Episode Details

Why Paying Yourself Makes Your Business Stronger (Right From the Start)

Psst! Want to hear a money secret? In this episode of Money Secrets, Fi tackles one of the biggest myths in small business: “You shouldn’t pay yourself for the first two years.”

If you’ve ever heard this advice and assumed it’s just how business works, it’s time to rethink everything. Fi breaks down why this mindset is outdated, how financial privilege plays a huge role in who can afford to work for free, and why paying yourself from the start actually makes your business stronger, not weaker.

Using a powerful analogy about trees and wind (and a little lesson from her beloved fiddle leaf fig), Fi shows how putting financial pressure on your business from day one forces it to grow solid foundations—ones that actually support you, rather than leaving you scrambling years down the track.

🎧 Hit play now and start paying yourself like the business owner you are.

What you’ll learn in this episode: 

• The privilege behind “not paying yourself.” Many people who go unpaid in the early years of business have savings, a high-earning partner, or other financial security that allows them to do so—but this isn’t realistic for everyone.
• Your business needs resistance to grow. Just like trees need wind to become strong, your business needs the financial pressure of paying you to develop sustainable pricing, smart spending habits, and long-term viability.
• Not paying yourself leads to bad habits. If you don’t have to cover your own salary, you might underprice your services, overspend on unnecessary expenses, or assume that “one day” you’ll magically be able to afford to pay yourself.
• Service-based businesses should be paying themselves from day one. If you’re running a service business, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be factoring in your salary immediately—your pricing should reflect your value from the start.
• Product-based businesses? Plan to pay yourself within six months. While some product businesses need time to become profitable, it’s still essential to build a clear path to paying yourself sooner rather than later.
• Money clarity = better decision-making. When you’re committed to paying yourself, you naturally become more intentional about your pricing, expenses, and where your money is actually going

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We’ve come so far as a society in many ways, but money is one of the areas where progress hasn’t been enough. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, it starts with understanding the secret: money in small business.

In this podcast, Money Secrets, host Fiona (Fi) Johnston—Chartered Accountant, small business advocate, and impact enthusiast—dives into the conversations we need to have about money. The secrets that once stayed behind closed doors (or on the golf course) are finally out in the open.

Fi’s mission? To get more money into the hands of good people, like you. She believes small businesses have the power to change the world, and the key to making a bigger impact is to make—and manage—more money.

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Thank you to everyone involved for bringing this podcast together. We are excited to hear from you with any questions, feedback or suggestions for future episodes that you might have. Send a Direct Message to @peach.business
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