My Embarrassing Money Mistake (and Why It’s Okay!)
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Episode Summary:
I’ve got an embarrassing money mistake to share with you- and no, it’s not the $280 I paid a guy for five minutes of landscaping. What’s embarrassing is that he made it seem like a massive job, and I totally believed him. (First-time homeowner over here!) But here’s the thing: I don’t know a single business owner or woman who hasn’t made a money “mistake”. It happens to ALL of us, and they’re a normal part of growing and learning in business (and life). I want to talk about them to help release the shame we often carry.
In this episode, I’m sharing my story and some of the situations I’ve helped other women navigate—from acquiring business debt, to buying a course you’re disappointed by… and more! Mistakes happen, they don’t define us. Let’s release the shame, learn from our experiences, and not let them hold us back. 💛
Topics:
My embarrassing $280 landscaping story (and the lessons I learned)
Why making money mistakes is a normal part of growth
How to release shame and see mistakes as opportunities for learning
Examples of common money “mistakes” my clients and I have made
Why we shouldn’t let these mistakes hold us back
How to shift your mindset and keep moving forward
Episode Resources:
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Anna (00:06):
Welcome to the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur podcast. I want you to be rich. Yes, I want abundant financial success for your business, but I don't just care about your business making money. I care about you too. I want you to be rich and happiness in the impact you make in your relationships and in how you give back. I'm Anna. I built my six figure business as a side hustle while I was pregnant with my daughter in 2016. Now I've helped dozens of women do the same. I'm here to help you build a profitable, heart-centered fully book business with the latest tips on sales and visibility with proven mindset hacks and sneak peeks behind the scenes with what's working right now in the online space and in my business ready to make more money with heart. Let's go.
Anna (00:50):
Okay, story time. I made a bad money decision and I was sort of taken advantage of <laugh> in money I spent and I wanted to talk about it because I have had so many clients in the last year have hard financial things happen to them either getting scammed, I had a client get scammed, I had another client, you know, have a really bad experience with a coach. Like, and I just wanna normalize this and it's a part of doing business is doing right things and wrong things with money and learning, right? Like no one, there's no roadmap to learning about big things in money like investing in coaches and programs when it comes to investing in our retirement accounts. When it comes to, I remember how much research I had even to figure out how to do a high yield savings account. That's why I wrote my book 'cause I was like, why do, do women not know this?
Anna (01:42):
Right? But it's normal to make money mistakes. But I wanna talk to you about something that happened to me literally last week to just release shame around it, right? Sometimes my clients come to me and they have credit card debt and we talk about, okay, what? How do you consolidate that onto a balanced transfer 0% credit card, right? Like there's nothing that's off topic when it comes to money. There's no shame because I really feel like the people that are making the most success are also making the most mistakes. They're just learning from their mistakes and moving on. I don't know any business owner that's making multi-six figures that hasn't made a large money mistake <laugh>, right? But that's how we learn. I think some of those mistakes are even more valuable. Like we're paying for like, oh no, not to do that again, right? And so I just wanna release some of the shame and talk about how I dealt with this.
Anna (02:33):
So last week there, one of the projects on my house that I kind of have been avoiding and not really avoiding but like hadn't been prioritizing 'cause I had so many other house projects to work on, was my front yard, right? Fortunately it's like a low maintenance type situation. There's like big succulents and trees and stuff like that, but it could kind of been on my mind. So I was sitting on my computer and someone knocked on my door and was literally like, Hey, I can help you landscape. And it kind of caught me off guard, but I was like, sure. And he gave me a price to, I'm gonna say the numbers because I just want to tell you honestly, right? He was like, I can um, remove, I can work on your yard for you. And I was like, actually I just want these few plants to remove like how much will it cost?
Anna (03:14):
And he said like $350 to remove these like four tiny plants. So anyway, I negotiated him down to $280 because in my mind I was like maybe he knows best. Like maybe they're like deeper roots than I thought or something. And like just thinking the best of him, I was kind of like in the moment. And anyway, he called one of his guys over you guys. They removed these four plants in like 10 minutes. But it didn't even take them the full 10 minutes. You guys, they probably could have done it in two minutes, but I think they just didn't want me to feel bad. And I was like, it. I think I just got spent $280 for like five minutes of work, right? Which I know we're not paying for the time, but like in hindsight I had this like big and he was trying to like upsell me on more.
