Last night, Christyna of B.E.E. Ventures came to speak to the Houston Fast Track Photographer / Pictage User Group (PUG), and it was nothing short of FABULOUS! She talked about creating sustainable income for your business and things you can do to take your success to the next level. She really sought to speak to all levels of business that were represented in the attendees, from people just starting out to people well established in their business and maybe needing a kick in the right direction.
I left with three pages of notes, a ton of inspiration, and a big goal for the next 18 months.
In addition to helping to pay for Jason’s college tuition, I want to pay off all of our debt within 18 months from my business income.
I said it out loud to Christyna last night because saying it made it a reality. I am typing it out here because I need more accountability then just one person.
To do this, I need to be a better bookkeeper and be more accountable on where I spend my money, watch impulse purchases, curb my gadget addiction a bit (I’m still getting the new iPhone when it comes out, but I’m going to plan ahead and know where the money is coming from to pay for it), and I’m going to need to make big payments towards the debt to pay it down fast. Next week, I’m going to take the first step of making a handwritten list of every last cent we may owe to anyone, interest rates, due dates, and everything like that – Dave Ramsey style. Why handwritten? Because I could type it out, but there truly is something different when you write it by hand. I remember things so much more clearly. Maybe there is even a little pain involved in it. (It is slower and a bit more tedious.)
I’m also going to be more focused and scheduled with my time. Procrastination costs me money, sometimes literally cash. Other times it costs me money in the form of missed opportunities. Either way, there is a price, and it will impact this goal. One of the things I’ve been working on this week in addition to editing for the SLGT Photo Project is updating things at Wholly Matrimony! — adding in affiliate advertising (along with links on this site as well), working on the layout, and more features that will be rolling out over the coming week. I have a BIG launch planned on Monday as well, and I’ll be lining up lots of real destination weddings to feature there! All to help with the goal.
I think I can, I think I can… (and yes, I’ll be sharing more about it here!)