Why Solopreneurs Need a Weekly Money Meeting

Being your own boss sounds dreamy—no office politics, no boss breathing down your neck. But then reality hits: you’re the CEO, the accountant, the marketing department, and sometimes the janitor. Money management slips through the cracks, not because you’re lazy, but because your brain is juggling a circus act.

A weekly money meeting is like giving your finances a reset button. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it shouldn’t take more than 30–45 minutes. Done consistently, it keeps you from the “how did I overdraft again?” spiral and makes cash flow predictable instead of panic-inducing.

Step 1: Pick Your Meeting Time and Protect It

This isn’t optional—your calendar is your boss now. Pick a time once a week, same day, same hour. If you skip it, you’re basically telling your future self, “Good luck, pal, hope you enjoy chaos.”

Most solopreneurs find Sundays or Mondays work best. If you’re already doing something like The Sunday Reset, tack your money meeting onto that routine so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Treat it like brushing your teeth: boring, consistent, and saves you from expensive problems later.

Step 2: Use a Simple Template (Here’s One)

Don’t overthink it. Use a notebook, Google Doc, Notion template, or a printable planner you keep by your desk. Fancy software is optional; consistency is mandatory. Here’s a baseline template you can copy:

• Cash In: How much came in this week? Client payments, sales, odd jobs—write the number down.
• Cash Out: What bills, subscriptions, or random “oops” purchases went out?
• Upcoming: What’s due next week or the week after? (Rent, quarterly taxes, client invoices to send.)
• Priorities: What ONE money task must get done this week? (Send invoices, adjust tax savings, cancel that subscription you forgot.)

If your brain loves visual structure, a weekly calendar template can help. Physical planners or quarterly reviews make it easier to see patterns, not just one-off chaos.

Step 3: Automate What You Can

Solopreneurs already fight decision fatigue. Don’t let bills and savings be part of that fight. Automate the boring stuff:

• Auto-pay fixed bills (hosting, software subscriptions, utilities).
• Set up a separate tax account and auto-transfer 25–30% of income.
• Schedule a recurring transfer to savings—even $20 counts.

This is where tools like Chime can help, since they’ve built-in automation features for saving and separate buckets. Think of automation as your unpaid assistant who never forgets.

Step 4: Track Your Cash Flow Without Drowning

Cash flow kills more businesses than bad ideas. The problem is, most solopreneurs don’t track it until it’s too late. You don’t need a CPA-level spreadsheet, just awareness. Options:

• Low-tech: Sticky notes on your desk with “expected in” and “expected out.”
• Medium-tech: A printable budget calendar to see bills and payments visually across the month.
• Higher-tech: Digital planners or apps that sync transactions and give you simple charts.

Think of it like keeping gas in your car. You don’t need a detailed chemical analysis of fuel; you just need to know when the tank’s running low.

Step 5: Face the Awkward Numbers

Avoidance is the solopreneur’s silent killer. Those little things—“I’ll check PayPal later,” “Taxes aren’t due for months”—become a landslide of stress. The weekly meeting forces you to look at reality. Did you blow $120 on DoorDash? Fine. At least you know, and knowledge beats blissful ignorance every time.

This step is where your money meeting earns its keep. Patterns emerge. You realize your “slow weeks” always come at the end of the month. You notice one client keeps paying late. Without facing those numbers, you’re just guessing.

Step 6: Assign One Money Task

Here’s the trick: don’t overwhelm yourself with a to-do list that could double as a tax textbook. Pick ONE task per week. Examples:

• Update your invoice template with late fees.
• Cancel the subscription you forgot existed.
• Send that awkward email reminding a client they’re overdue.
• Research a new bank account or side tool like Robinhood or Webull for investments.

One task keeps you moving without drowning in shame-fueled procrastination.

Step 7: Celebrate Tiny Wins

You’re not a corporate CFO. You don’t have to end the meeting with a press release. But give yourself a win:

• Did you save $50? High five yourself.
• Did you finally cancel a subscription? Put that on your brag list.
• Did you survive another week without overdrafting? That’s champagne-worthy (or LaCroix if you’re keeping it frugal).

Money meetings don’t have to feel like punishment. If they do, you’ll stop showing up. Make it sustainable, even fun.

Tools and Shortcuts That Help

If you want to keep it dead simple, here are tools people actually use:

• Physical Planners: Sometimes nothing beats writing it down. Weekly planners or wall calendars from Amazon work for the pen-and-paper crowd.
• Timers: A simple kitchen timer or phone alarm keeps you from turning this into a two-hour stress spiral.
• Sticky Notes: Still undefeated for reminding yourself what bill is due tomorrow.
• Digital Templates: Notion and other apps have ready-made “money dashboard” templates if you’d rather keep it online.

The tool matters less than the ritual. Think of it as flossing for your finances—you don’t need premium silk thread, you just need to do it.

How This Pays Off Over Time

At first, your weekly money meeting might feel like one more chore. But fast-forward three months:

• You’ll know exactly what’s coming in and going out.
• You’ll stop being blindsided by bills.
• Your tax savings account won’t look like tumbleweeds.
• You’ll have confidence making business decisions because the numbers are clear.

This isn’t about turning you into a financial monk. It’s about giving you breathing room. When your money is organized, your brain has space for creativity, marketing, client work—things that actually make you money.

Final Thoughts

The Weekly Money Meeting is not about perfection. It’s about rhythm. Solopreneurs thrive when routines backstop the chaos. Your finances don’t need to be beautiful; they just need to be looked at consistently.

If you’re ready to stop treating money like a scary monster in the closet, put 30 minutes on your calendar this week. Show up. Face the numbers. Give yourself credit for progress, not perfection. Over time, it’s the habit that pays you back—literally.