Finance

Being in control of your finances can make all the difference to both your personal and business life.

I have had my fair share of ups and downs in the financial aspect of my life and sometimes it hasn’t always been pretty. I’ve been close to bankruptcy twice and splashed out like I didn’t have a care in the world, not taking a second to think about how big spending would affect the rest of my life.

I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by good family and friends who could always see the bigger picture and were there to help when my financial situation was draining.

I don’t like to preach about my life but do like to offer some tips and advice to those who need it.

One of the most important lessons my father taught me is to always keep on top of my finances. I know, this sounds like the vaguest piece of advice ever, but sometimes, simplicity is key. Now, my father gave me this advice when I first started working at McDonald’s, I was earning a wage so my parents asked me to start paying ‘keep’ as it were.

At first, I found this hard, but my father taught me well and helped me to create a document where I could closely monitor all of my incomings and outgoings.

The second piece of advice I received was from my first business partner Brian. Brian had been a good friend of mine for many years before we started working together which offered us a platform, to be honest and open.

I was excited by my success, naturally and wanted the world to know about it. It is no secret that I splurged, I went on big holidays, bought designer goods and a car I probably couldn’t afford but all this new money was exciting. One day, Brian pulled me to one side and reminded me that life is longer than the present and that I shouldn’t throw money away without thinking about the future.

From that moment on, I put all my bills and regular outgoings into one pot and split the rest into now and then money. This really helped to curve my excess spending and gave me a goal to work towards in terms of saving. From children to my partner and family, I don’t want to leave this world without securing their future so saving my money for their benefit trumps a spending spree in Dubai any day.

I consider myself very lucky when it comes to the people around me; every day I am put in my place and brought right back down to earth and without them, I wouldn’t be in such a positive financial situation.

Everyone is different but having good people around you will hopefully help you to stay on track with your finances and remind you of what’s important in life.

If you have any business questions, take a look at my top tips.