Tag: simple

Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/dawnkkennedy/public_html/wp-content/themes/crio/inc/boldgrid-theme-framework/includes/partials/template-tags.php on line 516
style="background: url(); background-size: cover; background-position: center center;">

Most of my clients have lasting results with the money changes we make. But what makes some clients more successful than others? I don’t judge success by dollar amounts of debt paid or profit made. Some of my most successful clients had overall smaller dollar changes.  I judge success by my clients reaching their financial goals, staying protected at their income milestone, paying themselves and having great job satisfaction. If my clients can remove the stress and uncertainty that can come up around money, I call it a win.  But my most successful clients all have three qualities about them that made them “extra” successful.

1 – They have a money goal and a purpose for the money.

My most successful clients have a money goal. Saving to buy a building, leave the 9 to 5 job, open a day spa in 3 years are all examples of my client’s goals and purpose for a set amount of money. These goals aren’t fuzzy. They know how much they need, and they have a timeline to make it. If they don’t start that way, they get it when we work together. If your money goal is “as much as possible” or “as much as I need to cover overhead” you likely don’t have the same laser focus to create and make money as my most successful clients do. The truth is, if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. You need to define and write down your goals with a plan to reach them. Not that plans can’t grow, change, and evolve, but if you don’t start with one at all you aren’t going to be able to really measure your progress.

2 – They take immediate action to control their money.

They opened the holding account, they took the utilities off autopay, they started tracking income every day. Some of my clients have done those tasks the same day we have our session! Keeping their laser focus on the goal they take quick action and have wins immediately. I have seen less success with entrepreneurs who are slower to make necessary changes. The motivation to get it done quickly goes away, and often only about half of the recommendations make it into the business. They may pay their expenses intentionally, but they don’t make the time to create a monthly spending plan (budget). My most successful clients commit to making changes with their money quickly, one step at a time, and they follow through right away.

3 – They celebrate every financial win and use them to stay motivated.

Let’s face it, saving 5 years for a building can get a little boring. Every $200.00 deposit seems tiny in the face of the price for a building. But my most successful clients celebrate every single win, whether it is a deposit into a building fund, or a payday when they proudly sign both the front and the back of their paychecks. Staying motivated can be difficult sometimes, and we all have to deal with the sometime lack of motivation. Celebrating the little things brings joy into the progress, not the end state. If you aren’t celebrating and doing a little dance after every sale or payday, I challenge you to start today. Find a small money win and recognize it with gratitude.

Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/dawnkkennedy/public_html/wp-content/themes/crio/inc/boldgrid-theme-framework/includes/partials/template-tags.php on line 516
style="background: url(); background-size: cover; background-position: center center;">

I am a multi-passionate entrepreneur. Across the businesses I am a teacher, coach, and cheerleader, but my businesses are very different and have very different audiences. I teach and coach entrepreneurs with their money and strategy, I tutor and coach non-traditional law students through school and the bar, and I teach ballet, tap , and jazz one day a week. And I am passionate about each one of my ventures. I know there are some of you out there who are just like me. I wanted to take a minute and support you by providing a few tips and tricks for balancing the finances across entrepreneurial pursuits. We will start with the “rules.”

 

Rule number 1: Every venture is different; you must separate your finances. Period. I have accounts for each business. I have check books for each business. I go so far as to have Stripe for one and PayPal for another to process payments. The money is earned in different businesses. By using PayPal, I can also “park” the money until I need to transfer it. No co-mingling. I keep everything absolutely separate. So should you.

 

Rule number 2: Expenses are different and should be tracked for each venture separately. This is as easy as putting all the receipts in a different folder, one for each business. Make sure that you pay the right expenses from the right account. Another benefit of PayPal is I can send money directly from the business account to pay expenses. You can set up the same for your businesses. Keep them separate.

