Setting Your Financial Goal: Let’s Talk About Money Posted on January 26, 2026January 23, 2026 By Kekeletso Nkele, small.news Assistant (small.news) — Let’s talk about money. For some really fascinating reason, this is the part where anyone who gets stuck building their silv=r™ tends to get stuck. We’ve talked about getting stuck before, and it seems to happen right here. Normalizing the Money Stuff We’re going to be talking about your money: your expenses, your revenue, your profit margins. And for a lot of us as business owners, we’ve got a lot of crap around money. Maybe we’ve lost a lot of money. Maybe we’ve made a bunch of money. Maybe we haven’t made as much as we want. Maybe we’ve faced cashflow challenges over and over again. There is often a lot that we carry about money. So let’s name it, own it, normalize it… and then keep going. Because we still have to talk about money. If you are a business owner, we have to talk about money. I always say: hobbies cost money, businesses make money. Top Stories Jessica Chen on the Creative Economy, Disappearing Arts Funding, and Why Artists Are Small Business Owners On September 23, 2026, Jessica Chen, a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director who runs the nonprofit dance company J Chen Project, joined our small.talk to make the case that artists are small business owners too, and that when creative work thrives, the surrounding community thrives with it. September 28, 2026 How Small Business Owners Are Actually Using AI to Market Smarter Aishah Coleman, an architecture and interior design business owner, taught an audience through the tools and habits that have reshaped how she runs her marketing — no technical background required. September 28, 2026 Indonesia’s Cosmetics Exports Rise 13.7% as Government Ramps Up SME Support and Tightens Regulatory Oversight Indonesia’s cosmetics exports reached $473.8 million in 2025, a 13.7% increase from $416.8 million the previous year , as the country’s Ministry of Industry moves to strengthen support for the small businesses that dominate the sector and help them compete in international markets, according to Personal Care Insights. September 28, 2026 Looking at Your Financial Model Without Emotion So what we need to do (without emotion, without shame, guilt, or pride) is simply look at the reality of your financial model. How does your business make money? Is it set up to make good amounts of money? Is it not? Can it be adjusted? Think of this as a research project. Think of it with curiosity. Over the next couple of steps, I’m going to ask you to input information about your business. It is not going to feel like reading a P&L. We use very simple language. You can absolutely do this, whether or not your books are up to date and whether or not you feel confident with finances. Don’t get caught up in any of that. Just come with me on the journey as we start to understand the finances of your business. We will do the calculations. We will show you what the data means. Our goal is to figure out how to make your business model as profitable and sustainable as possible. Getting to the Truth of Your Business I do not want you working 60 hours a week, nonstop, selling something that isn’t even profitable. I do not want you working yourself to the bone, trying so hard, only to set financial goals that you could never possibly hit because they’re not realistic. So what we’re going to do is get into reality. -What are your current expenses?-What do you sell?-What are your costs against those sales?-How many sales do you have to make? It’s really practical. Profitability, Sustainability, and Smart Goals And when we have that information, the truth will set us free, because then we can maneuver it and massage it, and adjust it to make your business more profitable and more sustainable. Don’t Quit in the Middle My only request is: don’t quit in the middle of this.Just come with me through the process.It’s honestly not scary. It’s really easy.And all you have to do is tell the truth. If your business is not currently profitable or sustainable, no problem. We will make it so.If your business is really profitable and sustainable, awesome. We’ll make it even more so. But the numbers need to come in so that we can make good decisions about how to increase your profitability, increase your sustainability, and set a sales goal that is both aggressive and exciting, and also realistic enough that you can hit it. Every small business owner needs someone in their corner. With Silver Lining’s silv=r™ platform, you can get the tools, structure, and human support you need, every step of the way. Sign up today! Latest Stories
Jessica Chen on the Creative Economy, Disappearing Arts Funding, and Why Artists Are Small Business Owners On September 23, 2026, Jessica Chen, a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director who runs the nonprofit dance company J Chen Project, joined our small.talk to make the case that artists are small business owners too, and that when creative work thrives, the surrounding community thrives with it. September 28, 2026
How Small Business Owners Are Actually Using AI to Market Smarter Aishah Coleman, an architecture and interior design business owner, taught an audience through the tools and habits that have reshaped how she runs her marketing — no technical background required. September 28, 2026
Indonesia’s Cosmetics Exports Rise 13.7% as Government Ramps Up SME Support and Tightens Regulatory Oversight Indonesia’s cosmetics exports reached $473.8 million in 2025, a 13.7% increase from $416.8 million the previous year , as the country’s Ministry of Industry moves to strengthen support for the small businesses that dominate the sector and help them compete in international markets, according to Personal Care Insights. September 28, 2026