You've downloaded the planner, you built out the automation, and you tried out QuickBooks YA Monarch, the budget tool that's inside your bank app, and then on the business side, you've tried Trello, Clickup, Airtable, notion Pack, maybe all of 'em, right?

And yet you're still overwhelmed.

You still feel behind, and you still are wondering why things never really feel under control.

Here's the truth that most entrepreneurs don't wanna admit.

It's not about the tool, it's about what you're avoiding.

In today's episode, we're gonna unpack why chasing that perfect tool is just often another form of avoidance.

And what to do instead if you actually are looking for clarity, peace, and momentum.

So let's get to it.

This is the Your Money Your Life Podcast, the show where I help female entrepreneurs go from stress and struggle to unstoppable.

Here we blend step-by-step strategy, mindset, work, and emotional regulations so you can create unstoppable finances, build an unstoppable business, and truly enjoy your unstoppable life.

It's time to take my wisdom, my expertise, to help you simplify money and go beyond the numbers.

I'm your host, Aimee Cerka.

Welcome.

I'm so glad you're here.

How many times have you thought to yourself, if I could just find that right tool, the right automation, the right system, then everything would finally work.

It feels like a responsible decision.

You know, you're optimizing, you're upleveling, you're preparing to be able to outsource and have a team.

You're taking action, right?

But here's the hard truth.

If the right app, the right system was the answer, why do you keep switching tools and still feel behind?

And the other part of that is why are these people creating success with all of these different tools?

Because the truth is we're not chasing clarity.

You're avoiding the confrontation of the part that we don't wanna see.

Because if it's not about what software you use, but what if it was about the stories we have around why it's not working?

This is what I see happen.

Time and time again.

You spend hours learning a new tool.

And for the purpose of this, we're gonna talk specifically budgeting, because I see this all the time, but it's not just budgeting.

Like I said, you know, Trello, clickup all of the productivity systems as well.

And there are aligned times to make switches.

I'm not saying switching everything is always a bad idea 'cause that's not true.

But we spend hours learning a new tool.

Why nab?

Um, every dollar budget using the budgeting app and your banking software, right?

Like you spend time, we migrate all of our tasks over.

You build that like sexy dashboard.

You buy the the template to buy the dashboard, right?

You automate as much as you can.

You're creating rules and QuickBooks and things are automatically, I approving all the things and for a moment.

You feel in control.

You feel like powerful, right?

But it fades because that high.

Now I've got it together with who.

It didn't come from clarity.

It came from busy work disguised as growth and busy work is a powerful distraction from facing what actually needs your attention.

Maybe it is the email that you've been avoiding sending.

It's the debt that you still aren't gonna look at the offer that doesn't feel aligned or the resentment that you're carrying around your schedule, your pricing and delivering on the things that you've already sold.

If we're constantly reorganizing, or really this could be jumping from program to program, it's because your nervous system is seeking control, not efficiency.

I.

It's like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Oh, it looks plain air.

It looks better, but you're still sinking, like the ship's still sinking.

We haven't fixed anything.

It just looks prettier while we do it, right?

That underlying chaos still lives there and that chaos is not operational.

It's not in the day to day.

You can show me all of the perfect little spreadsheets, the organized Google Drive, all the things right?

It's emotional and mental, so.

What the heck do we do then, right?

I'm not telling you to delete off all your tools and swear off automations or change browsers or whatever else, right?

Systems and tools and processes, all of those things are amazing.

I highly recommend them, but when they're rooted in clarity, not fear.

For example, I have my preferences.

So like Inside Money Master Academy and the Unstoppable Experience, you're going to see all of my recommendations, all of my preferred apps, the things that I've used, and even like different systems as I've evolved over time.

Now I've stuck with YA.

You need a budget for your personal budgeting software and um, QuickBooks online for your business.

Accounting software, but we've made shifts along the way.

I used to use Trello for a lot of my business organization.

Now I use clickup.

Like we talk about the preferences, we talk about the pros and cons, but we focus on the principles.

