Smooth out feast-or-famine

Service income is lumpy — a huge month, then a dead one. The owners who sleep at night aren't the ones with the biggest months; they're the ones with a cushion. A small buffer turns a scary slow stretch into a shrug, and stops you from taking bad work out of panic.

Do this

1. Set a target: start with one month of expenses, then work toward three.
2. In the big months, sweep a fixed slice into a separate savings account before you feel rich.
3. Leave it alone. It's not profit and it's not for a new truck — it's your calm.
4. When a slow month comes, the cushion covers it and you keep making good decisions.

Build your cash cushion

• Work out one month of total expenses — that's your first target
• Open a separate savings account just for the cushion
• Auto-transfer a fixed % from every big deposit
• Don't touch it for anything but a genuine shortfall
• Once you hit one month saved, aim for three