How to ask for money

A client recently told me: ‘I don’t like being asked about budgets and budgeting periods too soon’. My reply was I hear you – I would rather never mention money, but I have to pay my work team – so what would you suggest? He replied ‘I understand that it’s important to know because you have to create your own priorities to run a business’.

THAT is the key thing to know – no one likes talking about money or asking for it, but as a small business, if you don’t ask, you risk people not understanding that you want it. In a world where money is the currency that enables us to go places and buy things, it is an essential part of an entrepreneur’s journey to be able to value their time and ask for money in exchange for it.

I was once approached by a university to create a plan to integrate sustainable events management within an MA. The university painted an inspiring and world-changing picture of what would be possible after this had been done. They asked for my involvement and I hesitated. Noticing the hesitation, they said: ‘would it change your enthusiasm if we paid for your time?’. The answer was yes and this is something I believe every entrepreneur has to learn you can never ask for money too soon because it is an example of your valuing your time which is your greatest asset.