Financial Freedom In Business

I grew up in a hardworking but poor family.

Maybe poor is a bit too strong a word. I don’t really remember not having the things I needed. There were a few times that mom worried she didn’t have “good enough” for us. Yet, there were always the basics like food, water, clothing, warmth. I was privileged with a mostly safe and secure housing situation, too.  I do remember that money, or the lack thereof, was ALWAYS a conversation that was prevalent in my households growing up.  Yet, we always found support and resources somewhere.

We had to scrap and save. Money was definitely a source of frustration, tension, and resentment in my youth.  What’s more is the guilt that came from needing or wanting something and asking for it.  I learned that needing and wanting money was wrong, that money was the “root of all evil,” and that someone else always needed it more. These limiting beliefs held me back from true financial freedom, despite all of my abundance.

I thought business ownership would lead to financial freedom.

And it did, when I was working in the corporate space and still had my 9-5.  It served as Additional income while the main job held down the fort and all the things in the fort. When I left my corporate position in 2022 and went full-time business owner in 2023, I really thought I’d be making money in just a few months.  And I did.  I pulled in some revenue, but I overleveraged myself and ended up in a spot that made life hard in the here and now. I’ve been doing this for almost 2 years, and profits, finances, and anything to do with money has felt like a chore.  

Last year, I attended a fantastic session where we dove into financial wellness under the idea of creating financial freedom. The person instructing obviously had a more affluent client base than I did, but I learned so much.  

There were some very relevant things that I implemented right away.

1) Writing down your financial freedom vision –

Financial freedom is just a vision of how you will spend money when you have it. A vision starts you off on a solid foundation. You can visualize and know what your life will look like when you become financially free and what you need to become financially free.

2) Changing your relationship with money –

Finding ways for you to enjoy looking at and spending time on your finances again.  The person who ran the show recommended “Money Dates,” which is an awesome idea to make the time that you schedule to do your finances something to look forward to.  I loved this concept so much that I decided to put a “Money Date Monday” on our community calendar for the Perspective Shifters hub.  I also scheduled 15 minutes into my day to make the administrative stuff a little easier, if I’m just looking at it for 15 minutes here and there.

3) Cashflow the game –

Penelope actually played a game with us called Cashflow.  It was a bit different because it was on the computer and over Zoom, but she encouraged us to get the game and try it, so I did.  I have two teens, and it’s been a great investment.  The kids enjoy it and have realized it’s an expanded and more in-depth version of Monopoly.  

I have really enjoyed Cashflow as a way to shift my mindset, and I really like that there’s a template for you to see where you’re at financially.  It takes a little bit of work to get set up, but using that sheet will most likely help you get a good handle on your business.  The entire focus of this game is expanding your regular passive income so that you can exceed your expenses. Essentially to find financial freedom which is a fancy way of saying “Get out of the rat race” (the objective of the game.) I definitely wish it had more emphasis on becoming a business owner or selling your creative works, and other ways of creatively making money but we can always add to the game.

4) Money buckets –

Your money bucket is the bucket that your money will fit into.  When I took this class, I was keeping track of all the cool things that had happened to me financially. I was putting notes and money that I’d found into a chalice next to my desk.  It had filled up for the year.  The mantra that I was given was “My money bucket is always expanding.” When I heard that, I fell in love with the idea. I even went to find a physically expanded money container to put change and gratitude notes into.

5) Profit First – 

Okay, admittedly, she wasn’t the first professional money expert to tell me about this book, but she was the one who shared it in a way that made me want to buy in without even reading the book.  So, I read the book, on loan from the library… I took some notes and have been working to compile the information for the Rebel Dream Lab.

Listen, there’s no one-size-fits-all for money challenges, but there are things you can do to get better. But what I’ve found is that going from “uggh” to “cool” and “let’s do it” has changed the way I enjoy my financial  

6) Find a financial advisor –

This has been a bit of a journey.  Finding a financial advisor / expert has been a bit of a challenge since we started the Perspective Shifters Hub, and we’ve re-branded so that we’re focused on member-led events and we are not saying “expert” any longer. As an organization we want to help people with their finances and give them guidance and education. Ultimately, though, doing that needs to be done with care and concern for members and their professions.  Not everyone is comfortable saying “expert,” and some regulatory bodies won’t allow it.

That said, we’ve got wide networks with lots of financial guidance and many of us are business owners who have been in business for 5+ years, or who have traveled the debt to financial freedom path so the well of wisdom is wide.

7) Join A Community –

If you’d like to join us, exchange ideas, tips, tricks, and insights like these… Click the link that says “Perspective Shifters Hub” right now (and in the future will say Rebel Dream Lab.)

Then get access to Money Date Mondays, and share the insights you’ve learned. We can share our resources, connections, and tools in one place.

Did I Shift Toward Financial Freedom?

I’m still overleveraged, but I’m getting caught up and I’m finally seeing profits beyond the debt cycle. What shifted for me was more to do with ME than with business or financial freedom. I gained confidence, and learned what I bring to the table. As I stepped into helping others with their businesses and not focusing on what I “Wanted” and rather what the universe was bringing in front of me… Things changed.

What shifted was my mindset. And that’s what I specialize in helping people to shift. (Perspective Shifting) So, if you have questions or want to dive in deeper, feel free to head to my personal website and book a call with me.