So, so many of my clients don't use those systems.

I think they all use QuickBooks online, not all.

Okay.

I've got like five, uh, I don't know.

Top clients, if I could just duplicate them, they would be like amazing clients, right?

If I think about them, I think they all use QuickBooks online.

But they use different softwares and tools for their personal budgeting system.

Now, when we have those coaching calls, like inside the Unstoppable Experience, I'll highlight problems or benefits I've seen from specific user experience with different platforms.

Trying to remember what that one app is called right now.

It's the other really popular one.

Let's see.

Pause it real quick.

Mint.

There we go.

So for example, mint.

Mint is works.

You can definitely make it work.

One of the major problems that I see with Mint though, is the lack of customization that you have.

So you have to fit your life into their categories, and there's things that you can't hide.

Do clients have it?

And it absolutely works.

Yes.

Perfect.

I prefer the customization that I have with you need a budget, that's all.

But if you're using Mint and you're aware that this could be a thing here, we can still apply the principles that we want to have to mint.

Another example, we using your budgeting app within your bank.

My major red flag with that is it's one bank, it's one account, and you're missing any other spending that you do from other accounts.

Now you might say like, I don't really do that.

I don't use my credit card.

I really hit the one account.

I'm sure there are times that you use it.

So do you have a system in place to mitigate that obstacle, for lack of a better word?

If you do, fantastic.

The principles still work, and I highlight those things that we've seen from user experience in that because there are certain platforms, for example, that budgeting with your business bank account, I've seen time and time again.

It enables you that you're able to avoid the problem still, but you get the dopamine hit feeling like, Hey, I've done it, but you really haven't.

So we have to truly face those fears and move forward and doing this from a place of clarity.

So what are you trying to avoid?

It's a powerful question to sit with.

This is exactly why I created the cash flow calculator.

It's a quick 90, 90 seconds assessment style calculator that helps you figure out which part you're actually avoiding that would turn on that pro proverbial cashflow faucet faucet.

So go to aimeecerka.com/cashflow.

Take the cashflow calculator.

This is the first step that we do inside My Money Mastery Academy and Unstoppable Experience Programs like.

This is the first step.

This is where we start, and I'm sharing it with you absolutely free.

It's gonna help you spot where exactly your system is breaking down, whether that's on.

Income and income creation.

The offensive side here of the making money, or maybe it's the defense you don't have, there's not a money system that we needed to have in place, a profitable money system that we need to have in place, and then we have the mindset and emotional regulation in there as well.

Okay, and when you're ready to stop overcomplicating to stop avoiding over the guise of optimizing, then it's time to join me inside the Unstoppable experience.

That's where we untangle all of this and help you reca reclaim your time, your power, and your peace you can see all the details for that at aimeecerka.com/unstoppable.

You'll also be able to book a clarity call with me to make sure we can.

Work through if the unstoppable experience is the right step for you.

So that's what I've got for now.

Remember, you're not behind.

You're not just disorganized and you definitely don't need another app.

You need the support that helps you feel safe, focused, and in control.

And I'm here for you when you are ready.

That's what we got for now.

I'll see you next time.

Are you tired of not seeing consistent cash flow?

What if you could stop wasting countless hours working on the wrong things, only to leave yourself more frustrated than you started?

All without jumping from strategy to strategy, just trying to find one that works and without requiring.

A week of reflection or a time on it because you don't have the time to do the things you need to as it is.

That's you.

My cashflow calculator might be perfect for you.

This assessment style calculator reveals your blind spots.

And what you're missing so that you can finally see consistent cashflow month after month.

So grab my cashflow calculator and unlock the right work that you're probably already doing in order to finally see consistent cashflow month after month.

It's only gonna take you 90 seconds, and you won't need to know any of your numbers to actually do this.

Then, as a bonus, there's a special way you can get me to give you feedback on your results.

Simply go to amy circa.com/cashflow.

To access, and of course that link is hanging out in the show notes for you.