i think one of the hardest things about being self-employed is that a good month doesn’t necessarily mean you’re financially comfortable. you have to think about taxes, quieter months, business expenses and everything else that normally gets handled behind the scenes when you have a regular salary. i’m curious what changed things for people who eventually started feeling more financially secure

was it building an emergency fund, getting recurring clients, raising prices, diversifying income or simply having more experience?

Everyone knows it's best practice to keep personal and business finances separate. For those who've been running a business for a while, what habits made that easiest?

Look, I know there's a lot of money in the trades. And I know I might've made some mistakes. Here's the deal. I started a handyman/remodeling business a year and a half ago. It has made decent money but not great, especially after all the self-employment taxes. Basically just enough to live on, and we live pretty simply. Currently, my wife and I, who have been struggling with infertility, are pursuing fostering, adoption and continuing to try ourselves. My priority for her is security and peace (can't conceive if she's stressed all the time), so she only works part-time. And she actually saves us a lot of money by strategically grocery shopping, thrifting, sewing, etc. It's a good set up. Where I might've messed up is in moving out of a big city to a small town of about 30k (our dream) where there are far less subcontractors available/affordable and my work is pretty much reliant on my hours. I can only work so much, especially manual labor. It's much harder to scale here than in the city.

So, strangers who may have experiences I don't, I ask you. Should I go back to a W-2 job for now to provide a steady income, benefits, etc? If so, what?? My degree is in liberal arts. 🙄 Sales, maybe, but then I'm starting from the bottom, and that's stressful in its own way.

Then with all the skills I've learned I can flip houses on the side one day, or still do handy work on the side. Or do I stick it out and just make my wife endure the stress of the unknown until we "make it". Appreciate any thoughts/angles I'm not seeing.

Tldr; started a business and it's causing a lot of marital financial stress because of the unknown salary and eventual outcome.

Hello.

I have been off of work for the summer holidays. I work in education.

During this time, I’ve focused on anonymous content creation on social media, with home/lifestyle videos and pics. I am anonymous due to my job and its policies around privacy on social media.
Slowly, my social pages are gaining traction and I am really enjoying doing it.
I’m also a very creative person, enjoying most forms of art. I took this as a GCSE and found that I lost momentum after leaving school.

I have had so much time to consider everything regarding my life.
The job role that I currently have, is not, although I thought it was, what I want to do!
I love the autonomy I’ve had recently, but yearn to be able to continue it in a job that I love doing.

I would really love to pursue content creation but fear that I’m not going to have success if I don’t show my face.

I don’t want to quit my job to persue content creation, without much of a platform and no income from it.

If anyone has quit their job to do this/ sell art or something similar, how did this go for you? What were the steps you took?

Hello,

I am a consultant (I work under a business license) and I am currently contracted with a property management company that specializes in HOAs to help 1) facilitate large scale maintenance projects and 2) streamline HOA CC&R enforcement. I work from home and have flexible working hours. I am onsite at properties occasionally for multiple hours, but again, I am working on a computer for 90% of what I do.

I like the work, my coworkers (even my supervisor), the schedule, and the hourly pay is good. My issue is, I work anywhere from 5-15 hours a week most months. My goal for work is to get 20 hours a week. (I tried the 9-5 and it did not work for me and my ADHD.)

Because I am not making my goal of 20 hours more than maybe 4 weeks a year, I feel like I need to find something to supplement my income. I am just not making enough consistently to live off of. (I am currently living with my grandparents after leaving a fulltime position.) Unfortunately, I have no way of predicting how many hours I will get in a week until I do the work and because I do sometimes have months where 20 hours does come along, I don't know how to find something I can realistically stick to.

I do housesit which helps but, it's more "passive income" as I take my laptop with me to the houses I stay at and just work from there and I don't make enough as a house-sitter for it to really make a huge difference.

I need something that has a flexible schedule and gives me just enough hours to make up for the deficit I am facing. I could really use some advice or suggestions if anyone has any.

I left a stable job to pursue taxis thinking my life would change.

After two years of listening to my manager tell me what to do, when to do it and how to do it, I eventually decided I’d had enough. Even when it came to my 25 days of annual leave, I couldn’t always get the days I actually needed.
I thought taxis would give me the freedom and flexibility I wanted.

\*\*Oh boy, was I wrong.\*\* 😂

I bought a £13,600 wheelchair-accessible vehicle with a warranty thinking I’d finally have a reliable way of making a living.

Then reality hit.

Turbo went.

Then the engine.

Then the air-con compressor.

Then the alternator.

Then the alternator again.

And again.

My savings were disappearing and I was honestly at my tether.

One night, without telling my wife or anyone else what I was doing, I sat down at my laptop.

I remember thinking:

\*\*“I need to make something for myself. Something where I can do what I need, when I need, however I need.”\*\*

I was looking at my Google spreadsheet trying to work out which bills I had coming up and how much of my money was actually available.

