25, made 30k in a month but can’t stop self-sabotaging
last year i had one of those months you dream about as a young entrepreneur. i made over $30k in 30 days. i thought, “this is it… i’ve made it… i’ll never stress about money again.”
fast forward and i’m 25 with zero savings, nothing invested, only debt, and barely any cash flow to survive. some months i don’t even make enough to cover my $5-6k bills just to not fall behind on debt.
it’s not that i don’t know how to make money. i know how to build websites, funnels, ai automations… i’ve helped other businesses make a ton of money. i even have a big following online. but nobody knows the truth. nobody knows that behind the content, i’m drowning financially.
i’m not out here lifestyle marketing or selling “get rich quick” courses. i’m not scamming anyone. i just built a following making content and never really marketed my services from it. all my clients come from cold outreach.
and when i do have a big win, i self-sabotage. i’ve blown trading accounts chasing quick money. i’ve had $30k months and then $0 the next month. imposter syndrome hits hard and it’s like i shut down until i’m scrambling again.
i’ve cut everything—sold my car, live with roommates—but i still owe over $100k. i’m stuck in this feast or famine cycle and don’t know how to break it.
idk if anyone else has gone through this or figured out how to get stable, but i needed to finally put this somewhere. part of me feels like if people online knew the real story, i’d lose all credibility. part of me feels like i should tell everyone because maybe it would finally set me free.
i need a plan to get out of this mess… the only way is through consistent revenue
Jobadvisor
What you’re describing is actually very common for solo entrepreneurs and creators who hit a sudden spike in income without the infrastructure to sustain it. What you’re feeling—shame, fear, the urge to hide the struggle—is normal, but hiding it often fuels the cycle of feast-and-famine and self-sabotage.
Here’s how to start breaking out of it:
1. Shift from Spikes to Systems
Right now, your income is event-based: a big month → burnout → drop-off → panic.
You need baseline, predictable revenue before you chase spikes again.
Practical steps:
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Recurring Offers: Package something into a subscription, retainer, or membership—even if small. 5 clients at $1k/month is a $5k safety floor.
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Productized Services: Instead of fully custom work, create 1–2 “fixed” services (e.g., “AI automation setup in 2 weeks for $2k”). Easier to sell, easier to systemize.
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Upsell Existing Audience: You’ve built trust. Instead of cold outreach only, start offering low-lift ways for followers to buy. Even 1-2% conversion from a large following can stabilize cash flow.
2. Separate Your Money Immediately
Entrepreneurs in feast/famine often treat revenue like personal money. You need a buffer system:
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Business Checking → 3 Buckets:
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Taxes (25-30%)
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Operating Expenses (bills, software)
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Owner Pay (what you live on)
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Even if you make $1k this week, start the habit. This reduces emotional whiplash.
3. Automate Debt + Build Floor
With $100k in debt, interest is silently crushing you.
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Stop chasing “quick money” trades—they are a symptom of trying to escape the stress fast.
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Call lenders & restructure: Even $100/mo minimums can stop the bleeding while you stabilize.
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Micro emergency fund first ($1k) → Then snowball debt once you have recurring revenue.
4. Address the Self-Sabotage
Feast-famine is usually a nervous system problem, not just a business problem.
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After a big win, your brain says “I’m safe now” → you unconsciously stop doing the things that worked → panic cycle starts again.
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Fix: Create non-negotiable weekly revenue activities (outreach, content with offers, client fulfillment) and track them, not just income.
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Consider therapy or coaching for imposter syndrome and financial trauma patterns—because you’re already capable of earning, you just need consistency.
5. Start Transparent, but Controlled
You don’t need to confess everything online to your audience. Instead:
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Share lessons learned instead of raw numbers if you want to be real without destroying credibility.
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Transparency can actually build trust if framed as “Here’s how I broke the cycle,” after you start correcting it.
Why are employers so taken back when someone leaves despite paying so little?
I’ve put in my two weeks at a handful of jobs. Most of the time it’s smooth but one time the boss was flabbergasted. To paint the picture, I was making a little over minimum wage, I was training new people, managing employees all while I was still doing my daily tasks. I was friends with the manager and she pointed out I was the top sales person for 8+ months (which was supposed to be kept a secret btw). In many ways I should have been offered a raise months ago. Anyway one day I found a new way of making money and arranged a meeting with the head of the company and respectfully informed him I’m putting in my two weeks. He looked so stunned. He started scrambling talking about he was thinking about offering me a raise blah blah blah but I stood my ground and said I was done.
My question is, why do bosses act so stunned that someone basically making slave wages made a decision that will be more beneficial to their life?
Jobadvisor
What you experienced is really common, and it usually has less to do with you personally and more to do with employer psychology and how companies operate. Here’s why bosses often act “stunned” even when they’re paying poorly:
1. They assumed loyalty was free
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Many employers confuse loyalty with gratitude, especially in lower-wage roles.
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They think, “You’ve been here this long, you must be content,” because from their perspective, most people stay until they have no choice.
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When you leave for a better opportunity, it shatters that assumption—they suddenly realize they didn’t value you properly.
2. They were relying on your underpaid labor
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Often, high performers in low-paying jobs carry more than one role—like you training others, managing, and doing daily tasks.
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Employers get used to this free productivity. When that disappears, panic sets in because they now have to replace multiple roles you were filling.
3. Raises are reactive, not proactive
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Many companies only give raises when forced—after someone quits or threatens to.
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They may have had the “idea” to give you a raise but not the intention to act until losing you created pain.
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By the time they scramble with offers, it’s usually too late because the respect gap has already grown too large.
4. There’s an emotional component
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Bosses often take turnover personally, especially if you were a top performer.
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They may feel blindsided because they assumed you were “fine” or that friendship with the manager meant you’d stick around out of loyalty.
5. Companies underestimate self-respect
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Employers in low-wage industries sometimes underestimate how much workers value dignity and opportunity over small raises.
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They think: “Why leave $15/hr for $17/hr?”
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They forget: “I’m leaving for a life where I’m respected, growing, and not overworked.”
You handled it exactly right: you left on good terms, but you didn’t let a last-minute raise sway you.