Where Did the Money Go?

Credit: Tiffany Fox

I was a parenting genius until I had kids. I knew what each of my pals with children should do. I could see what they were doing wrong. I knew what the rules should be. I knew where boundaries should be drawn…until.

When our daughter was born things changed. When our son came along four years later our world turned upside down. I haven’t lived by my original set of rules since 1984. I’ve eaten my early words like a steady diet.

Our budget changed. Our weekends changed. Every meal was different. Our energy level was taxed and Her Ladyship’s interest in me took a back seat. Having kids wasn’t at all what I expected. It was hard!

Don’t get me wrong. Having a family is the best thing I’ve ever done. If you know me you know that I think my son and daughter can do anything. I wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s just different. That is to say, my expectations were misinformed. I was wrong to think I understood what being a parent required.

Business relevance? Do you understand and appreciate cash? Do you grasp the juggling act your company manages to keep things afloat? I know you think you do but do you really?

In my very first piece with Printing Impressions I addressed that question. The piece was titled 9 Tips To Make Your Career Pay You. Tip 7 is repeated below.

Understand the money! Don’t believe for a moment that any organization can exist without money. Ministries and non-profits of all kinds need cash. Every business or cause has a strategy for helping money find its way to their door. 

If you want to be valuable to your cause or career, learn how the money works. Where does it come from? How does it get to you? Why does it come your way? Where does it go once it arrives? Where might there be leaks (poor execution)? These questions are critical to value.

The better you understand these moving parts and the more you demonstrate your sensitivity to how they work, the more valuable you’ll be. Leaders need people that understand these mechanics and can help them be more successful. Money is the lifeblood of every business or cause. You can’t contribute at the highest level until you understand and embrace this fact.

Trust me on this. Get educated and sensitive to the money. Company leadership will find ways to involve you upstream if you do. Employees that grasp and concern themselves with healthy finances are invaluable. They’re also rare.

This took care of itself early for me. I found myself at a company that was struggling. Leadership didn’t understand costs and we had weeks left to live.

Getting intimate with where the money came from and where it went changed everything for me. I could see clients that paid  on time were more valuable than those that didn’t. I understood the true cost of buyouts and the impact of credit memos. I learned that alterations really do cost money.

As simple as it is, it isn’t obvious to most. A company checkbook works just like yours. More has to go in than comes out. Managing that balance is everything.

Gotta go. My daughter is on the phone. I learn something with every call.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.