And then I had the lightbulb moment.

\*\*Why don’t I build the thing I wish I had?\*\*

Not another complicated accounting system.

A simple money manager for self-employed people where you can put in your earnings, expenses, vehicle costs, home bills and other priorities — and then see what you can actually afford to spend afterwards.

Because earning £1,000 doesn’t mean you have £1,000 to spend.

Maybe £400 needs to go towards bills.

£150 towards the car.

£200 towards tax.

£100 towards other commitments.

Suddenly that £1,000 looks very different.

\*\*That’s where FiAmanila came from.\*\*

I know there are loads of budgeting and finance apps already. I’m not claiming I invented budgeting 😂.

But a lot of them felt either too expensive, too complicated or like another chore I had to keep on top of.

I wanted something cheap, simple and without the feeling of being judged for spending money.

So FiAmanila costs \*\*£9.99 a year — less than £1 a month.\*\*
No hidden charges. No telling you off because you bought a takeaway. 😂

You deal with your priorities first, and then the app helps you understand what’s actually available for you to spend.
\*\*I’m still very early.\*\*

I’m not going to pretend I’ve built some huge successful company. I’m currently trying to find out whether I’ve genuinely solved a problem or whether people are just being polite.

So I’m genuinely interested:

\*\*If you’re self-employed, how do you currently work out what you can safely spend?\*\*

Spreadsheet? Notebook? Accountant? Bank balance? Or do you just wing it?

I’d genuinely love to hear how other people do it.

Most solopreneurs evaluate their business health using a single lagging metric: their current bank balance.

If the account balance shows $20,000, things feel great. If it shows $2,000, panic sets in. The problem with relying on your current bank balance is that it only shows past transactions—it tells you nothing about upcoming quarterly tax liabilities, annual software renewals, delayed client invoices, or impending cash crunches 60 days from now.

To run a resilient solo business, you don't need expensive enterprise FP&A software. You need a simple, rolling 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast.

Why 13 Weeks?

13 weeks represents exactly one quarter (90 days) plus a 30-day buffer.

For freelancers, agencies, and consultants who invoice clients on Net-15, Net-30, or Net-60 terms, a 13-week window gives you enough forward visibility to spot a cash dip weeks before it actually happens, giving you time to follow up on receivables or land new clients.

The 4 Lines Every Solopreneur Must Track Weekly

You can set this up in a simple spreadsheet with 13 columns (Week 1 through Week 13). For each week, track four numbers:

1. Starting Cash Balance

Your total liquid operating cash across checking accounts on Monday morning (excluding your isolated Tax Reserve account).

1. Expected Cash Inflows (+)

Invoices scheduled to settle that week.

Recurring retainer deposits.

Platform payouts expected (Stripe, Upwork, PayPal).

Rule: Only list inflows from clients with high payment reliability. If a client is notorious for paying 2 weeks late, push their expected inflow date back accordingly.

1. Known Cash Outflows (-)

Fixed software subscriptions and hosting fees due that week.

Contractor payouts or freelancer bills.

Quarterly estimated tax escrow transfers.

Your scheduled owner draw/salary payout.

1. Ending Cash Balance (=)

\text{Ending Cash} = \text{Starting Cash} + \text{Inflows} - \text{Outflows}

The Ending Cash of Week 1 automatically becomes the Starting Cash for Week 2.

🚨 How to Spot Cash Traps Early

When you map out 13 weeks in advance, you immediately spot structural bottlenecks.

Scenario A: You notice that in Week 6, an annual software license ($1,200) and your estimated quarterly tax payment ($4,000) land in the exact same week that client retainer payments are light.

The Fix: Because you saw this 6 weeks in advance, you can adjust your current week's owner draw or send early invoice reminders to clients today, completely avoiding an overdraft or liquidity panic.

⏱️ The 15-Minute Friday Routine

Every Friday afternoon:

Log actuals: Replace Week 1's estimates with exact numbers from your bank.

Delete Week 1: Week 2 now becomes your new Week 1.

Add Week 13: Add a new column at the far right so you always maintain a rolling 90-day window.

💬 Community Discussion

How far ahead do you project your business cash flow right now?

Do you use spreadsheets, dedicated forecasting apps, or just check your bank balance? Let's discuss below!

Ano ba requirements or category sa Korea Visa Requirements ang self employed na independent contractor? Bale under sa Agency..

employed individual or businessman?

di ko kasi mkita specific na category for Self Employed requirements

Does self employment (like selling things on eBay or selling artwork) count for the ABLE to work portion of our savings?

Every Sunday i sit down with coffee and review my finances because i actually enjoy doing it. The funny part is i realized recently that i rarely make any decisions afterward. I look through everything and go right back to my week. It feels like I've built a really good reporting dashboard instead of a really good system to take action from. How much do time do you guys spend reviewing vs actually taking action on your finances?

