"Money is a tool. It is not your lifeblood."

Calin Balea is working 8-10 hours a week on his main hustle and it brings in around $7k/mo. He launched it 8 months ago.

I spoke with Calin and he gave me a peek at his finances. My biggest takeaway? Reinvesting revenue into your company is high risk, high reward. 👇

Don't pinch pennies

💰 "Pinching pennies never made anyone prosper. Spend more time figuring out how to make money than you spend trying to save. There’s a limit to how much you can save. There’s no limit to how much you can make." —Calin

Calin admits that it's important not to overspend on frivolous things. But he says you've got to remember to live.

And skipping a meal out with friends to save money is not living.

Instead of cutting back, he says it's about smart spending. Over-focusing on cost cutting is a trap that distracts from the bigger picture: Growth and value creation.

For Calin, value creation takes priority over everything. Even revenue.

💰 "Focus on building value; not just revenue." —Calin

Sure, revenue is important. But Calin believes that investing in creating lasting value pays more in the long run than anything else. To him, creating value means investing in relationships, building a strong brand, and continually honing his craft.

💰 "Long-term success comes from being invaluable to your clients." —Calin

High margins

So value is where it's at, but let's talk a bit about revenue.

Calin launched his productized service in April. He had spent 10 years in the design world and wanted to build "something bigger than myself", as he put it.

Already, he's making between $6k and $7k per month working 8-10 hours per week. He's using a productized-service model, and the revenue comes from one client subscription, plus a few clients who opted for fixed bids instead.

Calin is living on this income without dipping into his savings, of which he has a decent amount. He has a little more than a year's worth of monthly expenses saved up.

Despite living on the income, he tries to reinvest the majority of it back into the business, taking as little money out as possible.

💰 "Cash flow is king. Keep your runway long and your burn rate low. But, when you spend, do it on things that truly move the needle. Invest in your product." —Calin

He's able to reinvest thanks to his low expenses and excellent margins.

His business expenses are about $205/mo:

• Accounting services: $35/mo
• Website hosting: $40/mo
• Figma: $15/mo
• Adobe Cloud: $60/mo
• Loom: $10/mo
• HelloBonsai: $20/mo
• Internet plan: $20/mo
• Dribbble Pro Business: $5/mo

His personal expenses are about $2k per month. Of course, that doesn't include unusual expenses like vacations — like the one he's currently on.

$2k is pretty low, particularly for a homeowner. And a big reason for this is that he already paid off his mortgage. That means all he has to pay to keep a roof over his head is property taxes. And he doesn't have any other debts either.

He says this takes a lot of the usual pressure off, allowing him to focus on creating value above all.

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Purpose over profit

Low expenses and debt also make it a lot easier to focus on purpose.

💰 "Focus on purpose before profit. Align your financial decisions with your core mission." —Calin

For Calin's business, he says that means prioritizing projects that are not only profitable, but also resonate with their design philosophy and add value to their portfolio.

Re-investments and risk

Calin doesn't diversify his investments. He believes hedging bets is essential, yes, but diversifying everything won’t get you far.

💰 "There’s no such thing as no risk. And if you spend all your time trying to mitigate it, you won't achieve much. Just don’t risk more than you can afford." —Calin

He likes risk. Maybe that's why he's an entrepreneur.

And maybe it's why his primary investment is his business.

💰 "I pour a lot into my business. It's high risk, high reward. I believe in investing heavily in what I know and can directly influence." —Calin

Beyond his business, Calin is investing in stocks and precious metals at the moment. He tries to invest a portion of his income every month.

And, of course, there are his non-monetary investments.

💰 "It's a cliche, but I think spending on quality food, healthcare, and occasional travel helps me stay balanced and maintain good energy. That’s essential to keeping a steady pace. It’s a marathon, not a sprint." —Calin

There's also his Playstation Plus membership, but he admits he'd be better off without it. Playing FIFA with the computer doesn't scratch the itch!

Financial tools

Calin uses a tool called Revolut for all his personal finances. For business, he uses Bonsai and Stripe.

And then there's the most important financial tool of all: money.

💰 "Money is a tool, not your lifeblood. Don't get emotionally attached to it just because of the effort it took to make it." —Calin

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You can follow Calin's journey on LinkedIn and X, or check out contrast.studio.

Please note that the above are opinions. This is meant for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be financial advice.

And if you'd like to be featured as a guest in a future interview for this series, let me know in the comments!