If Your Business Can't Stand On Its Own, It's Not Yet a Business

The Uncomfortable Question

If you stopped putting your personal money into your business today, what would happen?

• Who would pay the rent?
• Who would pay the staff?
• Who would cover the losses?

If the answer is "no one"—your business has a structural problem.

The Common Excuse

"The business is small. I'm just supporting it with investment for now."

But let's be honest about what's really happening:

• The business isn't generating enough to survive
• Personal money is hiding the losses
• You're working but not earning

You think your business is surviving. But really, you're surviving your business.

Investment vs Life Support

Investment: Putting money in to grow something that already works

• The core business is profitable
• There's a clear return expectation
• It's a one-time or planned injection

Life Support: Putting money in to keep something alive

• The business loses money month after month
• You cover shortfalls with personal funds
• It happens repeatedly, unplanned

Why This Matters

When personal money constantly flows into the business:

• You can't see real performance
• You can't make good decisions
• You're burning personal wealth
• The problem gets worse over time

The Real Problems to Solve

The issue isn't usually lack of money. It's usually:

• **Pricing Problems**: Charging too little
• **Cost Problems**: Expenses too high
• **Sales Problems**: Not enough customers
• **Structure Problems**: No systems, no records

Personal money treats the symptom. Fixing these treats the cause.

The Diagnostic Questions

1. How many months did you put personal money into the business?

2. Does your business generate positive cash flow on its own?

3. When was the last month you took money OUT?

If you're putting money in more than taking out—that's a signal.

The Bottom Line

A real business:

• Generates more than it spends
• Pays its owner a fair return
• Doesn't require constant life support

That's not impossible. But it requires facing reality first.

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*Need to see your real business numbers? Our Accounting Dashboard shows exactly what comes in, what goes out, and what remains.*