Most business owners can tell you their revenue target. Very few can tell you their financial freedom number. In this episode of Money First CEO, Harman Johnston asks the question most business owners have never properly sat down and answered: not your revenue goal, not your growth target, but the actual amount of money you need coming in consistently for your life to feel genuinely free. Because here’s the pattern Harman sees constantly, including with clients at Blu doing $100,000, $150,000, even $200,000 a month: they’re working long hours, building impressive businesses, and when you ask if they’re where they want to be financially, the answer is almost always “not yet.” Ask them what “enough” would actually look like, and most have never thought about it. That’s the gap this episode closes. Why This Number Matters Every business starts with a clear number: the amount needed to cover the bills and replace an old salary. But once a business owner passes survival, that number tends to disappear, and “more” quietly becomes the only goal. More revenue fuels progress, and progress feels good, but more isn’t a destination. It’s a treadmill. Without a specific number, there’s nothing to reverse engineer your business around, and no way to know when you’ve actually made it. In This Episode, You’ll Learn • Why most business owners never define what “enough” means, and what that costs them • The three layers that make up a financial freedom number: needs, wants and peace of mind • How to calculate each layer with real numbers, not guesses • How to turn your personal number into a revenue target your business can be built around • Why your freedom number isn’t fixed, and what tends to change it over time • Why a bigger business isn’t always a freer one A Practical Takeaway Harman walks through a worked example: baseline living costs of $9,000 a month, lifestyle wants of $4,000 a month, and $2,000 a month toward savings and investments adds up to a $15,000 after-tax freedom number. Account for tax, and that might mean paying yourself close to $20,000 a month before tax. If owner’s pay sits around 30% of revenue, that’s a monthly revenue target of roughly $67,000, a number directly connected to the life you actually want to live, not one pulled from a goal-setting workshop. This week’s action: sit down for 20 minutes, work out your own three layers, add them up, then check what you’re currently paying yourself and ask honestly whether you’re on track. Why This Conversation Matters Knowing your number changes what you’re chasing. Instead of measuring success by revenue alone, you’re measuring it against a specific outcome connected to your life, your family and your wellbeing. Growth beyond that number becomes a choice, not a necessity, and growth by choice feels very different from growth by pressure. Ready to build your business around your number instead of chasing revenue for its own sake? Blu Bookkeepers’ Financial Calm System helps service-based business owners get the visibility and structure to become confident Money First CEOs. Book your free discovery call: https://blubookkeepers.com.au/contact 🎧 Thanks for listening to the Money First CEO Podcast! If this episode helped you move the needle, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Link to expense review 🔗 Where to Find Harman: Website: www.blubookkeepers.com.au Instagram: @blubookkeepers Facebook: @blubookkeepersau TikTok: @profitwithharman LinkedIn: Harman Johnston 📞 Ready to Take Control of Your Business Finances? Book a Free Discovery Call here 📩 Have a Question or Want to Be a Guest? Email me directly at: info@blubookkeepers.com.au
