Set a sustainable salary that keeps both you and your business financially healthy.
Based on: How to Pay Yourself as a Business Owner (Without Going Broke) by Lomaku by Nokuhle
▶ Watch the source video on YouTube
What if the reason your business feels exhausting has nothing to do with your clients, your workload, or the economy — and everything to do with how you're paying yourself? Most business owners either shortchange themselves for years, running on fumes and personal savings, or overcorrect and drain their business dry before it ever finds its footing. Either way, the cycle quietly kills both your business and your personal financial goals.
Here's the brutal truth: if your income swings from 100,000 one month to 2,000 the next, you can't plan your life. You can't save. You can't qualify for credit. You can't even hire someone to replace you if you need to step away. And if you've never tracked what your business actually earns, you won't be able to sell it, attract investors, or even prove it's profitable. You're not building wealth — you're just avoiding being employed.
Imagine instead waking up knowing exactly what hits your personal account each month. Imagine having a salary that reflects your real market value, that scales as your business grows, and that doesn't quietly bankrupt the company you've worked so hard to build. Imagine being able to walk into a bank, show your financials, and be taken seriously. That's what getting your owner's salary right actually unlocks — not just financial stability, but confidence, clarity, and control over your future.
Nokuhle Kumalo Chamoto of Lomaku by Nokuhle has lived this journey firsthand — from barely paying herself in year one, to experimenting with a commission-based structure in year two, to finally landing on a sustainable salary model in year three of full-time business ownership. She's also an accounting practice owner who works directly with clients on these exact financial decisions. This isn't theory — it's hard-won, real-world insight from someone who figured it out the slow way so you don't have to.
This checklist distills everything from her video into a clear, actionable step-by-step guide you can follow starting today. From choosing the right salary benchmark and setting up separate business accounts, to tracking income, collecting social proof, and building systems that protect your business long-term — every step is here, in order, ready for you to work through. Download it, print it, and start paying yourself like the CEO you actually are.
Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.
+ 15 more action items inside...
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