EP#43: 3 Money Problems for Women in Business
The three biggest money problems female small business owners struggle with every day, and how to overcome them.
From the gender revenue gap to low confidence and a total lack of money strategy, Fi unpacks why these challenges exist, and how we can turn them around to build thriving, profitable businesses. If you’ve ever wondered why your revenue isn’t where you want it to be, or felt stuck, overwhelmed, or “bad at money” this episode will help you take your next steps forward.
Listen to Episode 32
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
The gender revenue gap: Why female-owned businesses earn less than male-owned ones, and how chronic undercharging and over-servicing plays a major role.
Visibility matters: Why being seen is critical to charging premium prices (and how lack of visibility keeps revenue low).
Pricing for value: How to stop undercharging and start pricing based on the value and transformation you deliver.
Money confidence: Why so many women lack it, how “bad at maths” beliefs form, and how to rebuild confidence through education and action.
Money mindset shifts: Why being socialised to believe money is “bad” is holding you back, and how to see money as a force for good.
No money strategy = stuck: How doing too much creates confusion, and why simplifying your offers is the fastest way to get unstuck.
How to get strategic: The mindset and actions to move from busywork and fear to clarity, focus, and confidence with your money.
Transcript: 3 Money Problems for Women in Business
Money Secrets Podcast – Episode 43
Introduction
We've made a lot of progress as a society in many areas, but one thing that hasn’t changed enough is our relationship with money. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, we need to understand the secrets to making money in small business.
The more we talk about money — especially the secrets that usually stay behind closed doors or on the golf course — the more empowered we become. My mission is to get more money into the hands of good people, specifically business owners like you.
Because I believe small business can change the world. And to do that, we need to be making more money.
Acknowledgement of Country
This episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I’d like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on.
I pay my respects to Elders past and present, and recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.
The Three Biggest Money Challenges
In this episode of Money Secrets, Fi Johnston explores the three biggest money challenges holding so many women in business back — and what to do about them.
Despite their talent and ambition, women-owned small businesses often struggle to grow revenue at the same pace as their male counterparts. The good news? These challenges are not fixed traits — they are patterns we can change with the right awareness, education and strategy.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, underpaid or overwhelmed when it comes to money, this episode will help you see what’s really going on — and how to move forward.
🎧 Tune in for powerful mindset shifts, practical tips and a refreshing reframe on what it means to build a financially thriving business as a woman.
The Gender Revenue Gap
One of the biggest (and most overlooked) challenges is the gender revenue gap.
While the gender funding gap in venture capital gets a lot of attention, most small businesses don’t seek startup capital. What all small businesses do need, however, is revenue. And research — as well as Fi’s 25 years of experience — shows that female-led businesses consistently generate less revenue than their male-led counterparts.
Why? Often because we undercharge and over-service.
We want clients to like us, so we discount or add extras.
We fear that charging what our work is worth will push people away.
We blur our scope and deliver more than what was agreed, just to keep people happy.
The result? We burn out, our revenue stalls, and our businesses struggle to grow.
How to change it:
Define your scope clearly. Deliver what you promised — nothing more, nothing less. And charge in alignment with the transformation and value you provide. You don’t need to be liked. You need to be valued.
A Lack of Confidence
The second challenge is a widespread lack of financial confidence among women in business.
This usually comes from two places:
We weren’t taught financial literacy or money management.
We were socialised to believe money is “bad” — that wanting more is greedy or unfeminine.
Many women carry old stories like “I’m just not good at maths” or “I’ll never understand numbers.” These stories hold us back from engaging with our finances, which only deepens the fear and confusion.
How to change it:
You don’t have to be “good at maths” to be good with money. Confidence comes from education and action. Seek out information, surround yourself with people who talk about money openly, and remind yourself: money is simply a tool. It becomes powerful in your hands because of the good you can do with it.
No Money Strategy
The third challenge? No clear money strategy.
Many women avoid strategic planning because money feels scary. But without a strategy, it’s impossible to grow. Instead, we get stuck in a cycle of busywork and overwhelm, trying to do everything at once — too many offers, too many client types, too much custom work.
How to change it:
Strategy doesn’t need to be complicated. It simply means asking:
“What do I want to achieve — and how will I get there?”
Choose a clear, simple offer that your ideal client truly needs. Focus your energy on the actions that support that offer and let go of the distractions. Strategy is as much about what you say no to as what you say yes to.
When you simplify, you create space to make, manage and keep more money.
Good Money Club
Are you a female or LGBTQIA+ business owner who wants to make more money and create meaningful change? My 6-month program, Good Money Club, is designed to help you do exactly that.
We work on your pricing, positioning, business model, and mindset — so you can build your bank account and your impact. Read more about Good Money Club.
Final Thoughts
These three challenges — the gender revenue gap, lack of confidence, and no strategy — hold countless women in business back. But they’re not permanent.
With clarity, education and small strategic shifts, you can break free of these patterns, raise your revenue and create the business you know you’re capable of running.
Small business has the power to change the world — and it starts with getting more money into the hands of good people like you.
Outro
Thank you for listening to Money Secrets. If you loved this episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a review. Your support helps us get these conversations into the hands of more good people who deserve to thrive in business.
We’ve come so far as a society in many ways, but money is one of the areas where progress hasn’t been enough. If we want to tip the scales in favour of marginalised people, it starts with understanding the secret: money in small business.
In this podcast, Money Secrets, host Fiona (Fi) Johnston—Chartered Accountant, small business advocate, and impact enthusiast—dives into the conversations we need to have about money. The secrets that once stayed behind closed doors (or on the golf course) are finally out in the open.
Fi’s mission? To get more money into the hands of good people, like you. She believes small businesses have the power to change the world, and the key to making a bigger impact is to make—and manage—more money.
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Thank you to everyone involved for bringing this podcast together. We are excited to hear from you with any questions, feedback or suggestions for future episodes that you might have. Send a Direct Message to @peach.business
If you are excited for what’s to come, please like this episode, follow the podcast and share it with your friends. We are thrilled you're here.
Want to find out more about Good Money Club? It's for female and non-binary business owners ready to make more money and impact. Join us?
Check out my FREE Pricing Training you need to set your prices for profitability.
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This podcast episode was recorded on the lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation and I'd like to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners and custodians of this land and water that I live, work and play on. I'd like to pay respect to elders both past and present, and note that sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.
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