factor that I’ve by no means executed earlier than, and I’ve to tug that off completely earlier than I may even begin paying myself. In order that’s that perfectionist or nothing mindset. Such a great instance of it comes up quite a bit. So I used to be in that mentality of, like, I have to do one thing massive. I have to do one thing I’ve by no means executed earlier than, which, after all, had me go into procrasti-learning, which, after all, had me feeling overwhelmed as properly. So I carried on like that for some time, and I didn’t even know particularly I like, had this imprecise purpose, as we regularly do, of like, I wish to substitute my revenue from my job. So I didn’t have a selected determine in thoughts and a date or something like that. It was similar to, I wish to substitute my revenue, and I do know roughly what that’s.
So if my enterprise can simply make what my revenue is, then I can go away. Was my considering. However what really wanted to occur, and that is how I used to be really capable of pay myself, is there’s a number of issues that occur. One is that I spotted at a sure level I wanted some constructive stress. So once I left my full time job as an accountant and went to a component time job, I used to be at a spot the place I didn’t need any monetary stress on the enterprise. It felt too fragile, like my my id and what I used to be doing prefer it felt like such an enormous league to even go away the job that then having to have the enterprise make sufficient cash to pay myself of like a full time revenue simply felt like means. Too massive a leap, like means an excessive amount of stress on myself, that I felt like I’d crack beneath the stress. So I didn’t try this. I went to a component time job that I might work within the afternoons. It paid a greater hourly price than my accounting job, regardless that it was a reception job, it paid a greater hourly price in order that I might work all day till 3pm in my enterprise, after which I might go work for a number of hours within the night at this reception job.
So I used to be simply in a spot then, like, I didn’t need any stress on the enterprise to earn cash. Then quick ahead a few yr, and I used to be like, me not having to make any cash from my enterprise at this level now, and that is the place quite a lot of my one on one shoppers will likely be with issues. Not having to earn cash in my enterprise is definitely form of like, I’m utilizing that as an excuse to not have to indicate up and promote and put myself on the market and like, it’s form of like this safety blanket as a result of I don’t need to earn cash, as a result of I’m getting my full time revenue, if you’ll, from the job that I’m working, the reception job. It’s paying the mortgage, it’s paying the groceries. Like I don’t really want any of the cash from my enterprise, and I might see like that was really making me, like, giving me an excuse, or I used to be utilizing it as an excuse to not present up once I did wish to present up. Nevertheless it felt scary. So I’d be like, properly, , it’s okay if I make if I don’t make any cash this month, or I make lower than I plan, as a result of I’m not really counting on that revenue in any respect.
So what I did as a result of I needed to start out paying myself, however it felt so scary. What I did was I began simply paying myself. I feel it was perhaps like, $400 every week, and it wasn’t even going to love, it wasn’t correct pay, like on a payroll or something. I simply began having that cash exit of my enterprise account and into a special financial savings account inside my enterprise. However I needed to create the expertise of like, needing cash in my enterprise, and even when I didn’t want it for my private bills, that my enterprise wanted the cash. And in order that was such an vital step in me with the ability to go full time simply creating some constructive stress. At first, I didn’t need any stress. I simply wanted to have the liberty to, like, have the ability to attempt something and assume long run. After which sooner or later, I used to be like, I would like to really put myself on the hook somewhat bit right here.
So I did that, and I used to be having that cash come out. After which what I seen was a pair issues. One is my purpose round once I would go full time was such a imprecise factor. It was simply, like, all the time, , hopefully quickly, like, principally, I wish to do it yesterday. So I can’t even set a purpose for the long run, as a result of I’m already behind. So if I set a purpose, that makes me really feel much more behind, as a result of I’m not going to get it at present. And so what I did was I seen that, and I seen that I hadn’t executed the maths. And so I do that with quite a lot of my one on one shoppers. We’re like, we go into the specifics of the maths to do, however I hadn’t executed the maths on what I really wanted to make to have the ability to substitute my revenue. As a result of, certain, there’s my private revenue, however the enterprise, if actually, the enterprise simply makes precisely what I make personally. It doesn’t have cash to pay its bills, just like the enterprise has bills which can be totally different to my private bills I would like to have the ability to make investments. There’s taxes, so the enterprise really wants to have the ability to make greater than I personally wish to make.
