Financial Planning

Overview

Most solopreneurs avoid financial planning until something goes wrong — a surprise tax bill, a month where expenses eat all revenue, or a decision made without understanding the numbers. This playbook gives you a lightweight but rigorous financial system that takes 30 minutes to set up and 15 minutes per month to maintain. No accounting degree required.

Step 1: Set Up Your Financial Reality Baseline

Before planning, know where you actually stand right now.

Gather these numbers (estimate if you don't have exact figures):

• Monthly revenue (average of last 3 months if you have history; projected if pre-revenue)
• Monthly fixed expenses (rent/co-working, tools/subscriptions, insurance, hosting, internet — things that don't change month to month)
• Monthly variable expenses (marketing spend, contractor payments, per-transaction fees, travel — things that fluctuate)
• One-time expenses coming up in the next 6 months (equipment, legal, conferences, annual subscriptions)
• Personal income need (the minimum you need to pay yourself each month to cover personal living costs)

Write these down. This is your baseline. Everything else in this playbook builds on it.