Yeah it looks ok… but one wrong move and the whole thing collapses! Leaving you and your family in financial ruin. - You or your partner going on maternity leave
There are lots of unknown factors that can put your financial house under serious duress. Even if you feel like you’re in a good financial position. This is why it’s so important to have strong foundations: - The habit of spending less than you earn
I consider myself a gun with money, but even we’ve faced some serious challenges this year. - Unexpected expenses
- Kaci being on maternity leave
- Inconsistent revenue in my business
We’ve seen our savings get decimated the past few months because of these factors. What we’ve experienced this year would lead most to financial ruin. If it weren’t for our emergency fund and money management skills then we would have been in serious trouble. Yeah Kaci could have gone back to work early… But I want Kaci to be with our 6-month year old son Clifford for as long as she can. This time right now is precious. It saddens me that so many women are forced to get back into the workplace before they want to because they can’t afford not to. Yeah I could go back and get a traditional job with a steady income… But I would be selling my soul. I know I’m building something special that is adding value to others and will support us financially in the future. One thing I’ve had to admit to myself and Kaci is that building a successful and profitable business can take far longer than you expect. And without the right financial resources behind you, you won’t be able to stay in the game long enough to succeed. And this is why most businesses fail. Not because of a lack of commitment, desire or hard-work. But because of a lack of money in the bank and cashflow. One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes you need to take a step backwards before you can continue moving forwards. Right now our ‘Income vs Expenses’ and ‘Net Worth’ sheets are telling us we need to make some short-term sacrifices to our lifestyle so we can continue moving forwards. It’s not easy to admit this. It hurts the ego. But we must be brutally honest with our current results while maintaining our focus on where we’re going. We must do what is required so we can continue playing the game our way. |