Let’s Talk About the Money: What No One Tells You About Getting Paid as a Founder
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There’s this awkward silence around money in entrepreneurship.
And I’m here to break it.
Because while everyone’s out here building startups, chasing freedom, and pretending like bootstrapping is just a vibe it turns out one of the hardest parts about running a business isn’t product market fit, or growth hacks, or even fundraising…
It’s this:
How the hell do I make this thing actually pay me?
The Myth of “It’ll All Pay Off Later”
You’ve heard it before. Maybe you’ve even said it:
“I’m reinvesting everything back into the business.”
“I’ll take a salary once we scale.”
“I just need a few more clients to feel stable.”
Meanwhile, your rent’s overdue, your stress is high, and you’re trying to look like a LinkedIn success story while secretly wondering if you should pick up freelance gigs to keep the lights on.
Been there.
The truth is, too many founders fall into the “future payday trap”,sacrificing income in the name of “growth” without realizing they’ve just built a very expensive, very stressful unpaid internship for themselves.
Underpricing Isn’t Humble. It’s Dangerous
Let’s get something straight: undercharging doesn’t make you noble, accessible, or “still figuring it out.”
It makes your business unsustainable.
And your nervous system unstable.
Founders, especially first-timers, often set prices based on feelings, not numbers. They’re afraid to charge what something is actually worth because they’re not sure they’re worth it yet.
That’s the problem.
You’re not just selling a product or service.
You’re selling your time, your experience, your problem solving ability, and your capacity to deliver under pressure.
And if you don’t respect that in your pricing, no one else will.
Want a sobering exercise?
Calculate how many hours you worked last month… now divide your net profit by that number.
That’s your real hourly rate.
Still feeling noble?
The Founder’s Paycheck (Yes, You Deserve One)
There’s this weird guilt around paying yourself as a founder, like you’re not allowed until your business hits a mythical milestone. As if making money from your own company is something to be ashamed of.
Let me say this clearly:
You are not your business’s investor. You are its first employee.
You’re doing the strategy. The execution. The sales. The customer support. The admin.
You’re working 2–3 roles minimum. And yet, you hesitate to put yourself on the payroll?
Here’s what I recommend if you’re bootstrapping:
Start with a symbolic paycheck. Even if it’s $100/month, build the habit. It’s not about the amount, it’s about the message: “I get paid to do this.”
Separate personal from business finances. Yes, even if it’s just you. This is not just for taxes, it’s for clarity and self respect.
Track what you should be earning. Keep a shadow salary. One day, it won’t be theoretical.
The Mental Game Around Money
Now let’s talk mindset, because this is the hidden killer.
Money wounds show up fast when you’re building something from scratch. Maybe you were taught not to talk about money. Maybe you grew up watching scarcity or overindulgence. Maybe you’re afraid of looking greedy. Or afraid of having nothing.
Whatever it is, it’s probably driving your pricing, your stress, and your decision making more than you realize.
One thing that helped me? Reframing revenue as fuel. Not validation. Not ego. Not “success.” Just… fuel. Fuel to keep building. Fuel to pay people. Fuel to grow.
When you remove the drama and start seeing money as a tool, not a verdict, you get better at managing it, asking for it, and yes, earning more of it.
And here’s the twist: even when you do know your value, it doesn’t guarantee things will be easy.
I’ve worked in high level roles for companies. I’ve led teams. Launched products. Built systems. Delivered results. And still, I’ve heard this:
“You’re a luxury we can’t afford right now.”
Not about money.
About capacity.
That line came from a dev manager in my last role. What he meant was: “You bring more than we know how to use.”
That kind of mismatch happens more than people admit. Especially when you operate above average.
So yeah, even when you know your worth, you may still face rejection, lowball offers, or being underestimated.
But that doesn’t mean your value is up for debate. It just means you’re not in the right room yet.
That’s why building your own thing, on your own terms, with your own pricing and your own boundaries, is sometimes the only way to protect your potential.
Final Thought: Pay Yourself Like a Pro
If you want to be in business long term, you’ve got to treat yourself like an asset, not a liability.
That means:
Charging what your work is worth
Building systems to pay yourself consistently
Making financial decisions from strategy, not stress
And rejecting the idea that you need to struggle in silence to be “legit”
I wrote Tech Startup Success for founders navigating this exact reality.
Because starting a business is hard enough, you shouldn’t also be broke, burnt out, and ashamed to talk about it.
You can build wealth, create impact, and still sleep at night.
But only if you stop pretending money doesn’t matter.
It does.
And so do you.
If this article hit home, the book goes 10x deeper.
Tech Startup Success is your no, BS blueprint to building, launching, and surviving the startup game without losing your mind (or your bank account).
Skip the fluff. Learn what actually works.
Grab your copy now on Amazon: