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Feel Broke When You’re Fully Booked? Let’s Correct That!

Okay, CEO. You’ve hit that magical six-figure milestone in your wedding business (pop the confetti!), but…your bank account is still crying poor. I’ve been there too!

Now, I see it all the time with the wedding pros I coach. You’re not broke—you’re just tracking the wrong numbers. And trust me, once you understand the difference between sales and revenue, everything changes.

Today, I’m walking you through why you’re stuck in the feast-or-famine cycle and how to forecast your finances like the CEO you are.

1. Sales Show Potential, Revenue Shows Reality

“Sales numbers show your potential, but revenue shows the truth.” – Brandee Gaar

Sales is what you book. Revenue is what actually hits your bank account. Huge difference.

Let’s say you book a $6,000 wedding today. You’re feeling like a boss, right? But that event isn’t until next year, and you only collected a $2,000 deposit. That $2K is your revenue this month. Not $6K.

Most wedding pros only track bookings and think, “I’m doing great!” Meanwhile, they can’t cover payroll or pay themselves.

2. Why Tracking Only Sales is Dangerous

“If your expenses are $12,000 every month, and only $10,000 is hitting your account… you’re in the red, friend.”

Let me break this down with real numbers:

• You book $30,000 in weddings this month. Yay!
• Only $10,000 hits your account in payments.
• Your expenses? $12,000.
• You’re $2,000 short.

You celebrated a huge sales month… but now you’re wondering why you can’t take a salary. That’s the disconnect. You can’t spend booked income—you can only spend what’s collected.

I know, the truth hurts but please keep reading for the solution. It will get better!

3. Understand Your Cash Flow (And Forecast It!)

“You kind of always feel like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop… wondering if there’s gonna be enough to pay yourself.”

I get it. I’ve been there—ugly crying in my living room with my husband, trying to figure out how we’d cover payroll and the mortgage during a slow summer.

That’s when we finally stopped winging it and started forecasting. Here’s how you can do the same:

Step-by-Step Forecasting:

1. Open your CRM and list the expected payments for each month.
2. Look at your sales history (or lead flow if you’re newer in business).
3. Estimate future bookings for the rest of the year.
4. Calculate how much of each future sale will actually hit your account (e.g., one-third if you do a 3-payment plan).
5. Compare this projected revenue to your monthly business expenses (your break-even number, more on this below).

Now you’ll know exactly what to expect—and when to save the acorns from those big months to cover the lean ones.

4. Know Your Break-Even Number

“Your break-even number is what it costs you to run your business every single month—including your salary.”

Knowing how much it takes to keep the lights on (and pay yourself!) is key. Let’s say your break-even number is $10,000/month. You need to make sure your monthly revenue meets or exceeds that number.

If you’re forecasting a shortfall:

• Can you boost lead flow or run a promo?
• Can you cut expenses (subscriptions, tools, overhead)?
• Or better yet—can you plan ahead, using surplus from strong months to cover slow ones?

5. Stop Skipping Your Salary

“We’re not skipping payroll anymore, okay? You are the CEO.”

This is the heart of it. You started your business to do what you love and build a life of freedom—not to live on ramen during off-season.

When you flatten your revenue (saving from high months to cover low ones), you create a stable, sustainable business that pays you. Every. Single. Month.

No more paycheck panic. No more wondering if there’s enough.

6. Try the Budget Tracker (Free Tool!)

“This is the same tracker we use with our students inside Wedding Pro CEO.”

If you’re ready to take this exercise further, I’ve got you covered. Download my free budget tracker—linked below—and use it to forecast your sales, revenue, and monthly cash flow.

Grab the tool 👉 Free Budget Tracker

It’s simple, effective, and a total game-changer when it comes to actually paying yourself as a CEO.

Before We Go

“Stop measuring hype and start measuring what matters.”

I know it can feel overwhelming to dive into the numbers. But this is where your business becomes sustainable. Predictable. Profitable.

You deserve to pay yourself. You deserve a business that funds your life—not one that drains it.

So let’s stop guessing and start tracking. You got this, CEO.

FAQ

Q: What’s the difference between sales and revenue again?
A: Sales is the total value of what you booked. Revenue is the actual cash that hit your account.

Q: How do I forecast revenue if I’m a newer business?
A: Estimate based on your current lead flow and booking pace. Even if it’s not perfect, you’ll start to see patterns—and the practice is gold.

Q: What’s a break-even number?
A: It’s the amount of money you need each month to cover all your business expenses—including paying yourself.

Q: Why can’t I just look at my sales and call it a day?
A: Because sales don’t pay your bills—revenue does. Knowing what’s actually coming into your bank account is the only way to make smart business decisions.

Wanna dig deeper?

🎯 Book a free call with my team and let’s talk about scaling your wedding biz the right way: Book Here

Check out the video version of the podcast below. 👇
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💌For business inquiries: sayhello@weddingproceo.com