What Should I Be Doing With the Money I Earn
- Ashley
- Nov 17, 2025
- 5 min read
A Calm, Clear, And Actually-Doable Way To Think About Your Business Finances
You sit down at your desk after a good sales month, look at the number in your bank account, and whisper the question every single business owner has asked at some point:
“What should I be doing with the money I earn?”
Maybe you’ve wondered it in a moment of excitement. Maybe in a moment of panic.Maybe right after tax season, when everything feels a little too real.
Wherever you are on that spectrum, this post is your safe place to land.
We’re not diving into guilt. We’re not doing complicated formulas. We are simply walking through the mindset, habits, and clarity you need to feel confident every time you ask yourself:
What should I be doing with the money I earn, and how do I make sure I’m using it wisely?
Let’s make the question feel a little less heavy.
Why “I have money but don’t know what to do with it” is a sign, not a failure
Here’s the truth most business owners don’t hear enough: Not knowing what to do with your money is not a sign that you’re bad at business. It’s a sign that you’re ready for clarity.
That moment where you feel stuck is usually the moment your business is inviting you to slow down, look at what you’ve built, and create a plan that actually feels aligned.
For years, I watched entrepreneurs treat their income like a mystery they had to unravel each month. “What should I be doing with the money I earn?” became a question they asked with anxiety instead of curiosity.
But the real shift happens when that question becomes the starting point for confidence.
When your numbers stop being stressful and start being informative.
When you stop guessing and start intentionally deciding.
The real reason money feels confusing
Money gets overwhelming when it feels like one giant pot with no labels.
If you’ve ever thought:
“Should I pay myself more?”
“Should I be saving this?”
“Should I be reinvesting?”
“Should I put more aside for taxes?”
then you’ve already lived in the world where everything feels like a question mark.
The real answer to What should I be doing with the money I earn is this:
You need structure, not stress.
Not a rigid system. Not a one-size-fits-all rulebook.Just a simple, predictable rhythm so you know where your money goes before it even lands in your account.
How I started answering “What should I be doing with the money I earn” for myself
The turning point for so many business owners usually begins with one thing:Actually looking at their numbers.
Not judging them.Not overthinking them.Simply looking.
When you wrap up your monthly bookkeeping, something powerful happens. You see:
What you earned
What you spent
What’s left
That leftover amount is where clarity begins.
This is the moment you get to decide what should happen next, which is the heart of the question: What should I be doing with the money I earn now that I know my real profit?
And from here, things start to feel lighter.
A simple way to think about your money without doing mental gymnastics
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel every month, many business owners use percentages to guide their decisions.
It’s not a formula meant to box you in. It’s a starting point.
Think of it like sorting your laundry: you don’t dump everything into one pile and hope for the best.
You separate things so each piece gets what it needs.
You might allocate your profit like this:
A portion for owner pay
A portion for taxes
A portion for reinvestment
A portion for savings or debt payoff
One of my clients once told me, “This is the first time I’ve ever felt like I knew exactly what I should be doing with the money I earn.”It wasn’t because she made more money.It was because she finally had structure.
Once you have structure, you stop reacting and start leading.
The part no one talks about: your money plan should evolve
Your business is not static. Your goals change. Your personal needs shift. Your revenue goes up and down.
So the percentages you use today won’t necessarily be the percentages you use a year from now. And that is exactly how it should be.
Every season of business invites you to revisit the question: What should I be doing with the money I earn now, based on who I am and what I want?
There is freedom in that flexibility.
The question behind the question: should I just pay myself or take distributions
For some business structures, especially S Corporations, owner pay and distributions work together.
A salary that is steady and predictable.Distributions that allow you to take additional profits when it makes sense.
Neither is “right” or “wrong.” The real goal is making sure you understand how to use both so you can confidently say you know what to do with the money you earn.
This part can feel confusing, but you don’t have to figure it out alone.
What to do if you read all of this and still think, “I don’t know where to start”
This is exactly where most entrepreneurs get stuck. Not because they are doing anything wrong, but because they’ve never had someone walk through their numbers with them.
You can’t build an aligned money plan with guesswork.You build it with clarity, support, and systems that make the question What should I be doing with the money I earn feel simple instead of scary.
This is literally why Pretty Penny exists.
We help you:
Understand your real numbers
Build a plan for your money
Create clarity about owner pay and taxes
Use your revenue to support both your business and your life
So you always know what to do next.
Final thought: your money should feel like a tool, not a test
Paying yourself is not a reward. It is part of running a healthy business.
Saving is not punishment. It is protection. Reinvesting is not risky. It is a strategy. And asking What should I be doing with the money I earn is not a sign you’re behind. It’s a sign you’re ready to build something solid, steady, and sustainable.
When you manage your money with intention, everything feels more supportive. Your business.Your life. Your energy. Your confidence.
If you want help building a plan that feels grounded and doable, I would love to walk through your numbers with you.
Just say the word. Ready to finally feel in control of your business finances? Join BYOB+ and get the tools, training, and support you need to understand your numbers and run your business with confidence.
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