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Know your numbers · Pay yourself properly · Keep more
You’re making money, and you still don’t know what you can pay yourself.
Revenue is coming in, and your own pay still depends on what’s left over. This page will show you how to pay yourself as a business owner on a schedule you can trust, so you can stop guessing every month.
Written by Simone Cimiluca-Radzins, CPA
You had a good month, and you still aren’t sure what you can take home.
Say you run a business you’re proud of, and it’s the last Friday of the month. Three clients paid this week, two invoices are late, and your tax bill is somewhere in the back of your mind. You open your bank account, look at the balance and try to work out what’s really yours.
So you pay yourself whatever feels safe, and you tell yourself you’ll sort the numbers out next month.
That isn’t a discipline problem, and it doesn’t mean you’re bad at business. Nobody ever built you a financial system, so you’ve been running on your bank balance.
Does this sound familiar?
Signs your business finances are running on your bank balance
- You pay yourself last, so your own income changes from one month to the next.
- Revenue is up, and there isn’t much left at the end of the month.
- You can’t say which clients or offers really make you money.
- Invoices go out late, and payments come in later.
- You avoid opening your numbers, because you’re not sure what you’ll find.
- Your tax bill surprises you, even though you knew it was coming.
What it’s costing you
Not knowing your numbers is costing you more than you can see.
It costs you money, because prices stay low and leaks stay open when nobody is looking at them. It costs you sleep, because every big decision feels like a guess.
If nothing changes, next year will bring more revenue and the same worry, because growth makes a money problem larger.
Where to start this month
How to pay yourself as a business owner, on a schedule you can trust
Start with your real profit
Take what came in over the last three months, and subtract what the business spent and what you’ll owe in tax. Look at three months because one good month can fool you.
Choose one number and one date
Pick an amount the business can pay you even in a slow month, and pay it on the same date every time. A set date means your own bills stop depending on your clients’ timing.
Separate the money
Move your tax money into its own account the day a payment lands. When it’s out of sight, your balance finally tells you the truth about what you can spend.
What number could your business pay you every month, even in a slow one? Write it down before you close this page, because that number is where your plan starts.
Who’s writing this
I’m Simone, and I’ve spent close to 20 years helping businesses grow.
I’ve sat with owners who were running out of cash even though they were making a lot of money, and I’ve helped them get peace, profit and a lot less chaos.
I’m a CPA, growth strategist and keynote speaker. I worked at PwC, 21st Century Fox and Capgemini, and for more than a decade I’ve been on my own, working with startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs. I’ve taught this work on stage at Lisbon AI Week and Google DevFest.
“Her enthusiasm is contagious, fueling you with the energy and motivation to take action. Meeting her has been a game-changer.”
Sofia, Sofia 7 Oficios
The Growth Architecture
The Growth Architecture will help you fix your finances for good.
The Growth Architecture is my 12-week one-on-one program, and it will help you get your numbers crystal clear and pay yourself properly, so you can keep more of what you earn.
Questions
Questions business owners ask about financial
How much should I pay myself as a business owner?
Start with what your business can pay you in a slow month, based on your real profit after expenses and tax. The right legal way to pay yourself depends on your business structure and your country, so confirm that part with your accountant.
Why is there no money left even though my revenue is growing?
Revenue only tells you what came in. If your prices are too low, your costs are creeping up or clients are paying late, more sales can leave you with the same small amount at the end of the month.
Do I need to be good at math to understand my business numbers?
You don’t need to be good at math. You need to be willing to look at your numbers, and once someone shows you what they mean in plain language, they get much less scary.
How does The Growth Architecture help with my business finances?
The Growth Architecture is a 12-week one-on-one program that covers your finances along with your sales, your operations and your leadership. It is education and coaching, and you’ll keep working with your own accountant for your filings.
The Growth Architecture is education and coaching. It is not personalized financial, tax, legal, investment or mental health advice, and results depend on your business and your work.
Ready to fix this for good?
The Growth Architecture will help you build the business you started this for, so you can earn more, keep more and get your time back.