And I hadn’t executed the maths of that, so I did the maths, and I found out precisely what that will appear to be. It was an even bigger quantity than I needed. Than I needed it to be. A part of the explanation why I had averted it initially, however I had readability on that. After which additionally what occurred to assist me going full time was I set a time-frame for once I would really be making a full time revenue. And I additionally do that with my one on one shoppers. We undergo precisely what that appears like, since you don’t since you don’t need it to be like too there’s a number of actually vital issues to make, however you don’t need it to be too quickly. You don’t have to be too distant. So there’s a number of different issues as properly. So I set a timeframe, after which what I did was, as an alternative of specializing in I have to have this, like massive launch the place I make an enormous sum of money and may simply pay myself after which go away.
What I did as an alternative was I deal with constant gross sales. Is what we do within the one on one teaching constant gross sales as an alternative of, can I simply have this, like, massive occasion occur? Can I’ve constant gross sales? And I needed to have, I had a goal in thoughts, and to try this three months in a row, to have the ability to go away. And that was all based mostly on the maths that I did and that I helped my one on one shoppers with that we undergo collectively. So once I had these parameters arrange, I had the readability in a very self supportive means. It wasn’t freaking me out, however it was placing me on the hook as soon as I had that, then the concepts that had been proper beneath my noise that I had I hadn’t even seen earlier than, so many concepts got here up for issues that I might do to really have that occur. After which and with sub. Help as properly for my coach on the time. Then as these concepts got here up, I used to be capable of observe them and execute on them and go full time and have the ability to make that full time revenue, to have the ability to meet, okay, I wish to make this quantity each month for 3 months, and to know, not similar to that was a great month, however, like, that’s, that’s the brand new normal, and as soon as I did that, which didn’t take that lengthy.
So I’m simply considering of timeframes. I feel it was August. Let me assume August 2018 the place I used to be like, Okay, I would like some constructive stress. Like, I’m needing to spend money on myself. I have to put myself on the hook. I used to be additionally resenting my half time job as properly, and so I needed to flip that mindset as properly, as a result of that was draining my power to resent that job, and that was giving me much less power for my private life and fewer power for my enterprise. Simply all of the resentment was so draining, and being like I could possibly be working proper now on issues like that simply drained me a lot. So there was that work. And actually it was over a sequence of, when did I launch PGSD? That was Could or April or Could 2019 so inside a yr, I used to be full time, and I made $150,000 in my enterprise. I feel I’d tripled on the income from the yr earlier than. I hadn’t labored extra out, like I wasn’t working tougher, I used to be simply in alignment with what I needed to do, and prepared to navigate the ups and downs of that, and supporting myself and receiving assist, such an vital one, receiving assist. I used to be getting teaching.
I had a neighborhood like I used to be, had enterprise associates that I used to be assembly up with and speaking to and issues like that. That every one meant that I might go from having began my enterprise in 2013 to then in 2016 I made my first greenback three years later. After which in 2019 I had revamped 100k and I left my half time job as a result of I might now make a full time wage from my enterprise. After which, since then, so it’s now 2025 I’m a twin mum of 4, so 4 little ones, 422, and a half yr olds and a 4 month outdated. After which I had Lydia in 2021 so then the previous couple of years have actually all been targeted on constructing our household, having children, and with the ability to hold having that, that revenue and the gross sales, and never simply that, however like having the liberty I would like within the enterprise, which is with the ability to be self expressed, with the ability to have the liberty to develop and to evolve, and having the liberty to do what I’m enthusiastic about doing, all of that, determining how to try this with one child, after which how to try this with three three infants, which was such a wild journey.
I’ve realized so many classes, significantly from just like the yr after having the twins, and my gosh, in order that, after which now having a fourth, and now I really feel like I’m coming into the following wave of issues, like I’m I don’t realize it’s thrilling, however all of that to say, and going off an intangent, all of that to say, we pay myself, the fact I’m in now the place I will pay myself and try this very persistently, it’s only a non negotiable. Even once I’m having infants and having a lot of time with them, and never desirous to work as a lot as earlier than, and desirous to have time with my children, after which time on my own and issues like that that it began with having that readability in a very self supportive means, having the assist as properly from others, as a result of it form of sounds loopy, and as a lot as different individuals love us in our lives, but when we’re doing one thing we’ve no proof that we will do, they usually haven’t seen others doing it prefer it’s not a typical factor, then as a lot as they imagine in us and in what’s what we’re able to, it’s not likely the form of assist, just like the that doesn’t meet all our assist wants, is what I’m making an attempt to say.
