Skip to content

Stop Bootstrapping and Start Budgeting Like a CEO

By ShaChena on

A confident black woman in a white blazer smiles while looking at her phone. Behind her, a grop of diverse women collaborate around a conference table. The bold text reads: "Stop Bootstrapping and start budgeting like a ceo." At the top is REal Sisters Rising Women Business Association logo.

If you want your business to grow, stop treating your finances like an afterthought.

By ShaChena Gibbs

When I first started my business, I used to think success was just one big client or one email blast. How I Learned to Stop Bootstrapping and Start Budgeting Like a CEO

If you want your business to grow, stop treating managing your finances as optional.
When I first started my business, I used to think success was just one big client or one email blast. But behind closed doors, I was guessing through every financial decision—spending emotionally, avoiding my numbers, and underpricing out of fear that people won’t pay my prices. That wasn’t strategy. That was survival.

For too long, many women entrepreneurs bootstrap their way into burnout. We call it “resourceful,” but really, it’s just underfunded. And while it’s noble to make it work with what you have, it doesn’t make sense if your goal is to grow.

Image showing a digital banking ad promoting up to 4.60% apy and $300 with direct deposit. The ad includes an image of a mobile phone displaying a banking app inside a stylized bank building, with text to the right.

The shift came when I started treating my business like an investment—not just a passion project. I built a real budget. I learned the difference between revenue and profit. I stopped asking, “Can I afford this?” and started asking, “What return will this bring?” I also learned when to use the word investment instead of the words “How much does it cost?”

It’s not about having a six-figure bank account. It’s about managing what’s already in your hands. Budgeting isn’t restriction—it’s clarity. And once you have clarity, you can build with intention. You can hire help, join that accelerator, invest in automation, or prepare your business to qualify for funding.

If you’ve been winging it with your finances, this is your reminder: open a spreadsheet. Face the numbers. Create a simple budget. Even if it’s $500 a month, give every dollar a purpose.

You don’t have to figure it all out overnight. But you do have to start. That’s how we stop hustling in circles and start building businesses that last.

—
ShaChena Gibbs wearing a purple Real Sisters Rising Women Business Association t-shirt, sitting with her hands folded under her chin and looking forward.

Meet ShaChena Gibbs, CEO and founder of the Real Sisters Rising Women Business Association. She is an award-winning entrepreneur and educator with over a decade of experience helping home-based and growing businesses overcome challenges and scale with strategy. Learn more at www.realsistersrising.com.