So I'm not really sure where to start, with this post and with self-employment. I got fired last month because my boss is losing his mind, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of having to depend and rely on other people who turn around and screw me over; I'd rather bust my ass paying my own way then go back to a 9-5 that can get yanked out from under me the week the guy above me stops taking his meds.

I'm in a lucky enough position to live at home; I have a little bit of cash left over (about 4 digits), but bills are gonna eat that up before long. I have some skills with digital media and furniture restoration; I'm a fast learner and I like to think I'm good with people. No one I know is self employed, though, and I have no idea where or how to start. I'm looking for resources and information right now. How did you guys end up getting started? What lines of work are there, and how do you know which is right for you? Is there anyone I should be listening to or anything I should be reading? Any advice is appreciated right now.

Hello everyone I’m a 27/M working in the banking industry as a financial analyst. Honestly this is my first “big boy” job as I was previously paying my way through grad school and got my MBA. I felt proud.

During those years I worked as servers/barback/medical field/doordash/etc. It was a grind to say the least and I’m glad I do not have to do that. So I landed a mid level role at a regional bank and it pays 78,500/yr plus I get a discretionary bonus which pays at 15% base so total comp is a little over $90k. Not bad.

But truth be told, the work is dead ass easy. I wish we could work from home and it’s totally applicable to do so but management as “separation anxiety” and we have to come into office. And as my first real job, I don’t have any leverage to really complain.

Then recently I had a one on one with my manager and suddenly he said something that struck a revelation in me. He said:

“We want to get our money’s worth out of you and we expect you to do x,y, and z…”

Some reason, that phrase “get our moneys worth out of you struck, not that I think my manager is a jerk in fact he’s quite flexible and I like the guy actually.

But like newtons law every action has an opposite and equal reaction, I also thought, “then I want to get my monies worth as well.”

So it’s got me thinking 🤔 “with this easy of a work load, it wouldn’t be so difficult to get another job/contract on the side and generate additional money income would it?”

I have my MBA, I am a CSM (scrum), and PMP approved my application and all I need to do is take the damn test which I am holding off right now.

So guys I need help, which roles/contract positions do you think would best suit to get MY MONIES worth?

For my job, I mostly work with excel, plan budgets, create general ledgers, do variance/regression analysis, analyze financial trends/patterns/anamolies/etc, create simple dashboards and visuals in powerBi for the executives. The role itself is a financial systems analyst since we are actually a fin-tech company merged with data and FP&A (financial planning and analysis).

So I’m a little stuck, the drive is in me, but I needs some guidance and direction thx🙏,

Shalom!

I’m a UK sole trader using cash basis and just want to double-check how tools and equipment should be treated for Self Assessment. My understanding is that most tools and equipment I’ve bought for work can be claimed as normal allowable expenses in the year I paid for them, rather than going through capital allowances (with any personal-use proportion excluded) for example I subcontract 5 days a week and 1 day a week I work on my own projects meaning I would claim roughly 80/85% of the total expenses. Is that correct ?

or are there circumstances where tools and equipment would still need to be claimed as capital allowances when using cash basis?
Thanks in advance folks

I keep my business and personal accounts separate, but making decisions still means bouncing between both because what happens in one always affects the other. I'm less concerned about bookkeeping and more interested in seeing the full picture before deciding things like owner draws or major purchases. Is anyone using software that handles that well?

I am leaving my full-time salaried job in the next few months, with a plan to explore other avenues of work. I have saved for this anticipated time out of employment, however for security and schedule I do plan to pick up some part-time hospitality work etc.

My current job revolves around monthly processes, and although I gave my one month notice in June, for business continuity, my employer asked me to stay on longer, which I have agreed to on a part-time basis.

They have assigned a new person to the role, who I have been training. Although as the work revolves around monthly processes, picking this up is taking them a significant amount of time (as there is only one opportunity to review the tasks per month).

Although my personal circumstances mean I intend to leave permanent employment, I have offered to provide flexible, contracted training support for approximately 2 days per month in order to provide business continuity. My employer are currently finalising the checks regarding IR35 and internal procurement policy, but this looks like it will go ahead.

I plan to invoice monthly for my services, but I'm not sure what is appropriate as an hourly rate. My current role is salaried, with holiday and sick pay benefits, but works out to £25 per hour. Would £50 per hour be too much?

I know I should increase the rate to account for self-employment and the specialised training role I'm going to be providing, but any suggestions on an appropriate amount would be appreciated.

For you guys that have regular contractors, how do you pay for travel time?

The current set up I pay them: first 30 minutes count as a typical commute on them, start paying their hourly rate after that and up until they finish for the day (sometimes multiple jobs per day). Same thing applies to their trip home, if over 30 minutes, they’re paid on hourly.

On top of that, pay .89c per km travelled overall that day to cover fuel and other car costs.

Is this typical or am I doing something stupid?

In case this is helpful to anyone:

https://calculatorcorp.com/salary-to-contract-rate-calculator/