The Most Valuable $12.61 I Ever Made
December 13th, 2022, my relationship with money changed forever.
I had started my business in July of that year and had really strong early success with a handful of clients that I worked with 1:1. I was enjoying the work I was doing, but I hadn't yet had the realization that would completely change how I viewed money.
I wanted to create an accountability group around goals. My thought was simple, if I brought together people striving for big goals and provided accountability, there would be a high level of achievement. The structure was straightforward: meet weekly, share progress, get feedback from the group, and celebrate wins.
I "creatively" called the group Goal Getters. I decided I would charge $13 per month because 13 is my favorite number, and off we went.
Then the first person joined.
The next day, $12.61 (darn credit card fees) landed in my bank account.
The amount of $12.61 wasn't exactly life-changing money, but it was a life-changing moment because it was the first time in my life I realized I could simply create something, pick a price, and charge for it.
Until that day, despite already being six months into my entrepreneurial journey, I still thought like many people do. This is how much money I make, and the primary way to change it is to get promoted, switch jobs, or choose a different career path.
The $12.61 changed that.
For the first time, I stopped thinking of myself as someone who earned income and started thinking of myself as someone who could create income. I've never looked at money the same way since.
I realized I could create value for people, charge a fraction of the value I created, and generate income that didn't previously exist. It was a shift from a fixed-income mindset to becoming an income creator.
A lot of us have money beliefs and blockers. Often the solution is sitting right in front of us, but we can't see it. It's one of the reasons I love asking clients some version of this question:
If you had to generate 10x more income next year, what would you do?
That question alone has created more money for people I've worked with than any strategy I've shared because the answer was already there. They just hadn't given themselves permission to see it.
Understanding what to do and actually doing it are two separate issues. Most people reading this already know several ways they could create more income, the challenge usually isn't strategy, it's discomfort.
You might hear no.
The prospect might ignore you.
The larger client might not respond.
The offer might get rejected.
So you delay it and delay it again. Eventually busy work takes over and another month goes by.
Which brings me to the Revenue Sprint.
From June 22nd through July 3rd, I'm inviting entrepreneurs to join me for a Revenue Sprint.
The idea is simple: everyday complete at least one revenue-generating activity. Direct activities that could eventually lead to someone saying yes because of an action you took.
Revenue-generating activities include:
Making an offer
Following up with a prospect
Asking for a referral
Reaching out to a former client
Scheduling a sales conversation
Sending a proposal
The goal isn't to hit a specific revenue number but to prove to yourself that you have more control over your income than you think.
Throughout the sprint, you'll be connected with other entrepreneurs doing the same thing. We'll share actions taken, wins, ideas, challenges, and help keep each other accountable.
My guess is some participants will create new clients, some will uncover opportunities they forgot existed, and many will discover that the path to more income was already sitting in front of them, they simply needed the urgency and accountability to act. The sprint is free to join and starts on June 22nd.
Join the Revenue Sprint: June 22nd - July 3rd
When I received that $12.61, I didn't know it at the time, but it would completely change how I viewed money and abundance.
It certainly wasn't because of the amount, it was because I realized I had far more control than I thought. Money wasn't something that only came from an employer or a promotion. It was something I could create by finding ways to help people and delivering value.
My hope is that sometime between now and July 3rd, you have your own version of that moment.
Maybe it's realizing you've been undervaluing yourself, maybe it's hearing someone thank you for making an offer that genuinely helps them, maybe it's seeing a larger deposit hit your account than ever before.
Whatever it is, I hope you walk away learning the same lesson that $12.61 taught me:
You have more control over your income than you think.