A story of fraud, fantasy and personal accountability
Picture this: You've built a wildly successful business, with an expert team who help you shoulder a lot of the day to day responsibilities. Everything is dreamy until one day, you discover a shocking nightmare - over a million dollars has disappeared from your accounts, thanks to your office manager's sticky fingers.
Sadly, this isn't just a story; it actually happened to one of my clients and I’m sharing it now as the wake-up call I think we all need to hear – if you’re not getting hot and heavy with your numbers, what are you even in business for?
And look, the reality is, we've all been there. Life is bursting at the seams already so it can be tempting to let the more mundane things like our finances run on autopilot.
But as we’ve seen, that can be a recipe for disaster. It’s time to get up close and personal with your numbers and start a lurid love affair with your finances. I’m not talking about a one-night stand where you open your accounts, have a quick rendezvous with your P&L, light a cigarette and call it a night. I’m talking about doing the work required for a long-lasting, intimate and deeply committed relationship with your money.
Are you missing the climax?
To be blunt: if you're not jizzing all over your money on the daily, you're not doing enough. It's like having sex without an orgasm - so not fulfilling and what’s the point.
You might laugh at that, but so many business owners fantasise about having staff do all the things for them and they won’t need to worry themselves with all the boring details, but that’s not the way it works when it comes to your numbers.
Let’s not sugar coat it
Ready for some real-talk? If you ever work with me in a mentoring container like Rent-A-Ceo, you better get ready for some hard truths. I don’t bullshit around. Like I told my client who’s been dealing with a huge financial loss and is also grieving the loss of who they thought was a trusted employee, if you've handed over your financial reins to someone else without proper oversight, you've got no one to blame but yourself.
If you’ve allowed someone to infiltrate your financial world without safeguards, then that’s on you. Sure people shouldn't do shitty things like steal money from you but the closer you are to your numbers, the harder it will be for someone to infiltrate your accounts, pull the wool over your eyes and take advantage of you.
Temptations and seduction
It doesn’t have to be big amounts stolen from you to cause you harm. It can be staff filling out timesheets incorrectly or stealing office supplies, which can really add up over time.
Financial theft can affect your personal life too. It can creep into families, partnerships, and intimate relationships. It might start small, 50 bucks here, $100 there but it can quickly snowball into a substantial loss. It’s our job to be vigilant when it comes to our money both in business and in our personal accounts.
This is my loving kick up your backside to start taking responsibility for your relationship with money. And if you don’t, then I’m sorry but there’s no hope. Even if you were to join the Female Financial Literacy Library or work with me 1:1 (or work with any other money mentor for that matter)…NOTHING is going to change until you decide to make the change.
Here’s 3 signs you need to get more intimate with your money …
#1: Money makes you feel a certain kind of way
Whether it's the knot in your stomach when a bill arrives, an olympic-level skill of avoiding financial conversations, or the sleepless nights spent stressing about money with no real plan in place for the future, if money is something that fills you with dread, it’s time to face the fear and get more intimate with your numbers! If you haven’t already, I highly recommend taking the Wealthy Women Win 5 day money mindset rest. It’s a FREE training consisting of 5 short daily audios that will give you much needed clarity around your big picture money story as well as help you identify your biggest triggers, beliefs and blocks around money. Click here to get day 1 delivered straight to your inbox >>
#2: You don’t know how much your life *really* costs
Do you know what your financial needs are in life and business – from your daily expenses to monthly and yearly budgets, what does it cost you? If I were to randomly walk in and ask you what it costs to run your business or to live the current lifestyle you have (or the one you desire and are working so hard towards), could you easily offer up that information? If not it's time to get up close and personal with your finances.
It’s not rocket science but a lot of people are intimidated by this question, have no idea how to answer and stick their heads in the sand. If you’re unable to do this, go back to step 1.
#3: You don’t have any systems or processes in place
To build a better relationship with your money, you need to really understand the distinction between personal and professional expenses. In Wealthy Women Win (see point 1), I guide you through this. From a business perspective, having systems is vital. For instance, I delegate data entry to an admin, but it’s my job to make payments. Even if someone manages your accounts, oversee and approve to avoid surprises. Remember my client's fraud tale? Having a large business doesn't exempt you from the mundane or the nitty-gritty.
Establishing solid systems in your personal and professional money matters will help in managing your people, your finances, and your future. Understanding your goals, desired lifestyle, and required funds is also crucial to help you move forward. Once your finances are in check, consider where you want to be when it comes to your finances. When your income grows, does it increase your lifestyle or does it fuel bigger investments? Take some time to read my last blog post about asset classes, and how to make your money work for you.
Or grab my FREE Asset Class guide to explore the possibilities >>
And if after all that you're still not experiencing financial satisfaction, go back and revisit point #1.
So how did I get to a place where I wanted to jizz all over my numbers even when I was losing EVERYTHING. Not once but twice!
Well it ain't rocket science. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before but if I’m the person who tells you for the 10th time or 20th time then my job here is done. Basically, I did the self exploration work to understand my money stories, beliefs and blocks and worked through the discomfort. I got real and honest with myself. It was crunchy and really fucking hard but so worth it.
The Wealthy Women Win 5 day money mindset reset will help you identify the stories you’re holding (yours and other people’s!). You’ll learn about your money triggers and blocks. Maybe you witnessed your parents divorce because they lost their business, so now you’re scared of money because that’s why you lost your family - what is it for you?
This work is fascinating and so freeing and you won’t have to spend a cent, I highly recommend you dive in and get started now >>
Your money is waiting for you to make the first move 💰💋
Coco xo
EXPLORE DEEPER
Click here for your free downloadable ‘What is an Asset Class?’ & why you need to know more about them.
