When I started making money online — Etsy sales, selling on FB marketplace, selling crafts I made, digital products — I thought, “I’ll deal with the money stuff later.”
Spoiler: later becomes messy really fast. Also, spot the ADHD and shiny object syndrome. Don’t worry, I got that sorted, more about it later.
Once I finally got serious about tracking my income and expenses, everything shifted.
Here’s the 4 simple steps I followed to start treating my money (and my business) like a real CEO.
1. Set Up a Separate Bank Account
The first move? I opened a new account just for business income and expenses.
Keeping my personal money and business money separated made everything easier to track — and it instantly made me feel more legit.
It’s not hard to do, alot of banks you can do it on the app. Get to it!
2. Start Using a Simple Budget Tracker
I didn’t need fancy apps or complex software. (Have you seen how expensive some of those apps are?! Um no thanks!)
I built a simple Google Sheets budget template where I could track:
- Different income streams (Etsy, TikTok, digital products)
- Business expenses (subscriptions, shipping, supplies)
- Household expenses (so I could see my full money picture)
Tracking visually made me more mindful about every dollar.
3. Check In Weekly
Instead of waiting until the end of the month (when it felt overwhelming), I set a standing date with myself: Money Mondays.
Every week, I spent 15 minutes logging my income and expenses. It doesn’t take long at all to input my transactions and gives me a clear
Small, consistent tracking helped me avoid big money surprises later.
4. Set Savings Goals — and Track Them
Once I could clearly see my numbers, I started setting real goals: saving for taxes, building an emergency fund, investing in my business.
And seeing those savings grow inside my spreadsheet? Game changer.
It made my money feel alive — like I was building something bigger.
Want to Track Your Money Like a CEO Too?
I created a Google Sheets budget tracker that’s perfect for side hustlers, small business owners, and anyone earning online.
✅ Separate business and personal expenses
✅ Track multiple income streams easily
✅ Stay consistent with simple weekly check-ins
👉 [Get the budget template here]
Start tracking your money like your future self is already proud of you.
