One of the greatest dreams of most entrepreneurs is to grow a wildly successful business, but it takes a lot more than an ambitious dream.

So, you need a good plan? It takes even more than that.

You need to have the drive and take action? Still more.

It all starts before you make your first dollar.

Your relationship with money will greatly dictate how successful you become as an entrepreneur.

You may think you already have a pretty solid relationship with money. I always did. I’m not saying I was born wealthy and grew a 7-figure business because I started with 7 figures, but I thought I was comfortable with money. In fact, I believed deep down that I deserved it, but there were still a few things holding me back. I came to realize that no matter how much work I put into my business, I wasn’t generating the revenue I felt I was owed.

Digging deep

This took me on an adventure to work through some deep-seeded issues, figure out the reasons why, and overcome it. I began this adventure upon discovering Denise Duffield-Thomas and her fantastic website, Lucky Bitch. I know the name alone might be a turn-off for some but it resonated with me.

This was what I wanted – for people to believe that I truly was a lucky bitch.

Even though I know I’m not, I work hard to earn what I have.

There is something about growing up without having much that really impacts how you deal with money when you do have it.

For some, this means spending it as soon as it hits your bank account. After all, you’re often judged by the value of the things you own. Right? Hmm.

Some might save every penny for fear that one day they will wake up with absolutely nothing; therefore, they never get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

I’ll be honest with you – I fall more into the first group. I tend to think things like, Oh, now I can afford those shoes I have been eyeing for three months. I feel I deserve the reward for my hard work even if the money would be better spent paying off a credit card. What can I say? I was born in the instant gratification generation; it’s hard to see things any other way.

I have, however, come to realize that I need to find a happy medium. I would love to be free of debt. I would love to not feel guilty about buying the new shoes because I’m 30k in debt or actually buy a home one day rather than continue renting. The solution is just to find the balance between treating myself and saving for the bigger picture.

So, what does all this have to do with growing your business?

Your relationship with money is directly related to how much hard work you put into your business. It’s related to the vibes you send to potential customers. You’ll be able to attract the perfect client and have them not question your pricing for even a second.

Again, it all comes down to how you position yourself with money. If you’re afraid to spend, your potential customers will feel that energy and act the same towards what you’re offering. They’ll question your products or services, overthink the situation, or accuse you of charging too much.

This is not the vibe you want to put out there.

The age-old statement, “You have to spend money to make money,” is one that resonates deep with me. Now, I don’t necessarily need to invest in the same thing I am selling, but it should be something on the same level. For example, if I plan on selling a premium course that is priced at a thousand dollars, then I should be ready to spend a thousand dollars on another course. The energy that you send into the universe will come right back to you. Always keep that in mind when you’re reaching out to potential customers.

Are you ready to forgive?

How do you know that you have a negative relationship with money?

I’ll be honest – I had no clue until I began reading Get Rich, Lucky Bitch. Denise, the author, helped me uncover some issues that I realized had been deeply ingrained into my very core. They were beliefs that I had become accustomed to simply because I had never known an alternative.

Did you know that you don’t need to scrape pennies together to buy toilet paper? I grew up in poverty and was used to going without many basic things. It was common for us to run out of basic items and would have to make due until payday or worse – count coins to buy milk for the week. Growing up this way, I had grown to believe this type of behavior was normal. It was just how things were.

Fortunately, I have moved past that mindset. I now receive auto-shipments of toilet paper via Amazon. Not only is this alternative significantly cheaper than buying it at a store, but it’s one less thing to worry about during the week. This was my first breakthrough after reading Get Rich, Lucky Bitch.

This is where you’ll need to learn forgiveness.

I forgave my parents. They probably had no clue that their lifestyle had any negative impact on their children; they were simply doing their best to get by. The simple act of forgiving them did wonders for me, not that they were even aware I had carried this with me into adulthood. However, it helped me break through one thing that’s always mentioned in the poverty cycle; I learned that I didn’t have to wait until I was completely out of something before buying more.

This is just one of many mindset shifts I’ve had since reading Get Rich, Lucky Bitch.

I also know I have much more work ahead of me. I feel it every time I plateau in my business. If I feel I’ve hit an income cap, I know it’s time to search deep within myself and find what is holding me back. Sometimes it’s as simple as not wanting your family to see you as a snob because you’re comfortable with your income and ready to earn more. Other times, it is a bit trickier and can be hard to work through.

Money is a powerful tool to change the world

So, what does it actually take to craft a 7-figure money mindset?

It’s probably a whole lot of forgiveness and the ability to ask for more. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to ask that. There’s a lot of negative vibes around wanting more; in fact, most people feel guilt for even thinking about it. Recently, my 7-year-old daughter told me that “money is the root of all evil,” and it broke my heart. Now I must undo someone’s negative influence on her to explain that money can be a very powerful tool to accomplish great things. I explained to her that for the same cost of a small house in our neighborhood, we could build ten schools in Ghana. Once I put it into perspective – that money can make a great difference especially when we share our wealth with others – she was excited about it.

Although money has come to have an evil attachment to it due to all the greed in the world, we still need it to survive. Therefore, if you want to grow a 7-figure business, you should get excited at the thought of money. You should find yourself giddy and glowing when you dream of the life you can have if you build a million-dollar business.

I have an action item for you: What is one thing that is holding you back from the next income level in your business? If you need help discovering this, I want you take time to read Get Rich, Lucky Bitch, and join me in the Facebook group. We can all work together to shatter the invisible ceilings we’ve placed on ourselves.