Anna (03:59):
And the next day you guys, he text me because he got my phone number and he was trying to sell me more stuff of course 'cause he was probably like, this woman doesn't know what she's doing. And I just had a a moment of like guilt and shame and like, oh, I made an emotional decision in the moment and I should have known better. But the truth is that no, he took advantage of me, right? He likely knew that he was overcharging me and he was okay with it and not who's to say like what's over or undercharging, right? Like a price is like what you make it. But like in hindsight and reflecting like it don't feel like he did the right thing. Okay, <laugh>. But here's what's interesting. What I learned really quickly is I never wanna work with that guy again. So yeah, he made $280 from me, but I'm never gonna refer him.
Anna (04:46):
I'm never gonna hire him again to do any sort of work on my yard, right? And so he got the quick money but not the lasting sale. I talk about this in the last podcast episode when I was talking about that experience I had when I bought a course and the woman did not deliver the rest of the course, right? Like it's really interesting because I think we internalize some of this stuff and of course we wanna like take responsibility, but at the end of the day it's also on the service provider to do the right thing. And so after I released the guilt and shame, I'm like, mom, he kind of played me like that's on him, not on me. And now I know. And the next week I ended up texting another referral I had had and ended up having my whole entire yard landscape for $400.
Anna (05:29):
And he spent, you know, three or four hours and he did an amazing job and was super detailed. And so I ended up with the right service provider. But it's so interesting because I think a few things there. Number one, I, I made a decision in the moment, but number two, I just think sometimes things happen and it can be hard when we make a money mistake. I've talked to women that have invested like $20,000 in a mastermind and then the coach has not showed up for them. Yikes. Right? Like that's a big, not a money mistake, but a money. A money ouchie, right? <laugh>, whatever we wanna call it. But I think it's remembering for me, there's no financial mistake that's unrecoverable, right? We're always learning lessons. Some of it is about us and some of it just is about why didn't it know better and that person didn't do the right thing.
Anna (06:17):
And part of business is, is running into clients and service providers and peers that don't have the best intentions in mind, right? And obviously that says way more about them than it does about us. I don't know what was going on with him. He maybe he had some bills to cover and was really trying to scramble and meet those bills, right? Like we, we don't know what was happening. All that we know is that it is what it is and I can decide what I wanna do moving forward. And so if you have a money quote mistake, right? Maybe it's credit card debt, maybe it's a program that you're like, oh I probably shouldn't have done that. Or whatever it is, right? Like I just wanna lead you through a little exercise. I wanna lead you through some breath. I wanna lead you through some self-love.
Anna (07:01):
I wanna lead you through some self-forgiveness, right? Just reminding you, I have in my mastermind these like money mindset prompts that we move through and one of them talks about mistakes and debt and everything like that. And just remembering that like money is neutral. Whether you have $400,000 of debt or more. Whether you have $400,000 in your bank in investments in savings, it doesn't make you more or less holy. It doesn't make you more or less worthy like you are a worthy human and lovable and kind and smart outside of money. Money is a tool, money is a resource. I believe as women we need to learn how to master it. Just like we need to learn how to master everything else in our life, right? Emotions. But what I wanna say to you is stop carrying guilt. Stop carrying shame because then you have to deal with the mistake.
Anna (07:53):
Then you have to deal with the debt, the whatever and the shame and the guilt, right? For me, when I was able to get over the guilt and shame of like hiring that guy to remove <laugh> five minutes of plants or $280, then I was able to think rationally, okay, what do I wanna do different next time? I'm never gonna hire him again. Honestly, right after I was in that little baby 10 minute guilt and shame spiral, I was like, you know, when he reached out to me I was like, maybe I do need to have him do the rest of my yard. Like I wasn't even thinking straight, right? So just reminding yourself to get to a place of neutrality when it comes to money, when it comes to spending money, making money, investing money, all of that. I recently bought a course on investing, long-term investing because I'm trying to get better at, you know, I shared with you guys I was able to max out my retirement account with almost $30,000 last year, which is amazing.
Anna (08:45):
But I wanna be more aware and not just have like my, you know, target retirement date fund. I wanna be more aware of how I'm investing money and understanding the stock market and stuff like that. It's all a learning process. It's safe to buy the course. It's safe to read the book, right? A great place to start is my book Freedom Fund. I wrote it as a financial start place. I wrote about in my journey how I was able to create a 20 k freedom fund or savings account. I believe that's the number one step for all women. Even if you have debt, even if you have another savings goal, like buying a house or something. I believe that 20 K freedom fund is what brought me ultimate stability. I was making money in my business but really not feeling stable and really creating that 20 K freedom fund and still having it to this day for like the past five years is been such a blessing to me.
