Finding Freedom in Finances with Cammie Palmer
Welcome to Zimmerman Podcast episode sixteen. Today, I’m sitting down with one of my students, Cammie Palmer! I first met Cammie when she was in the wedding of a bridal client, before I even created my signature course, The Business Behind the Blooms. Cammie then bought BBB to help her figure out how to run her wedding rentals and floral business. Cammie is sharing how she changed her money mindset through my program Know Your Numbers so she could turn her barely-surviving business into a flourishing career. So let’s give a big Zimmerman Podcast welcome to Cammie, who has had the unique position of seeing me up close as a floral designer and wedding planner, as a brand new educator, and now, as a seasoned coach and mentor. Let’s dive in.
“Ignore the budget until it becomes a problem…”
Before Know Your Numbers, Cammie didn’t have time set aside to plan for her month, let alone her year. She was doing just enough to get by. Sound familiar? She felt stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed living on the hampster wheel of the daily grind. She was in no way thriving, but operating in survival mode and ignoring her budget unless it was problematic.
By the end of the month, it always was. Cammie shared that by the end of each month, she was stuck in a game of financial Jenga, trying to pay her bills and her employees that often forced her to pay herself late. I’ve been there!
Her relationships were stressed with her family because she spent most of her time working. She seldom got to see her husband and two young children.
Then, she found Know Your Numbers. Cammie tells us that going through the course wasn’t always easy, but it was empowering. There were times when she and her husband, who is also a business owner, argued when truths about their financial situation were revealed. But once they made a plan together with the help of Know Your Numbers, they had real knowledge and goals to work toward based on their personal and business financial situations.
Cammie shares how through KYN, they were able to pay off $50,000 in business debt, keep an average of $50,000 to $80,000 in their business accounts at all times, take a vacation to Mexico without the kids, and in 2020, are on track to join the 2% of women who run a seven figure business.
If your money mindset is like Cammie’s was… “ignore the budget until it becomes a problem…” then you have got to listen to this episode to hear how things changed for her and how they can change for you too!
You are not alone!
You are not alone, in your mistakes, in your struggles, and especially as entrepreneurs in your finances. Know Your Numbers removes shame about finances by educating and providing a new way forward.
Before Know Our Numbers, Cammie was flying by the seat of her pants. She knew she didn’t know her finances like she should, but she didn’t know where to start. Feeling responsibility toward her employees and her business, she wanted to make a change.
Cammie’s problem wasn’t that she wasn’t making enough money, she was just spending more! She was doing more than 500 events in one year, and her business was growing, but so were her expenses. She couldn’t keep assuming things were ok when she knew they weren’t and she couldn’t sustain a 500-event year.
Through Know Your Numbers, she was able to calculate how much to pay herself and could then identify how many events she needed to say yes to, and even more importantly, how many she had the freedom to say no to. When we don’t know our numbers, we say yes to anything that comes our way and end up feeling exhausted. By understanding how she was spending her time, where her money was going and knowing her numbers, it gave her the confidence she needed to lead her business with knowledge and wisdom.
Ah-ha moments
A big “ah-ha” moment for Cammie came when she charted how she was actually spending her time. When the course prompted her to identify what she really wanted out of life, she knew she didn’t want to work as much as she had been. She realized she was working hard, just for the sake of hard work, but was barely making it home before her kids’ bedtime. Although she was busy and working hard, it dawned on her that the things that were taking up her time and energy weren’t benefiting her or her business in the long run.
Now, Cammie starts her days with her most important tasks, so she knows she’ll get to them. She has a vision board for how she wants her life to look that she sees multiple times a day. It reminds her what she’s working toward. Until we know our numbers, things in our business are only going to stay the same, and often they get worse.
When you work hard on the right things, the strategic things that can be impactful for your business and your life, you will start to see results. When things start changing for the better, it becomes easier and even exciting to look at your numbers, because you can see that money is giving you freedom, confidence, and the ability to live your life productively and intentionally. Whether you struggle with purpose and finances in your personal life or with a business or side-hustle, this episode is for you!
Thank you, Cammie, for sharing your story with us. I truly believe that my job is to share the uncomfortable truth of what I’ve experienced in the business world so that you can feel less alone, and use what I’ve learned to avoid some of those ugly mistakes I’ve made. I love that Cammie was on board for those same things… honesty and vulnerability. I hope I never forget what a privilege it is to share my story and have it change lives like Cammie’s.