You’re running a successful business, your client roster is full (or close to it), and you’ve got a steady flow of ideas for growth. Yet, when it comes to paying yourself, it feels… random. You set ambitious revenue goals at year-end, but when you look at your actual take-home pay, it doesn’t match your hard work. The stress, uncertainty, and guesswork around your numbers start to creep in.
I’ve been there. Early in my business, I was so focused on serving clients that I didn’t stop to calculate exactly what I needed to bring home each month or how my offers would get me there. Now, as a fractional Director of Operations and business coach, I work with clients every week using my Get Paid Like a CEO framework, a practical, numbers-driven system that removes the mystery from paying yourself. Many love it because they can “play” with the numbers and instantly see how adjusting client load or pricing changes their revenue picture.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the exact 4-step process I use with my clients to align revenue goals with real financial needs, break them down into clear sales targets, and create a visibility plan to hit them. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to set a realistic, profitable revenue goal and, most importantly, how to pay yourself consistently as a business owner without the overwhelm.
Let’s Be Honest for a Second…
If I had a dollar for every time a business owner told me, “I just picked a revenue goal because it sounded good,” I’d probably have enough to… ironically, pay myself.
I get it. It’s the end of the year, you’re feeling motivated, and you think,
“Hmm… $100K sounds nice. Sure, let’s go with that.”
Then January rolls in, client work gets busy, you’re juggling social posts, onboarding new clients, and somehow, months later, your bank account still doesn’t reflect all that hustle.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
I work with small business owners every week, from service-based entrepreneurs to coaches and course creators and I see the same patterns:
- The graphic designer who booked out her calendar but had no clue if she could actually take that dream trip to Italy without dipping into savings.
- The health coach selling one-off sessions who didn’t realize her “goal” required her to work 60 hours a week.
- The small business owner who made a lot of sales but couldn’t pay herself because rent, staff, and inventory ate the profits.
Here’s the thing: revenue planning isn’t sexy. It’s not the kind of topic you’re scrolling TikTok for at midnight. But if you don’t take control of your numbers, your business will control you. And honestly? That’s not why you became a CEO.
Why Most Business Owners Struggle to Pay Themselves
I am going to call it like it is….paying yourself consistently as a business owner isn’t as straightforward as getting a paycheck from a 9–5. You’ve got revenue, expenses, taxes, and oh… profit (remember that thing?).
The biggest traps I see?
- Random revenue goals. Chosen because they “felt right,” not because they were rooted in what you actually need.
- Ignoring the personal side. Your business should fund your life, not the other way around.
- No plan to hit the number. It’s like setting a GPS destination without actually looking at the route.
When I started out, I fell into this too. I was serving clients, delivering great work, but I didn’t stop to ask: “How much do I need to bring home each month to live the life I want?” That realization made a huge difference for me and it’s why I now teach my Get Paid Like a CEO framework to both my 1:1 fractional Director of Operations clients and my coaching clients.
This Isn’t Just About Math.
Yes, there’s math involved. (Don’t worry, we’ll keep it simple.) But this is also about clarity and control. When you can see the direct connection between how many people you serve, what you charge, and what you take home you can start to make smarter business decisions.
For example, one of my clients realized that by raising her group program price by just $200, she could cut the number of launches she needed in half. Another saw that by shifting from one-off services to a retainer model, her income stabilized saying goodbye to feast-or-famine months.
This isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter, with a plan that’s actually built for your life and goals.
Step 1 – Get Crystal Clear on Your Personal Financial Commitments
Here’s where most business owners get it wrong. They start with what they think they can earn instead of what they need to earn.
Grab a coffee and make a full list of:
- Monthly expenses (housing, utilities, groceries, insurance, transportation)
- Annual or semi-annual expenses (property taxes, memberships, insurance renewals)
- Future expenses (big purchases, family events, upgrades you know are coming)
One of my clients did this and realized she’d been underestimating her personal expenses by almost $800 a month. No wonder she always felt “short” every month, the data proved that she actually was!
In my Get Paid Like a CEO tool, I’ve got “Now” and “Future” columns so you can stop being surprised by costs you knew were coming.
Step 2 – Reverse Engineer Your Revenue Goal
Now we take those personal numbers and flip them into a business revenue target.
Enter the Profit First method by Mike Michalowicz (highly recommend his book). For businesses under $250K/year in revenue, the breakdown looks like this:
- 50% – Owner’s pay
- 30% – Operations
- 15% – Taxes
- 5% – Profit
Translation? If you want $50K take-home, your business needs to bring in $100K. Want $150K take-home? You’re aiming for $300K revenue.
One of my coaching clients had been aiming for $150K in revenue thinking it would give her $100K take-home. Spoiler alert: it won’t. Seeing the real numbers made her completely rethink her pricing structure and she hit her true target within the year.
Step 3 – Map Your Revenue Goal to Actual Sales
This is where the lightbulb moments happen.
Let’s say your personal needs require $5,000/month take-home. Using Profit First, that means $10,000/month revenue.
If your signature offer is $2,500 for a 6-month program, you’d need 4 new clients per month (or 48 a year).
Now factor in your close rate. By this I mean how many people you need to talk to in order to sign one client. If you’re not tracking it yet, start. If you are, use your real numbers.
One of my DOO clients discovered she was closing 50% of her sales calls. That meant she only needed 8 calls a month to land her 4 clients. Suddenly, her marketing focus got sharper. She could do less of “be everywhere” and more “talk to the right people.”
And here’s the part my clients love: with the Get Paid Like a CEO tool, they can bump up pricing, adjust client numbers, and instantly see the impact on their revenue.
Step 4 – Create a Visibility Plan That Matches Your Sales Targets
If no one knows about your offer, it doesn’t matter how perfect your math is. You need a traffic plan.
We look at 5 possible channels:
- Organic social media
- Search/SEO
- Relationship marketing (referrals, partnerships, affiliates)
- Paid ads
- Email marketing (non-negotiable, even if you hate it)
You don’t have to use all five of these channels. Instead, I suggest you focus on the ones that fit your business. My tool will tell you how many posts, emails, or ad impressions you’ll need to meet your sales targets.
For example, a health coach client saw she’d “need” 27 social posts a month to hit her goal. She decided she’d rather do 8 posts, a weekly email, and partner with another business owner for referrals and it worked.
Common Mistakes Business Owners Make When Paying Themselves
- Picking revenue goals out of thin air.
- Forgetting about taxes until tax season panic hits.
- Not tracking close rates, making sales unpredictable.
Why This Works
- Alignment: Your revenue goal is rooted in your real life, not fantasy math.
- Clarity: You know exactly how many sales you need.
- Flexibility: You can adjust pricing, capacity, and channels to fit your lifestyle.
- Proven: I’ve seen it work with both fractional DOO clients and coaching clients across industries.
Start Your Paid Like a CEO Plan
If you’re tired of wondering why your bank account doesn’t match your effort, it’s time to take control.
The Get Paid Like a CEO resource walks you through every calculation and includes the exact calculators I use with my private clients. You’ll plug in your numbers, play with the scenarios, and leave with a plan that works for you, not against you.
Click here to get your copy of Get Paid Like a CEO and start paying yourself like the CEO you are.
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