Can Your Business Really Deliver Your Number?

Note for non-business owners: A bonus post is coming later this month just for you — how to use the three levers to evaluate whether your job (or jobs) can deliver your target income.

I ran into a former client recently and when I asked how business was going, she didn't hold back.

She shared what was weighing on her: the pull to work more hours while desperately wanting to keep her family first, the quiet question of whether she should just close up shop and work for someone else, and then that deeper nagging question underneath it all: 'What am I doing this all for anyway?'

She paused. Chuckled out loud, and then said: "I was literally just talking to my husband the other day about needing to find someone to help me figure this out… and it just hit me, You're the one I should be talking to."

The conversation that followed turned into something much bigger: a focused look at whether her business could deliver what she needed without consuming all her family time. We started looking at the purpose of the business, which was to provide for the goals and dreams of her family. While we want to do meaningful work, the purpose is really to provide and the meaningfulness is the cherry on top.

With that in mind, we started reverse engineering the problem. Instead of only looking at it from the angle of 'how do I work more hours,' we flipped the question around to 'what needs to change for this to work?'

Most business owners instinctively reach for one answer: do more. More time, more sales, more revenue, more networking. But there's a limit to how much we can do. Because sometimes the answer isn't more. Sometimes it's looking at the problem from a different angle entirely, and that's where the three levers come in: Grow Revenue, Lower Expenses, and Align Your Time.

Most of my clients have thought about at least one of these levers. The challenge isn't knowing they exist — it's that emotions cloud the view. And if you're feeling shame about that, you're not alone.

Today we're going to look at each of those three levers honestly. Because you might be like my client — wrestling with whether her business could deliver what she needed. She wasn't out of options. And chances are, you aren't either. But sometimes the answer isn't that your business can deliver right now. And that's okay. Here's what I've found: knowing the truth is actually freeing. Because once you see clearly what's possible and what isn't, the shame lifts — and you get to make real choices about what comes next.

Side note: My client was able to move forward quickly because she already knew her number — her income target. If you're still figuring out what yours is, see Part 1 of this two part series here: Know Your Number

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Key Concepts

The Problem: Most business owners silently wonder if their business can actually deliver the income they need — without endless hustle and grind.

The Solution: There are three levers to explore: Grow Revenue, Lower Expenses, and Align Your Time. Each one offers a different angle to the same problem.

The Core Message: You're not out of options. Sometimes you just need to look at your numbers from a different angle.

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Deep Dive

Remember the question my client and I flipped: "What needs to change for this to work?" That question is exactly where the three levers come into play. Let's take a closer look at each one.

Lever 1: Grow Your Revenue

Misconception: I already know how to sell more. I've been trying to do that.

Reframe: There's more to growing revenue than just the next sale. It's also about adjusting prices to market value, understanding what you're actually bringing in on average, and focusing on the services that are most profitable and that you actually love doing.

Lever 2: Lower Expenses

Misconception: I've already cut everything I can cut. I need those expenses.

Reframe: What I've noticed is that expenses have a way of quietly multiplying. One subscription here, one contractor there, and suddenly a significant portion of your revenue is spoken for before you ever pay yourself. Every expense deserves an honest look: is it earning its place, or has it just become part of the furniture?

Lever 3: Align Your Time

Misconception: If I want to make more money, I have to work all the time. I can't do that with all of my responsibilities.

Reframe: Most business owners are working plenty. They're just spending their time on activities that support the business but don't generate income: marketing, social media, admin. When you map out where your time actually goes, you often discover you could redirect it toward income-producing work without adding more hours.

Looking at each lever on its own is a start. But what I've found is that the real shift happens when you see how they work together as variables in the equation.

When you adjust one lever, it affects the others. Growing revenue might mean shifting when you work, not just how much. Lowering expenses is really about the percentage of your revenue going to operations — which changes when you grow revenue. And aligning your time ties it all together: it's about redirecting time to what actually generates income, not just adding more hours. The real power is seeing how a small shift in one lever can ripple across all three.

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What We Found

When we looked at her business through the lens of the three levers, everything came into focus.

We started where most business owners start by asking: how do we grow revenue? But it wasn't just about finding more clients. It was about understanding what she was actually charging and whether it matched market value. A small shift in her rates could change everything.

Then we looked at lowering expenses. It's not about cutting back so far that we can't run our businesses efficiently. It's about identifying what subscriptions, positions, and services have accumulated over the years as we've grown but aren't providing an efficient return on the investment. We looked honestly at what was taking up a large portion of her gross revenue and found some room to breathe.

Finally, for this client, aligning your time meant honoring the season of life she's in with young children, and a spouse who's also a business owner. Those are not impediments to business growth. They are realities that we get to build around. She needed a schedule that worked with her life, not against it.

But the real magic happened when we stopped looking at each lever in isolation and saw how they worked together. Raising rates could mean a better alignment of her time with her priorities. Lowering expenses would also help with timing and give her a greater percentage of the revenue, therefore increasing her income.

When we put all of those together: A Slight Rate Increase + Focused Scheduling + Careful Evaluation of Operating Expenses meant this client was able to see how she could actually work less and still take the income target she’s striving for.

She wasn't out of options, and she certainly didn't need to close up shop. She just needed to see the problem from these different angles.

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What To Do Next

Here's where you start: Look at the three levers. Which one needs your attention first?

If you're feeling hopeful but uncertain about where to start, or you want strategic guidance on your specific situation, let's talk. Schedule a free 20-minute consultation and we'll figure out your next move together.

[← Miss last month's post? Read: Know Your Number here]