So having that assist from a coach, having neighborhood and associates that I discuss to on the business trip, is what our pgsc is have in the neighborhood as properly, and within the one on one teaching, you may have WhatsApp entry to me and may simply message me at any time. So simply having that and having that readability and the deal with constant gross sales, as an alternative of like, I’m gonna have an enormous, massive launch occasion, after which I’m gonna make some huge cash all of sudden, after which I can go away that each one or nothing. Pondering really stored me other than the answer. However once I actually began specializing in, okay, how can I make constant gross sales in a very aligned means that seems like me, then my mind was in a position, like I had, to make these mindset and energetic shifts. And as soon as I did that, then my mind was capable of finding the reply to that, and to execute on that and to do it.
And it was simply, like, such a enjoyable, such a enjoyable factor to do, and like, simply the place you blow your individual thoughts. Like, I, I all the time needed to have a full time revenue for my enterprise, and I, like, at first, that felt like a loopy, loopy dream to have, and now I’m doing it, and never even that, like now I’ve been making a full time revenue from my enterprise for greater than 5 years. 2019, six years. Truly, it would have been six years final month, the month earlier than. So being in a spot now the place I’ve been in a position to try this whereas having 4 children, together with twins. It simply all began with these first, first issues that I set in movement. And once I elevate the usual from it’s negotiable to pay myself to its non negotiable. So I actually love supporting my one on one shoppers with that. It makes such a distinction, significantly in the event that they’re feeling like they’ve a interest enterprise and perhaps they’re getting supported from a job.
Sometimes, quite a lot of my shoppers as properly, their partner is offering the entire revenue that pays their mortgage and childcare or various things like that, or they’ve financial savings that they’re counting on. In order that they’re form of on this state of prefer it’s negotiable to earn cash from the enterprise, and we don’t wish to put a heap of stress on you that’s pointless, however generally a little bit of constructive stress and supportive readability, plus getting assist and having that accessible on demand, it simply is what is ready to flip like, that full time revenue from this sort of like far out sooner or later, sometime, perhaps dream to love really, that’s my actuality. So if you wish to try this work with me, I do have spots open for the time being for one on one teaching, and that is without doubt one of the issues that we’ll do to have you ever making constant gross sales in an aligned, self-trusting means that you simply love that’s actually doubling down in your hidden gross sales strengths. I’ll establish them for you, as a result of they’re generally, oftentimes, virtually on a regular basis, very laborious to identify for your self, simply due to the way in which our perfectionist mind works, and we solely see the insufficiencies and the imperfections and and what must be mounted after which how we’re doing it mistaken, however I do have spots open for one on one teaching for the time being.
So in case you’re , simply DM me and say I’m enthusiastic about one on one teaching, or I’m enthusiastic about working with you privately, and I’ll ship you some extra particulars. And in case you’re as properly, we will have a name and speak about it some extra. Yeah, so let me know if you wish to try this, however I simply hope it’s useful as properly to listen to in regards to the vital shift that should occur in paying your self to have it go from being this negotiable factor to being a non negotiable with the intention to go from interest enterprise to actual enterprise.
Outro
I at the moment have a number of spots open to work with me privately to create constant gross sales in your corporation. This actually is a matter of studying easy methods to work along with your perfectionist mindset as an alternative of towards it, so you may present up in a means that not solely creates connection, however really creates gross sales, even in case you’re not working every single day, even in case you are shy, even in case you are terrified of feeling salesy, what I do with my one on one shoppers is we create collectively a technique that works for you particularly. It’s very customized and tailor-made precisely to you and your corporation it doesn’t matter what form of enterprise you may have, that has you making gross sales. So in case you really feel like you may have a interest enterprise for the time being, and also you wish to have an actual enterprise, then studying easy methods to make constant gross sales in your corporation so you may pay your self persistently as properly. That’s the shift, and that’s the precise work that I do with my one on one consumer. So to search out out extra and apply at present, go to samlaurabrown.com/teaching.
