Remember *that* iconic scene from When Harry Met Sally?
The one in the bustling New York restaurant, where Billy Crystal’s character proudly declares to Meg Ryan that none of his girlfriends have ever ‘faked it’ because he would be able to tell?
No spoilers if you’ve never seen it (a classic Sunday afternoon movie!) – but basically she proves him wrong in brilliant fashion, leaving the entire restaurant staring in silence.
This scene is ALL around us on social media today – faking it, I mean.
The whole image of everything looking perfect, because no one posts when they’ve just tripped and splattered themselves on the floor or screwed up and forgotten to do something crucial and left a client fed up.
Yes, we all know social media is fake.
But here’s the thing:
What people DON’T see behind the picture-perfect posts is the personal financial turmoil; the constant battle; the feeling of never quite being in control. Like that serene-looking swan gliding smoothly across the water, with frantic feet kicking furiously beneath the surface, keeping it afloat.
So many people pretend everything is glossy and fabulous when honestly, the reality of their bank accounts and business generally is far from perfect.
It’s a vicious circle. That feeling of inadequacy or ‘faking it’ only deepens, when you feel obliged to share your success on social media to attract clients, while really you’re worrying about money or struggling to make financial decisions or just simply not knowing what to do for the best.
Basically – if managing your finances feels totally overwhelming and / or you just don’t know where to start, you’re NOT alone!
You’re brilliant at your work. The way you help your clients is nothing short of amazing. You’re intelligent, knowledgeable, and probably feel like you should have this financial side sorted by now. But some of it feels like a foreign language you never learned at school, incomprehensible and daunting.
Maybe you’ve tried to make a start before, attempting to sort it all out. But it felt like too big a mountain to climb, so you filed it away in your mind (and on your laptop), to come back to later.
Cash flow; margins; profit; turnover… do you know your numbers? How well?
Look at Dragon’s Den. It’s proof that so many business owners don’t understand their numbers properly (and that’s on national television – you’d think they’d have them down!).
What do YOUR numbers mean? Practically speaking – what are you actually meant to be doing?
And then there’s your accountant, constantly mentioning things you should be doing to save tax.
Are you a limited company? Paying into a pension (the right pension)? What about life cover? Making the most of your ISA allowances? And all the other things that simply add to the confusion of where to even start with sorting it all out.
So you just carry on with what you’re doing and despite your outlook being so brilliant, you feel like you’re faking it. Not fun.
Whenever we feel overwhelmed (and I’ve totally felt that in my business too) – the trick is to take a step back and see where you are.
And then just take one step at a time, in the right direction.
There’s an old saying: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”. And while yes, it’s a bit of a cliché, it’s never more true than for your finances.
The first step is to work out exactly where you are and what you’ve actually got in place already (or not). You NEED to know a) how much money you’ve got coming in and b) your profitability. Because earning more money is NOT the answer.
You can keep earning as much as you want!
The online business world (in particular) is obsessed with making 6-figures and 7-figures. Smash that turnover goal; make more, more, more.
But if you don’t plug the leaks – so you’re spending in an efficient way AND saving and investing for your future – you’re always going to feel like you’re skint.
Once you’ve worked out where you are, the second step is to work out where you want to get to.
Is there a specific amount of savings, that would make you feel safe? Maybe you want to pay off your mortgage, with the freedom and choices that brings?
Maybe you’re starting to think about a time in the future when you might want to work a bit less hard? To travel or start a philanthropic project – maybe just see one or two clients a month, taking a pay cut?
Take this last example, about working less. You’ll need to supplement your income. Where will that money come from?
Once you’ve come up with an idea of what you want, you can put a plan in place to get there.
But there’s so much inaccurate, out-of-date and confusing information out there that sorting your finances (I mean properly sorting them) is one those things that’s hard to do by yourself.
Which is exactly why I created an amazing 12 month programme – Map To Millions ALL In – where you and I will get it all done together!
I’m talking:
- Mapping out YOUR route to millions… creating your Strategic Wealth Plan so you can make your money work for you
- Slashing your tax bill (both now and in the future), so you can hold on to as much of your hard-earned money as possible
- Boosting your profit instantly with simple strategies… so you can reduce your hours but earn MORE money
- Paying yourself consistently, even if you take weeks off on holiday… by breaking the link between sales and earnings, once and for all
- Becoming mortgage free, which could save you £1000s in mortgage interest AND free up more money to spend every month
- Always having your VAT and tax set aside ready… in the most effortless way
- Keeping MORE of what you earn every month… and using my tips and tweaks that show you how to find thousands extra
- Setting up a legacy for your family… without leaving them a massive Inheritance Tax bill
- Increasing your standard of living… buying yourself flowers when you want and NEVER flying bucket-class on holiday again…
And so, SO much more!
It’s a 12 month expert-led mentorship so you can soon be building wealth, taking real control and knowing you can scale your business on rock solid foundations, all in a fun and innovative way.
Goodbye, feeling like you’re faking it…
Just click here now for all the Map To Millions details!
Until next time,
Claire