Are You Stuck Working "IN" Your Business?
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Entrepreneurship is tough. If you're going to put yourself through it, you need to make sure there's a meaningful, life-changing reward at the end. And let's face it — money has to be part of that reward.
Because to some degree, we're all driven by the desire for more:
Money plays a huge role in getting all of it — you can leverage money to save time, grow your business, and create freedom. The problem is, almost nobody has a plan for this.
A business plan? Sure. A vision for the business? Yes. Goals? Of course. But a personal financial plan that not only scales the business but secures your long-term wealth and security? It amazes me how few six-figure entrepreneurs have this — and even fewer act on it.
Unless you know where you're going, how can you possibly get there? My background is in finance, and after years of working with entrepreneurs to scale their businesses the right way, I understand the specific challenges they face. This isn't a generic personal finance article. This is what an entrepreneur needs to know.
Make more money than you spend — then invest the difference wisely. That's it. Do this consistently and you'll grow your business and build a lot of personal wealth. You become the kind of business owner who turns $1 into $2 — your own personal ATM machine.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. We are not financial advisors. Please consult your personal financial professional to discuss your specific situation.
Far too many entrepreneurs get caught up in vanity metrics like revenue. Revenue looks impressive — but it means nothing unless it creates profit for your business and personal wealth for you. The worst thing you can do is pour everything into your business while the business makes money and you don't. That makes no sense, yet it's exactly where many six-figure owners end up.
The numbers tell the truth — and once you know the truth, you can make the right decisions. Your job as CEO is to make the right decisions. Everything depends on it. Until you know your numbers in detail, your money will continue to come and go. You'll remain in feast or famine. Your personal wealth will suffer.
Once you know your numbers you can spot the bottlenecks that are preventing you from scaling. You can see — in black and white — what your situation is and what it will be. From there, you can make the right decisions for you, your business, and your future.
We talk about "knowing your numbers" constantly at 2X because it's truly the foundation of everything else. We even created an in-depth 30-page guide on it. Why? Because numbers remove bias and emotion. They show you exactly where you stand — and you can't fix what you can't see.
Most entrepreneurs completely disregard their retirement. They say things like "I'll sell my business by 40 and retire" — which is a great goal, but do they have an actual plan to make it happen? Probably not. Stop assuming you'll make more later and create all the wealth you need at some point down the road. Come up with a plan for what you will do NOW — and then actually start.
One of the key ingredients to building massive wealth is time. The compound effect of starting early is enormous. The sooner you set aside for your retirement, the faster that wealth grows.
There are also significant tax advantages available to entrepreneurs that most aren't even aware of — let alone acting on — as well as specific funds designed to generate serious personal wealth for you and your family. Most entrepreneurs don't build their personal wealth overnight. They grow it over many years as they build their business, invest wisely, and develop their authority. They don't wait for some big idea to come off. They start now — and they have a plan whether or not they actually intend to retire.
Running your own business is stressful — but most entrepreneurs make it far harder than it needs to be. Whenever we speak to a new client at 2X, we ask what keeps them up at night. Everyone has their issues and fears, but most of the time it centers around one thing: money.
You can make your life dramatically easier by having three things properly set up and working for you:
- An Emergency Fund — at least two months of business and personal expenses in reserve at all times
- Systems — the right financial systems running in the background (more on this next)
- Insurance — both business and personal coverage that protects you from worst-case scenarios
When you have these three things, you stop losing sleep over losing a client or having a slow month. You've covered yourself — which removes a mountain of stress and overwhelm. And that freedom releases you to go out and deliver your absolute best work.
Your "new zero" has to be at least two months of expenses in your account at all times. We call this a Core Capital Target — and we build one specifically for every 2X client. Combined with the right insurance coverage, you never have to fear the worst-case scenario because you've already handled it.
The Core Capital Target is one of the most underrated concepts in entrepreneurship. Most business owners operate with just enough to cover next month's expenses. That constant pressure is a silent killer of both performance and decision-making. Two months of runway transforms how you show up in your business every single day.
At 2X, we're big into systems. We use them to scale businesses — and the same principle applies to building personal wealth. You need financial systems running in the background that keep you informed, accountable, and consistently making progress.
It starts with a Scorecard that tracks your core numbers and a regular review of the key elements of your wealth. This sounds simple — because it is. Yet almost nobody does it. Until you know exactly where you stand, you cannot make the right decisions to move forward.
- Create a Scorecard that tracks your core financial numbers
- Review it regularly — weekly if possible
I review my own scorecard weekly, spending under an hour because I've automated much of the process. I know where my personal finances stand at all times — which means every decision I make is grounded in reality, not guesswork.
One system makes this dramatically easier: The Profit First Method by Mike Michalowicz. It's a system that changed how I approach both my business and personal finances — and it's built for sustainable, long-term scaling.
The core idea: first account for your profit, taxes, and your own pay — then what's left is what you have to invest into growth. It reframes the entire financial equation from reactive to proactive, and it works for both your business and your personal finances simultaneously.
Most business owners react to their finances — checking numbers only when they have to, when an issue arises or their accountant asks for something. That reactive approach keeps you permanently behind. A simple weekly scorecard review changes everything. An hour a week of financial clarity is worth more than a hundred hours of hustle.
— Austin Netzley, Founder · 2X
The last — and arguably most important — thing to know is this: you are leaving money on the table right now. You may not think you are. But you are — because this money is hidden, and you only know what you know.
Here are the most common places hidden money hides:
- Paying more tax than you legally have to
- Overlooking investment funds or plans built for entrepreneurs
- Running ineffective or broken internal processes
- Bottlenecks and leaks in your value chain that quietly drain cash
I can't tell you exactly where your hidden money is without knowing your specific situation — but I can guarantee it's there. As part of your regular financial review, always ask: where's the hidden money I'm not tapping into? The previous four tips will open your eyes to most of it, and simply knowing your numbers reveals the rest.
My biggest piece of advice: involve another set of eyes. I have a finance background and keep a very close eye on my own numbers — yet every time I bring in an expert, they spot new ways to save money, make more money, and get more out of what I already have. You only see what's in front of you. A trusted outside perspective changes that.
I've seen entrepreneurs discover tens of thousands of dollars they were leaving on the table simply by bringing in a fresh set of eyes. Tax optimization, overlooked deductions, smarter reinvestment strategies — none of it is complicated once someone shows you where to look. The ROI on getting expert financial guidance is almost always extraordinary.
Entrepreneurship is too hard and too demanding to not make it worth your while. Whatever your vision — whatever your goals — money has to be part of the reward. It gives you the leverage to escape feast-or-famine living, provide long-term security for your family, scale your business so it doesn't rely on you, and simply live life on your own terms.
These 5 things only scratch the surface of what's possible when you take your personal finances as seriously as your business. Start by knowing your numbers, build a plan for your retirement, create a financial safety net, put the right systems in place, and keep hunting for the hidden money. Apply to the 2X Accelerator and we'll help you build all of it — so your business growth compounds into lasting personal wealth.
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Real Personal Wealth
We help 6-figure entrepreneurs scale to 7 figures AND build the personal financial foundation to make it all worth it. Apply to the 2X Accelerator to get started.
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