💎 How Much $$ I've Really Made in 5 Years of Self-Employment

My least favorite thing about starting a business was the overwhelming fear and uncertainty I felt around making money.

In the early days, I was drowning in narratives of how most businesses fail, and I’d probably never earn enough to feel supported or successful.

But over time…

My business started working. More money started flowing. And I built confidence in my ability to steward wealth.

Now — I’ve been working full-time in my business for almost five years.

It feels wild to report that I’ve made over $550,000 in revenue during that time. And I’ve taken home enough of that to support my family and purchase a home.

Is that an income claim? HELL NO.

I’m not saying ‘look at what I did; here’s a quick way you can do it too.’

But I am arriving here (proverbial powerpoint in hand) to open up my books and show you how my business has actually made money over the past five years.

Because one thing that would’ve made starting a business less scary was seeing how other people actually made it work financially. Not with imaginary hypotheticals or overinflated promises. But with actual numbers.

So in this episode, I’m sharing five years of my actual numbers, with plenty of reflections and insights along the way.

If you’re a money nerd (and a nosey nelly) like me, tune in to hear:

• Why I think financial transparency is important — but only when done with context and care! 🫨
• How much I made in my first year of self-employment 💸
• Why it took me a while to reach six-figures 🤑
• Revenue vs profit vs take-home pay — this matters so much!!! ☝️
• The gap between business well-being & personal well-being ⛓️‍💥
• How I survived a 50% drop in Softer Sounds revenue in 2025… 😬
• What happened that made me go all-in on Off the Grid 🤳

My mind was definitely spinning with numbers by the end of recording. So I do recommend watching the video for visuals, or there are two quick screenshots below if you want to reference the financials & charts.

And I definitely recommend listening to How I Built This: 5 Years of Softer Sounds & Off the Grid before this one. It offers a lot of context!