Playbook / Lessons / Money: pitch, investor email
Cash-flow businessBuild a floor, not a ceiling
Welsh contrasts using money to raise a lifestyle ceiling with using it to build a floor for when something goes wrong. He and Jennifer owed an unplanned $58,000 tax bill, and for a year every bonus check went to it. Afterwards they focused on protecting their money, which he says buys optionality, such as room to say no to the wrong client.
“A floor is what you have beneath you when something goes wrong.”— Justin Welsh, Rich and broke., Jun 2026
Do this
Work out the cash you would need to absorb a surprise bill without panic, and set it aside before any new spending.