One of the biggest signs that a business owner doesn’t have the right mindset is when they discuss their business income in terms of monthly revenue.
“I’m at $10k”
“I’m at $25k”
“I’m at $80k”
etc
I’ve never met anyone with a solid, healthy, sustainable business who thinks about everything in monthly terms. It’s an automatic tell that they’re not thinking long term or big picture. Usually (but not always) it also means that they’re viewing their business as a piggy bank: “how much money can I pay myself this month?” It’s all about immediate gratification rather than long term investment.
Not all growth is good—sometimes it’s best to find the sweet spot where profit and lifestyle are aligned. Bigger isn’t always better.
But if you want to build something special, the profit margin you would normally pay yourself is almost always what you need to be reinvesting back into the business to grow it.