09/22/2026
The first warning sign that your business is heading toward an unmanageable amount of debt usually isnāt a maxed-out credit card.
Itās when you stop paying yourself.
After years of working with product-based businesses, Iāve seen this pattern repeatedly:
First, you skip a paycheck here and there.
Then, you stop taking paychecks altogether.
Before long, everyone else is getting paidāthe employees, vendors, landlord and lendersāwhile youāre constantly working for free.
You tell yourself:
āItās just a growing pain.ā
āMy payday will come later.ā
āIām reinvesting in the business.ā
But when the business can no longer afford to pay its owner, itās telling you something important: the business is already starving for cash.
And if you donāt address the real problemāyour margins, inventory, expenses or cash-flow strategyāthe next place youāll look for money is debt.
Then more debt.
Then debt to cover the debt you already have.
Not paying yourself isnāt a noble sacrifice or a normal part of entrepreneurship. Itās an early warning signāand the sooner you recognize it, the more options you have to fix it.
Your paycheck is not whatās left over after everyone else gets paid.
Itās one of the clearest measurements of whether your business is actually working.
Need help? Comment ME! Letās stop the bleed.