Practical Financial Management: Pay Yourself Consistently
Consultant Brooke Benson discusses the importance of paying yourself like you would any other employee.
I’m a business owner with fluctuating income. I'm an actor with fluctuating income. This is the life I’ve chosen for myself. I have never held a traditional 9-to-5 before, so for years my system for managing my income was no system at all: I’d transfer money from my business account to my personal one whenever a bill came up or anxiety crept in. I was working nonstop, but still felt broke.
The problem wasn’t my inconsistent income. The problem was my lack of structure. If you’re a freelancer, creative, or service provider, your primary goal isn’t necessarily to make your income less volatile, it’s to build stability within the volatility so you can pursue the work you love without sacrificing peace of mind.
Here’s the exact system I use to get paid, no matter when the money comes in.
Separate Your Business and Personal Finances
If you’re anything like me, your work probably feels like an extension of yourself. It’s easy to treat your business like it is you. But here’s the truth: your business is not you, and mixing the two (especially financially) makes everything messier than it needs to be.
Open a separate business account to keep your invoices, income, and expenses in one place. It sounds obvious, but it was a game-changer for me.
Figure Out Your Personal Baseline
Your personal baseline is the minimum amount of money you need to live each month. Think rent, groceries, insurance, bills, and a little fun money. The goal isn’t to deprive yourself, it’s to find a realistic number that covers your essentials. That number becomes what you should be paying yourself, consistently.
I picked a number that felt manageable and started transferring that amount from my business to my personal account once a month, like a real paycheck. Whether I made $300 or $3,000 that month, the amount I paid myself stayed the same.
Budget Yourself In
Most freelancers budget for everything except themselves. Flip the script.
This part was hard for me at first, I had to learn to price my services and run my business in a way that made room for me, not just my software subscriptions and taxes.
When setting your rates or pricing your products, factor in your monthly business expenses plus your personal paycheck. This will act as an early warning system, making it easier to detect when too much is going out or not enough is coming in.
Choose the Right Payout Method
If you’re a sole proprietor or LLC, you’ll likely pay yourself via an owner’s draw: a transfer from your business account to your personal one.
If your business is structured as an S-Corp, your CPA will set a “reasonable compensation” salary, but that number might not be enough to fully support your lifestyle.
In my case, my salary is smaller than my personal baseline, so I supplement it each month with an owner’s draw to meet my full target. What matters most is not the method, it’s the consistency.
Pay Yourself Once a Month
I used to move small amounts of money whenever my personal account dipped low. It made me feel safer in the moment, but honestly, it just left me confused. I never really knew where I stood.
Now, I transfer one lump sum every month. Same money, different mindset. It helped me see my cash flow more clearly and reduce stress. Plus, it forced me to be more intentional with both business and personal spending.
If things ever get tight, I lean on my buffer. That’s what it’s there for.
Since implementing this system, I no longer make emotional money decisions. I could finally plan, save, and actually feel the stability I’d been chasing for years. I still have slow months, sure, but they don’t throw my entire life off course anymore. I’m still an artist, but I now run a business that takes care of me, too.
So if you’re stuck in that cycle, here’s my reminder: you are not the leftovers of your business, you’re the reason it exists. Start paying yourself like it.
At some point, I realized I was treating myself like an afterthought in my own business, so I made one small but powerful change: I started paying myself a consistent salary. Nothing huge, just enough to cover my baseline expenses. I picked a number, set it on autopilot, and stuck with it. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as legal, financial, or accounting advice. Please consult your own professional if you have any questions
Stay Connected with Brooke
Brooke Benson is a thriving artist, money coach, and business owner in New York City, on track to retire as a multi-millionaire. Her company, Not Starving Artists, empowers creatives, neurodivergents, service providers, & small business owners to become financial CEO’s of their life, business, and career.
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