Anna (09:37):
Such a a point of, of peace and stability. And so I talk in the book how I was able to save 20 K in 90 days and then how in less than three years I was actually able to save $200,000. That's what helped me buy my house. So here's to learning about money. It's okay if you don't know what a high yield savings account is, it's okay if you dunno what these things are, but let's start learning. Let's start mastering them. Let's start being more aware. Let's take our head out of the sand. We don't need to be ostriches. Let's stop feeling guilt or shame about mistakes. Let's start talking about them and realizing that they happen to all of us, right? And if you have been scammed or taken advantage of or something like that, like not holding the shame from that, realizing like that no, that person actually wasn't acting very ethically <laugh>, right?
Anna (10:27):
That person wasn't in the right, that person was using and is so interesting. 'cause you know, I have a mastermind sell with heart. I believe so much in selling with integrity and heart because there are so many people out there that aren't selling with integrity, that aren't selling with heart, that are scamming people that are saying they'll deliver one thing but don't. Right? Or shaming people. If you don't buy my program, there's something wrong with you. If you don't buy my program, you're doomed. Screw that. Right? And so really empowering you just because other people are being shady just 'cause some people are being shady in business that shouldn't keep us from being in business. That should bring more heart-centered women into business. Just 'cause some people are being shady in how they sell doesn't mean we should sell less. It means we should sell more and in integrity and with heart and in ways that feel right to you.
Anna (11:12):
So my journal prompt for you, is there something that you need to release? Is there something that you need to release in your past when it comes to money? Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was the way someone took advantage of you. Maybe it was the messages that your parents told you about money, but what is something about money that you're like, Ooh, I wanna process that. Maybe you wanna write a letter to that person and obviously not send it, but to really process and relieve it and let it out. Maybe you even send me an email and let me know something from your past, something money-wise that you're holding guilt and shame around that you're like, I'm ready to release this and I'm ready to move on. I'm ready to move on. I'm ready to keep going. I'm ready to not let this define me.
Anna (11:56):
Right? It's so interesting because I had Ian on the podcast who was the founder of Bench and I've been using Bench for the past like five years or so. And then I just found out that, you know, just some interesting things were happening. Ian was kind of kicked out of his own company and then they were I from his statement on LinkedIn and then they were bought and sold and shut down and open. And anyway, I'm teaching my bookkeepers, but point being, it's just really interesting because I think about someone like Ian, right? Where he has been kicked out of his own company, right? He started and sold multiple companies, right? Like it's normal, I think especially for men to have multiple chapters or seasons or failures or shortcomings or file for bankruptcy. And it's almost seen as like something noble, something brave. But I think as women, we assign so much value or so much morality to it, right?
Anna (12:49):
Like, oh my God, I made this money mistake now there's something wrong with me. Innately, there's something doomed. Instead of like, oh, made that money mistake. Now I learned that lesson, now I'm not gonna do that again. And now I have that real world education and now I'm gonna go on and think better and do better and work smarter and be savvier, right? But I think making money risks is a part of it, right? Hiring someone, spending money on that person and then realizing like, oh, they weren't a fit for my business. You didn't waste that money. You learned what you needed next. And that's part of the route, right? I think about that with dating, right? When on that date, it wasn't a fit, wasn't a waste of time. It's part of the process of moving me on. Hopped on that sales call, that sales call that person wasn't a fit, wasn't a waste of my time.
Anna (13:33):
It's part of what I need to do to move forward, right? Part of the success is the failure, is the learning is the things we, I was gonna say do wrong, but I think I told you guys I'm doing was doing an improv class with my kids. And the teacher Sharon, really emphasized the importance of calling mistakes lessons, right? What a lesson. What a lesson. What a lesson. <laugh>, what a lesson. Okay. Sending you the biggest hug. I know money can be such a charge topic. If you wanna dive into more of money with me, I invite you to join the mastermind wait list. We dive lots and lots into money, mindset and sales. And I just think as women, it's one of the biggest things that we need healing on so that we can expand our capacity to receive money. Okay? Sending you the biggest hug, wishing you a beautiful day, and by my book, buy Freedom Fund, read Freedom Fund. If you haven't already, it'll change how you think about money. Thanks for hanging out today. Please hit that subscribe button so you can make sure to stay updated anytime a new episode drops. And I would love for you to join me in my free Facebook community. It's called the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur. We discuss the podcast episodes. I regularly go live and do free trainings, and you may even meet your newest biz bestie so you can join at https://heartcenteredcommunity.com/. It's absolutely free and I cannot wait to see you in there.
PS: In the midst of this challenging time I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help? One of the #1 ways I support my clients is by helping them simplify their business so that they can increase the flow of money without creating extra work. In this season simplified visibility and sales is needed more than ever.
So if you’re craving personal support as you reposition your free and paid work, I’d love to help you simplify your sales process so that you can produce income in your business even during a challenging time. If you want support you can check out my services and book a free discovery call here, or you can send me a DM on Instagram.