Every month there is a number you have to clear before the business has made you anything. Rent, software, the people you pay, what you take home to cover your own life. Below that line you are working to break even. Above it you are getting somewhere.
Most owners carry a fuzzy sense of that line but have never pinned it down. Fuzzy is enough to worry you. It is not enough to steer by. A number you can name turns a nervous glance at the bank balance into a clear read on the month.
Once you know it, the rest of the month gets simpler. Every dollar past the line is yours to decide on, whether you save it, reinvest it or pay yourself. The line does not set itself, so it is worth setting on purpose.
This week, work out the number you have to clear this month. Once it has a value, you will read every week against it.