 

Rule number 3: Taxes are separate in each business. You must pay the self-employment taxes on each venture. If you are a sole proprietor in the US, you will have one EIN if you are operating with your own social security number. You can make a single tax deposit online to cover the taxes for all three, but you must keep withholding separate in your tracking. You must file a “Schedule C” every year for each business that you own as a sole proprietor on your taxes.  If you are an LLC, Limited, Corp or any other structure you must absolutely deposit your own taxes but let your accountant do the K-1 filings at the end of the year.

 

It doesn’t have to be complicated for the multi-passionate entrepreneur. I sit down and handle each business separately and in turn. I have a written spending plan for each, and the B-number that goes with them. I spend less than 1 hour a month on the financial planning and management of the companies.

 

How to do it:

 

  1. Have Your B-Number. Know your B-Number for each business separately and have a written spending plan for each. I’ll say it again, know your breakthrough numbers and have a plan for the money in each business. If you need to calculate your breakthrough number get the free workbook at entremoneycoach.com. This step will save a ton of stress and crazy. You know what you need to make, what you need to pay, and where your money is going.

 

  1. Use color coding. I have different colored folders for each business. I mark receipts as I have them and place them in the correct folder by color. To avoid payment errors, I have checks in different colors with a little icon in the corner. Color coding keeps everything easy and organized. You can find different colored folders at any office supply store.

 

  1. Delegate what you aren’t good at, or don’t like to do. Stay organized with a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, accountant, etc. The actual bookkeeping for my businesses is very straightforward, and I don’t do it, and it takes less than 3 hours a month for all the businesses. I only manage the income and planning.

 

  1. Always have a plan for your money. Don’t let your money run off and spend itself. Know what each business’s income is for. Your money every month needs to have a purpose. You may decide to take a salary from one business, with the intent to use the money to grow a different one. Have a plan, withhold your taxes, and use your money strategically.

 

I celebrate multi-passionate entrepreneurs like me and understand that being organized can sometimes be a challenge. But take these few steps above to make managing the finances across multiple businesses easier. Happy entrepreneruing!

Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/dawnkkennedy/public_html/wp-content/themes/crio/inc/boldgrid-theme-framework/includes/partials/template-tags.php on line 516
style="background: url(); background-size: cover; background-position: center center;">

This question coming from a financial coach probably seems a little odd. But the fact is, you may be losing business by being too cheap with your company. Perhaps you have been holding off finding a VA or new software or marketing support. As entrepreneurs we sometimes tend to count pennies and ignore the bigger benefits that we would receive by investing a little money.

I don’t think that you should throw your money around willy nilly, however. I want to give you a quick and easy process you can use to help you make the decision to either invest in new products and services, or to find the places to trim products and services you no longer need or use. The Cost-Benefit analysis for this is simply a tool to examine whether the benefit of something in your business will outweigh the actual cost of having it.

The easiest way top do this is to sit down and write, yes hand write all of the benefits of adding the new product or service. Be specific. For example, a Virtual Assistant will save you time that can be better available for money making activities. Email Automation can make sure nobody who opts in for your newsletter falls through the cracks. And continue to list the benefits that you will personally receive in your business. Then look at the cost, financially, to your business. Many times, when you write it all out, the investment is a “no brainer” and your business will benefit so much you need to add whatever it is, now.

On the flip side, if you are wondering whether to keep something in your business, you can use the same approach. If the benefits (be honest) are not enough to justify the cost, you can likely remove or replace the product or service. I do this periodically because software and platform products evolve and add services, and it is possible that I no longer need a particular product because the function is available in something else, I am already using. I find this process especially helpful when I am trying to decide, “what goes next?” in my business.

I use a cost-benefit analysis almost every time I make a decision to spend money. I keep a list of products and services I would like to have that would make my life easier or would make my client’s experience better. When I have to choose between two services, because I want to make every change financially sustainable, I write the benefits of each service, relative to the cost, and decide which one gets me closer to my goals faster, or the one that makes back my investment quicker.

It’s critical to spend the “right” amount of money in your business every month to allow you to sustain your current level and facilitate growth. If you haven’t used this process before and need to make a next investment decision (or to remove a service) set aside some time before the start of 2020 to try it.