{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"What Works","title":"EP 203: Running Your Business By The Numbers With Tara McMullin","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":473,"description":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen I signed off on my taxes last month, it was the first time in 10 years that I didn’t owe any money to the IRS.\n\n\n\nIn fact, I got a refund.\n\n\n\nNow, I’d love to tell you that’s because I was much more diligent with my financial planning. And, that is partially true.\n\n\n\nBut the main reason I’m getting a refund is that I personally made a lot less money last year.\n\n\n\nNot gonna lie: making less money was a big hit to my ego.\n\n\n\nWorse, I realized how much my personal identity as a provider, a businesswoman, and a leader was tied up in the dollar dollar bills.\n\n\n\nLet me clarify: I don’t define myself by how much money I make. I don’t think I’m worthless if I’m not rich…\n\n\n\nWhat happened is that I had been using money as validation. I equated my ability to do my job with my ability to continue to grow the revenue my company generates.\n\n\n\nSo it wasn’t so much the money itself—but continuing to push the needle on that money that felt tied to my value as an entrepreneur.\n\n\n\nTaking a deliberate step back to pivot, as well as develop a new product and marketing strategy, as I have over the last 2 years, just didn’t allow me to grow at the same rate.\n\n\n\nBut, instead of seeing that objectively, I responded emotionally.\n\n\n\nI’ve recently learned something fairly obvious but nevertheless profound about myself: I define myself by my accomplishments.\n\n\n\nNot just because my accomplishments tell others something about who I am but because I worry, deep down, that I don’t have much to offer. The more I accomplish, the more value I can believe I have.\n\n\n\nAccomplishing that year-after-year revenue growth was a sign that I had created something valuable… that I was valuable.\n\n\n\nIn that way, money has been an easy metric for me to use to measure my worth and to calculate the exact value I’m creating in the world.\n\n\n\nThat means that when my paycheck took a hit, it felt like my credibility took a hit.\n\n\n\nOf course, revenue is just one very small way to measure success or value....","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/AmfGeDL96-fhMaeOcqmX7TK_eWrvTLco6OJj2QpZtZI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80NGUx/OWY5ZDg1M2E5MmU3/ZjEwOWVmNDM3MWVh/ZjZlOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}