The $30,000 mindset shift every small business owner needs

In this episode of Money Secrets, Fi digs into one of the biggest mindset and strategy gaps in small business: paying yourself properly. If you’ve ever caught yourself working hard but not seeing it reflected in your bank account, this one’s for you.

Fi breaks down why obsessing over $30 subscriptions won’t move the needle, and how focusing on $30,000 decisions (the kind that grow revenue and build assets) changes everything. She shares practical advice from the Profit First framework, explains which expenses actually matter, and shows how to make smarter, higher-impact moves in your business.

🎧 Tune in to learn how to shift from survival mode to sustainable profit, and finally start paying yourself what you deserve.

What you’ll learn in this episode: 

• Why paying yourself first isn’t selfish, it’s smart business strategy.

• How Profit First helps you see money clearly by splitting income into multiple accounts for people, profit, expenses, and tax.

• The 25% rule: why no more than a quarter of your income should go to operating expenses (excluding wages or product).

• Why reducing costs only takes you so far, and increasing revenue takes you much further.

• $30 vs $30,000 decisions: how to stop overthinking small costs and start engineering big, strategic wins.

• What smarter spending looks like: investing in assets that compound, like branding, training, and marketing.

• The “revenue-first” mindset shift that turns stress into momentum and growth.

• How to attract premium clients who value your work and pay accordingly.

• Why long-term thinking (not penny-pinching) is the key to sustainable profit. 

________________________________________________________________________

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.

________________________________________________________________________

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

If you are excited for what’s to come, please like this episode, follow the podcast and share it with your friends. We are thrilled you’re here.

👉 Try Rounded free for 30 days 
The link is for users new to Rounded only and offers a free, unrestricted 30-day free trial of Rounded for users who pay tax in Australia or New Zealand. No credit card needed.

Check out my FREE Pricing Training you need to set your prices for profitability.

________________________________________________________________________ 

This podcast episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation and I’d like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on. I’d like to pay respect to elders both past and present, and note that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.