How to Make Your Future Self Thank You: Smart Financial Moves for Course Creators
Feb 17, 2025Have you ever put off something important, only to regret it later? Whether it’s handling finances, setting business goals, or tracking your progress, planning ahead is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. In this post, we’ll explore how course creators, therapists, and mission-driven business owners can make financial decisions today that will lead to less stress and more success tomorrow.
As Carla Titus from Wealth and Worth Within shared in our conversation, "If you do these things now, your future self is going to thank you and send you a thank-you note."
So let’s dive into practical steps to make your finances work for you—without the stress.
1. Set a Recurring Time to Review Your Finances
One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is avoiding their numbers until tax season rolls around. But your financial health isn’t something to check once a year—it needs regular attention.
Action Step: Block out time on your calendar every month (or weekly if possible) to review your income and expenses. It doesn’t have to take hours—just 15–30 minutes to categorize transactions and ensure everything is accurate.
“Eat the frog now because your future self will thank you for it,” Carla says. By staying consistent, you won’t have to scramble at tax time or wonder where your money went.
2. Audit Your Subscriptions and Expenses
It’s easy to sign up for business tools and forget about them. But those small monthly charges add up quickly. If you’re paying for software, subscriptions, or services you rarely use, it’s time to reassess.
Action Step: Go through your business expenses from last year and identify anything you can cancel, downgrade, or replace with a more cost-effective alternative.
“Just think—what if you could take the time you used to spend on your books and do a half-afternoon strategy session with yourself?” I asked. When you cut unnecessary costs, you create space for more meaningful business growth.
3. Plan for Growth with Clear Goals
Financial planning isn’t just about saving money—it’s about setting yourself up for success. If you’re building an online course as a side hustle, you need to consider how it fits into your long-term strategy.
Action Step: Define how many hours a week you can dedicate to course creation and what financial trade-offs you might need to make.
“The math is simple,” Carla explains. “It’s number of people times price point. That’s how you calculate if your course can replace lost income from client sessions.”
When you set revenue goals and track progress, you move from guessing to growing with confidence.
4. Treat Your Business Like a CEO Would
The most successful entrepreneurs don’t get lost in busy work. They focus on the bigger picture. If you’re spending hours doing tasks that don’t grow your business—like bookkeeping or admin work—it might be time to delegate.
Action Step: Consider outsourcing bookkeeping so you can spend more time on revenue-generating activities. Even if you still review financial reports yourself, having a professional organize your numbers can save hours of frustration.
“Pilots fly planes with dashboards,” Carla points out. “They check their metrics often and adjust course as needed.” Your business needs the same level of attention.
5. Review and Adjust Quarterly
Setting goals isn’t enough—you need to track them regularly. Business growth isn’t a straight path; it requires frequent course corrections.
Action Step: At the end of each quarter, review your financial goals. Are you on track? Do you need to adjust pricing, marketing efforts, or expenses?
“An airplane on autopilot is constantly making micro-adjustments,” I said. “The sooner you correct your course, the closer you stay to your destination.”
Keeping tabs on your progress ensures you’re steering your business in the right direction, rather than reacting too late.
Your Future Self Will Thank You
Imagine it’s the end of 2025. Will you be looking back with relief, knowing you made smart decisions? Or will you be stressed, wishing you had taken action sooner?
Start small. Schedule time on your calendar. Cut unnecessary costs. Set clear financial goals. And most importantly, don’t put off what can make your business stronger today.
“You’re going to land your plane somewhere,” I said. “So you might as well be intentional about where it’s going.”
Now, go put your mission in motion!
Reserve Your Spot for the Leveraging AI for Course Creation Webinar with the author, business coach, and podcaster Jay Allyson.
Resources:
- Check out Carla’s website here!
- Follow Carla on Facebook here!
- Find Carla on Instagram here!
- See Carla on LinkedIn here!
- Look at Carla’s services here!
Listen to STP 104 here!
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