Profit First… But Make It ADHD-Friendly: My Real-Life Money Routine as an Entrepreneur with ADHD
If you’re a service-based entrepreneur with ADHD (like me 👋), you know the mental tug-of-war that happens when you want to take time off… but your brain starts whispering:
“What if I can’t pay myself next month?”
“What about taxes?”
“What if I miss out on a client and leave income on the table?”
I get it, and I have been there when I didn’t have a solid plan and systems in place for my business finances. Before I had a system in place, I couldn’t truly rest. Even on “vacation,” there was no way I wasn’t responding to an inquiry from a client or my social media DMs!
Now? I can step away from my business for a week (or longer), fully enjoy the time, and know that my finances are still in a good place without me hustling in real time.
Here’s exactly how I do it, and some tips on how you can too.
Step 1: Build a Financial System That Works For You
I use a structure based on the Profit First Method, but here’s the truth: if you have ADHD, a system only works if it feels easy and natural to maintain. That means it’s okay, actually, it’s necessary to tweak the method so it aligns with your brain and life.
The core Profit First principle is to set up multiple bank accounts for different purposes (payroll, taxes, operating expenses, profit, etc.) and transfer money into them at regular intervals. This ensures you’re always saving for the important stuff before spending. You can read the book 'Profit First’, but if you’re here, there’s a good chance you’d rather watch paint dry than do that, so let me break it down for you.
The system includes 5 accounts. Here are the account and their jobs:
Income Account: This account holds all of your income and then distributes it into the other accounts.
Tax Savings Account: This one is pretty self-explanatory
Owners Comp (aka Salary Account): This is where you pay yourself from. No more moving everything from your income account into your personal account. The goal is to have a buffer build up in this account over time to help during lower-income months.
Expense Account: This one is pretty clear as well. This account is where all of your expenses are paid from. It can also be used to pay a business credit card, but ideally, you are only spending what you have in this account, even if you use a credit card.
Profit (aka bonus) Account: This is where you stash a small percentage (at first with a goal to increase it) each time you do your transfers. Allowing you to pay yourself a little bonus every quarter, which is a nice frequency and allows it to feel like a bonus, not something to cover part of your regular expenses.
The amount of money that goes into each account from your Income Account is based on percentages. The percentage will vary depending on your business expenses, what you need to pay yourself, and other factors that are specific to your business.
Setting this all up can feel overwhelming at first. Where do you open all the accounts? What percentages make sense for you? How do you even get started? If you don’t have any systems in place yet, the first place I recommend starting is by adding a tax savings account. To help you know how much to save, grab my Free Tax Savings Cheat Sheet. It’s a perfect, zero-overwhelm starting point.
But I found the standard method didn’t quite fit my rhythms or work with what I already had in place. Here’s how I adapted it:
My ADHD-Friendly Tweaks
Monthly Transfers Instead of Weekly
The classic Profit First method suggests transferring money twice a month on specific dates. I do it once a month on the last business day of the month. It’s less time in the weeds and fewer chances for me to forget or procrastinate. I also have a phone reminder set up to help me remember.
Bi-Weekly Paychecks
I pay myself every two weeks because it lines up with my husband’s paycheck. That means our household budget flows smoothly, and it removes the stress of “weird” income timing.
A Large-Expense Savings Account
Big business expenses (new equipment, a conference, a rebrand) no longer derail my cash flow. I set aside money every month so I can say “yes” to opportunities without panic spending.
Quarterly Profit Payouts
At the end of each quarter, I pay myself the full balance in my profit account. This gives me an extra cushion or a guilt-free bonus for personal goals.
All Expenses Go On A Credit Card
Since all of my expenses were already going on a credit card, I don’t have a regular ‘expense account’, I transfer the business expense amount (based on my expense %) to my credit card each month. It’s actually a little more nuanced than that, but I don’t want you to overcomplicate things because it adds a few more steps.
Step 2: Pay Yourself a Consistent Salary
Even if your monthly income fluctuates, your paycheck to yourself can be steady. ADHD brains thrive on predictability, knowing your personal expenses are covered means less money anxiety and more creative energy for your business. Getting to the place where you have a buffer in your salary account can come from a short period of hustle where you increase your business income, a period of cutting back on the personal side, or a combination of the two.
Step 3: Save for Taxes the Easy Way
The tax bill panic at the end of the year? Not a thing here. Every month, I move a set percentage of my income into a separate tax account that I see as off-limits. This keeps tax season boring and boring is beautiful when it comes to money. It can even lead to a 5th bonus every year because the goal is to save a little more than what I need. This 5th bonus is a motivator for me to get my taxes done!
Step 4: Give Your Business Room to Grow (Without Extra Pressure)
Because I have a dedicated account for large expenses, I can invest in opportunities that move my business forward without taking on misaligned clients just to make a quick buck. That means I stay in my zone of genius and keep my business sustainable long-term. This account recently meant that I could buy a lifetime membership to something for about twice the annual cost. More upfront cost, but after two years it’s paid for itself!
Step 5: The Goal — Your Systems Feel Effortless
There’s no one-size-fits-all money system. The Profit First framework is a fantastic starting point, but the magic happens when you tailor it to how you work best.
If you’re tired of feeling chained to your business out of financial fear, or love the idea of having these systems in place for your business but feel unsure about putting it in place on your own, one-on-one coaching can help you create your own ADHD-friendly money flow, so you can take time off without spiraling into “what-if” mode.
Book a Consultation Here to see if we’re a good fit to build your stress-free financial system together.
By making small, intentional changes to a proven system, I’ve created a business that supports my life, not the other way around. You can too.
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