“We made €84K this month… so why do I still feel broke?”

That’s what one of my Shopify clients asked me on our Check-Up Call last month.

She wasn’t being dramatic.
She was genuinely confused — and overwhelmed.

Sales were strong.
Margins looked decent on paper.

But somehow, her bank account was always running on fumes.

👉 And it’s not just her.

Way too many Shopify sellers find themselves in this same situation.

The numbers don’t add up — and they’re not sure where to start.

The Big Lie: More Revenue = More Profit

Shopify is great at showing you sales.

Stripe is great at showing you payouts.

But neither of them shows you what’s actually yours to keep.

And that’s where the chaos begins.

🚩 3 Ways Shopify Sellers Sabotage Their Own Profit

Let’s break down the three biggest blind spots I see over and over again — the same ones that were silently draining my client’s bank account.

1. Not separating “cash in the bank” from “real profit”

Your payout hits the account and you think, “Great — I’ve got money to spend.”

But that number doesn’t account for:

• VAT owed (often not tracked properly)

• Returns, refunds, and discounts

• Ad spend that’s already burned through margins

• App subscriptions quietly racking up fees

🧮 One founder I worked with thought she was running at 30% profit.

We dug into her actual numbers: 11.2%.

That missing 18.8%?

Mostly hidden in ad overspend, bad reporting, and a bloated tech stack.

2. Taking random amounts as director’s pay

This one’s a silent killer.

“I just take out what’s left at the end of the month.”

But “what’s left” changes every month — and the stress builds up over time.

✅ We helped one founder fix this by building a simple monthly cash-flow forecast.

Now he knows exactly what he can take out every month without touching his VAT savings or triggering a tax nightmare later.

His feedback?

“I finally feel like I’m paying myself properly — not just scraping by.”

3. Relying on gut instinct instead of a plan

This one’s tricky because founders are smart.
They can feel when something’s off — even before the numbers say it.

But intuition can only take you so far.

You need numbers you trust.
You need a plan you can stick to.
You need to know what you can take out, when, and why.

When we work with Shopify founders, we usually focus on these four numbers first:

• Real margins (not just “blended” ones)

• Total VAT exposure (especially EU/UK split)

• Monthly pay strategy (not just ‘whatever’s left’)

• Short-term and seasonal cash flow forecast

Sarah’s Story: From Panic to Payday in 90 Days

When I first spoke to Sarah, she was doing €62K/month in revenue.

But her account was nearly empty — and her stress levels were through the roof.

“I feel like I’m always behind. There’s never enough left to pay myself.”

Here’s what we found on our first review:

❌ No clear margin breakdown by product
❌ App chaos — 9 tools, none of them integrated properly
❌ Untracked VAT exposure (she was selling across EU & UK)
❌ Ad spend spiking without warning
❌ No proper pay system — just hoping something would be left

It looked messy. But the business itself was solid. She just couldn’t see it clearly.

Here’s what changed in 90 days:

✅ We simplified her tech stack — cutting 4 tools and improving her Xero reporting
✅ Built a proper margin dashboard with product-level visibility
✅ Created a VAT savings plan across EU + UK
✅ Set up monthly pay allocations
✅ Built a two-week cash-flow forecast, reviewed regularly

The result?

“Just paid myself €3K this month — and didn’t have to touch the VAT pot.”

That’s what clarity looks like.

What I’d Do Differently If I Was Starting Over

When I started Thrive Digits, I wanted everything to be perfect.

I spent weeks tweaking spreadsheets, testing tools, and second-guessing my prices.

I thought I had to figure it all out on my own.

But here’s what that really cost me:

❌ Missed opportunities
❌ Burnout
❌ Way too many unpaid hours trying to “DIY” my way forward

What I know now?

• Clarity is worth investing in.
  The earlier you understand your numbers, the faster you grow.

• You don’t have to wait for chaos to get help.
  The best time to fix your systems is before they break.

• Profit isn’t a fluke.
  It’s a system. A habit. A set of decisions made on purpose.

Ready to Fix the Profit Leaks?

I created the Shopify Finance Check-Up Call for this exact reason.

It’s not a sales call.
It’s not a coaching session.

It’s a focused 20-minute chat where we:

• Look at your current finance setup

• Spot the leaks (VAT, margins, pay, cash flow)

• Show you the next 1–2 quick wins hiding in plain sight

If you’ve ever thought “I should really sort this out…”

Now’s a great time to start.

👉 [Book Your Free Shopify Check-Up Call Here]