{"id":41358,"date":"2025-04-02T18:31:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isafespend.com\/?p=41358"},"modified":"2025-04-02T18:31:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:31:06","slug":"being-sick-for-7-days-exposed-a-hard-truth-about-my-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isafespend.com\/?p=41358","title":{"rendered":"Being Sick for 7 Days Exposed a Hard Truth About My Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n     Entrepreneur   <\/p>\n<div>\n<p>I rarely get sick. Maybe once a year, I&#8217;ll have a quick 24-hour bug, shake it off and get right back to business. But this time was different. What started as a simple head cold turned into a full-blown fever that lasted a full seven days. Seven days of feeling drained, foggy and unable to think clearly, let alone work.<\/p>\n<p>I took my hat off in a Brooklyn subway station, thinking I&#8217;d be okay. Well, no, my shaved head of a few hours ago got really cold, and there it was \u2014 I got sick.<\/p>\n<p>At first, I assumed I&#8217;d bounce back quickly, but as the days stretched on, I realized something unsettling: My business, my income and my financial preparedness were not as solid as I thought. This forced me to ask some hard questions about how I operate, and I want to share them with you.<\/p>\n<p>To make things even worse, we&#8217;re a single-income family, and I don&#8217;t have a side-hustle business. What I do as a motivational keynote speaker and SMB brand influencer is full-time, 24\/7.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few things that will help you think about changes you might need to make in your business, as I&#8217;m thinking about it too:<\/p>\n<p><b>Related: 5 Ways You Can Become More Financially Stable<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>1. Can your business survive without you?<\/h2>\n<p>As entrepreneurs, we love to believe we&#8217;re invincible. We push through exhaustion, handle everything ourselves and convince ourselves that things will be fine. But what if we&#8217;re out of commission for a week? A month? Longer?<\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Do you have systems in place that allow money to come in without you working every day?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Can your team or assistants keep things moving if you&#8217;re unavailable?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Do you have automated revenue streams, like courses, digital products or recurring memberships?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the answer is no, your business might not be as secure as you think.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Do you have at least three months of savings?<\/h2>\n<p>A financial cushion isn&#8217;t just for personal emergencies \u2014 it&#8217;s also for business. Could you survive three months without income? If not, it might be time to start building that safety net.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t have to be overwhelming. Start by setting aside a small percentage of your earnings each month. Over time, it will add up and provide peace of mind for unexpected situations, like getting sick for longer than you anticipated.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Who are the key people on your team?<\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re a solo entrepreneur, your &#8220;team&#8221; might just be a virtual assistant or an offshore freelancer. But having someone who can step in, check emails, handle basic tasks and keep operations running is crucial.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Do you have a trusted assistant who knows your business well?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Have you trained anyone to handle urgent matters if you&#8217;re unavailable?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Are there key contractors, partners or freelancers who can help fill the gaps?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The goal is to make sure your business doesn&#8217;t fall apart if you&#8217;re out for a few days or longer.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Do you have a list of warm leads?<\/h2>\n<p>When you return to work after being sick (or dealing with any emergency), having a warm list of leads ready to go makes a huge difference.<\/p>\n<p>If your pipeline is constantly dry, it means every time you take a break, your income stops. Instead, focus on maintaining relationships and keeping a steady list of potential clients you can follow up with when you&#8217;re back in action.<\/p>\n<p><b>Related: Learn How to Build a Business or Brand That Grows Without You<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>5. Do you have strong client relationships?<\/h2>\n<p>A transactional business is fragile. But a business built on relationships is resilient.<\/p>\n<p>Think about it: If you have strong relationships with your clients, they&#8217;re more likely to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Be patient if you&#8217;re unavailable for a few days<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Trust you enough to wait for your return<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Continue working with you even after a brief absence<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Take the time to nurture real connections with your clients \u2014 it pays off when life throws unexpected challenges your way.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Do you have access to emergency funds?<\/h2>\n<p>Even if you have savings, do you have additional ways to access money in an emergency?<\/p>\n<p>Some options include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>A line of credit for your business<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>A solid relationship with your bank<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Trusted family or business connections who could offer support if needed<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Having a plan in place ensures that if things get tight, you&#8217;re not scrambling for financial relief.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Are you living below your means?<\/h2>\n<p>One of the biggest financial mistakes entrepreneurs make is spending based on today&#8217;s success \u2014 without considering the unexpected.<\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Are there any unnecessary expenses you could cut?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Are you overspending on things that don&#8217;t truly bring value to your business?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>If income stopped for a few months, could you still afford your current lifestyle?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Simplicity and financial discipline create long-term stability, especially when business gets unpredictable.<\/p>\n<h2>8. Are you setting aside enough for taxes?<\/h2>\n<p>Let&#8217;s be real \u2014 taxes can be a financial trap if you&#8217;re not careful. I&#8217;ve personally been caught off guard multiple times by not setting aside enough.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re self-employed, every dollar you make isn&#8217;t truly yours \u2014 a chunk of it belongs to the IRS. Make it a habit to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Set aside at least 25-30% of your earnings for taxes<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Pay quarterly estimates to avoid big surprises<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Work with an accountant to stay ahead of tax liabilities<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is one of the easiest ways to avoid financial stress, yet so many entrepreneurs (myself included) overlook it until it&#8217;s too late.<\/p>\n<p><b>Related: 5 Tips for Running a Business While You Are on the Mend<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Being sick for seven days was a wake-up call. It reminded me that my business needs to be stronger than just me.<\/p>\n<p>We never know when life will throw us a curveball \u2014 whether it&#8217;s a health issue, a family emergency or something else unexpected. The best thing we can do is prepare now, before it&#8217;s too late.<\/p>\n<p>Take a moment to assess your situation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Is your business set up to run without you?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Do you have savings and financial backups?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Are you keeping strong relationships with clients?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Are you managing your expenses wisely?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If any of these are a weak point, now is the time to fix them. Because at some point, life <i>will<\/i> test your business \u2014 and you want to be ready when it does.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s your plan for income preparedness?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Read the full article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/money-finance\/being-sick-for-7-days-exposed-a-hard-truth-about-my-business\/488419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" rel=\"nofollow\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Entrepreneur I rarely get sick. Maybe once a year, I&#8217;ll have a quick 24-hour bug, shake it off and get right back to business. But this time was different. What started as a simple head cold turned into a full-blown fever that lasted a full seven days. Seven days of feeling drained, foggy and unable<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41359,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[32],"class_list":{"0":"post-41358","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-make-money","8":"tag-featured"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Being Sick for 7 Days Exposed a Hard Truth About My Business | iSafeSpend<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Entrepreneur I rarely get sick. 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