Have you ever wondered what it really takes to make money in an online business? Or maybe you’re curious about how others are growing and scaling their revenue? Well, today’s income report will give you a behind-the-scenes look at exactly how I made $12,678.40 last month (November 2024). 

I’m going to break down the numbers, share the strategies that worked, and give you an inside peek at what’s driving my business growth. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re already growing your online business, the insights I’m sharing today can help you optimize your financial strategy and boost your earnings.

Plus it’s just fun to peek at someone else’s finances. 

Ready to see how it all adds up? Let’s dive in!

You Can Read My Previous Income Reports Here:

• January: $13,338.33
• February: $10,616.89
• March: $10,663.22
• April: $9,450.00
• May: $14,410.47
• June: $11,802.66
• July: $10,317.08
• August: $9,829.90
• September: $8,515.20
• October: $9,278.20
• November: $12,678.40

Total for the year so far: $120,900.35

My November 2024 Income: $12,678.40

Client Work: $12,007.9
Affiliate Income: $670.50

My Expenses: $1,869.07

My expenses for this month include:

• Credit card processing fees from using Paypal and Stripe
• A VA who helps me schedule blog posts on my website, schedule emails and keep up with my bookkeeping
• A website designer who helps edit pages on my website and keep things up to date
• Libsyn to host my podcast
• Tickets to Showit’s 2025 Spark Conference 
• …and by far the most expensive item of the month: A 1-1 tax strategy call with my accountant to analyze my finances and provide recommendations on my business structure. This call was really expensive, but well worth it.

Why did I make so much money this month?

This month is my SECOND highest income month of the year. Honestly I didn’t do anything hugely different, but I did have a lot of projects wrap-up and multiple invoices converged in the same month.

I also spent a lot of time setting up Black Friday sales for my one-to-one clients which meant a lot of additional hours. Many of my past clients also come back for Black Friday to get their sale ready together.

What’s working well in business right now?

1. Staying connected with past clients so I can provide support on small projects. I actually have a list of past clients and make sure I spent a little bit of time each month checking back in on them, supporting them and if I know they have planned a sale in the past I check in early to see if they want to work together again!
   
2. Setting less goals in general – this one is so interesting to me because usually I try to set really formal goals, but for November I had no goals and it was one of my most profitable months of the year!
   
3. Having a non-negotiable walk around noon with my dog. I started blocking this off on my calendar because I noticed I had a tendency to try to push through my work and skip my walk, but honestly both my dog and I need it. I’m way more productive in the afternoon too when I take a longer break.
   
4. Having a mini Sunday work session. My husband and I recently started splitting Sundays for childcare. I cover the morning and he uses that time to workout, sleep, do yard work, go see a friend…etc… Then we switch and he takes over and I have the rest of the day on Sunday to do whatever I want. This has been hugely helpful. I can run errands, prep for the week ahead or honestly do whatever I want.

What’s not working right now in my life or business?

1. Instagram – If you look at my Instagram account you’ll see I haven’t posted in months. Honestly I don’t think this is a big deal as I’ve had a successful year, but I would like to have a more consistent presence. I’ve had multiple people tell me that sometimes I look like a ghost online, even though I have an extremely active business! 👻

2. My inbox – it’s full all the time and it’s been getting harder and harder to stay on top of everything. I’m spending some extra time in December decluttering the newsletters I’m on and organizing things.

3. Skipping out on meal planning – My husband and I are currently in a weird meal rut where we don’t plan out our meals ahead of time and just sort of throw things together. It works (sort of), but the months where we pre-plan meals I notice everything feels easier.

My Goals for December

1. Spend the day at a coffee shop reviewing my 2025 goals and planning for next year.

2. Buy a play kitchen for my daughter.

3. Enjoy Christmas and take two weeks where I’m working very limited hours.

That’s it – I’m taking the lesson I wrote about above in this blog post and keeping my goals short.

All of the software and tools I’m currently using to run my business

A quick note – Some of the links below are affiliate links which means I may get a small kickback if you use them. There’s no additional cost to you and all of these products are things I actually use in my own business.

Business Money Tools: 

• Relay –  For business banking 
• Dolly DeLong’s Bookkeeping Spreadsheet 
• Capital One Spark Card  – Business credit card
• Dubsado – For invoicing and contracts 
• Profit First System – For managing business expenses and savings

Personal Money Tools:

• Ally Bank – For my everyday checking and savings account
• Wealthfront – Long term savings like my emergency fund and future house down payment fund.  
• Alliant Visa Signature – My personal credit card that receives 2.5 cashback. We use these for most of our everyday expenses.Productivity and Goal-Setting Tools:
• Asana – Project Management
• Timer Cube – To stay focused on your work
• Full Focus Planner – For planning my week and daily to-do list 
• Bullet Journaling – For planning out my long-term goals and to-do lists (I use this inexpensive notebook as my journal) 
• Dynalist – To create lists and organize my thoughts.

Social Media: 

• Your Template Club – Canva templates for Instagram and Facebook that you can easily customize 
• ManyChat – For sending automated messages on Instagram and Facebook
• Metricool – To schedule posts on Instagram and Facebook  
• Tailwind – For scheduling Pinterest pins 
• Canva – To create graphics
• Ring Light – The ring light and tripod I use to film content

Podcasting: 

• Riverside – Recording podcast episodes and interviews 
• Libsyn – Where I host my podcast episodes 
• Microphone – For recording podcasts, events and videos 
• Calendly – To schedule guest interviews 

Email Marketing: 

• Convert Kit – The software I use to send emails
• Liz Wilcox’s Email Marketing Membership – $9 a month membership that gives me access to hundreds of email templates 
• Interact – For creating quizzes in my business like my Find Your Perfect Course Creation Match 

Website:

• Showit – My website host
• Elizabeth McCravy’s Showit Templates – Super easy-to-use website templates for Showit

Other disclosures:

Relay Bank: Relay is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and FDIC insurance are provided through Thread Bank, Member FDIC. The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa® debit cards are accepted.