Dan Mall Shares
What It Really Costs to Run My Business
aug 14 2025
I’ve been getting more requests from a lot of you to share the real behind-the-scenes of my business.
I know some of you joined, expecting me to hand over playbooks on pricing, proposals, positioning, etc. I’m happy to do that.
But here’s the thing: those playbooks are everywhere, including for free on my site and in my social feeds. And even if I haven’t posted it publicly, I bet I have most of it sitting on my hard drive, in my inbox, or in a random note somewhere. If you’re looking for something specific, let me know; I’m happy to track it down for you and send you a link.
What you can’t find anywhere else is a fully transparent look at how I actually run my business day-to-day. The decisions I make. The money I spend. The trade-offs I live with.
That stuff requires a lot of context, which is why it doesn’t make for good social content (or at least I haven’t figured out how to do it well).
That’s the point of Dan Mall Shares: not just telling you what to do, but showing you exactly how I do it with the context around it so you can adapt it to your own situation.
For today, I’m opening my financial books.
Total Monthly Spend: $7,117.22
Last month, my total business spend was $7,117.22: from health insurance to software to the “fun money” I budget for buying fonts or taking clients out to dinner.
Here’s exactly where it went.
Software & Tools ($1,735.70)
This is my digital toolbox: the platforms and apps that make my work possible. These make up my biggest fixed expenses.
1Password ($6.95) – Secure password management for me and my team.
Airtable ($38.40) – Database for tracking students, members, and projects.
ChatGPT ($20.00) – AI tool for drafting copy, brainstorming content, and accelerating creative workflows.
Delphi ($29) - AI platform to scale content access and application.
Dropbox ($72) - Cloud storage and file sharing for projects, course assets, and internal resources.
Figma ($208.00) – Sketchpad for visualizing ideas.
Framer ($241.00) – Website design & prototyping tool for my sites.
Google Workspace ($13.11) – Email, file storage, and collaboration suite for the business.
Kit ($273.00) – Email marketing platform for newsletters & automations.
Loom ($15.00) – Asynchronous video messaging for giving student and team communication.
Midjourney ($10.00) – AI image generation for concepting, creative exploration, and marketing visuals.
Netlify ($19.99) – Hosting and deployment platform for fast, secure websites and landing pages.
Obsidian ($10.00) – Personal knowledge management system for organizing ideas and research.-
Pipedrive ($19) – CRM for tracking leads, proposals, and client communications.
Riverside ($29.00) – High-quality remote recording platform for podcast episodes, interviews, and course videos.
Slack ($300.00) – Communication with my team, students, and partners.
Teachable ($181.00) – Hosting and delivering my online courses to students.
Typeform ($59.00) - Online form and survey tool used for student intake, program applications, and gathering member feedback.
Webflow ($78.00) – Hosting & managing websites.
Zapier ($193.50) – Automation tool for connecting apps and streamlining repetitive business tasks.
Operations & Admin ($488.44)
The backbone of the business: accounting, scheduling, and keeping the lights on.
AppleCare ($16.49) – AppleCare coverage for various devices.
Calendly ($24.00) – Client and student scheduling tool.
Experian ($79.95) – Credit monitoring for financial stability and management.
Harvest ($22.00) – Time tracking and billing.
QuickBooks Online ($90.00) – Accounting software.
Xfinity ($294.00) – Office internet service.
Health Insurance & Benefits ($512.00)
The least glamorous but very essential line item — health insurance.
Aetna CVS Health ($512.00) – A portion of health insurance coverage for my family and me.
Education & Professional Development ($365.91)
I spend here so my ideas don’t stagnate. Courses, books, and subscriptions keep me sharp and often spark the insights that pay off months later.
Amazon options (Kindle Premium, Kindle Unlimited, Prime, etc) ($26.94) – Access to books for leadership training, design inspiration, and teaching resources.
Audible ($14.99) – Listening to business, leadership, and creativity books to inform program curriculum.
Credit University ($297.00) – Advanced training to sharpen business and financial skills and improve my credit.
DC Universe Infinite ($7.99) – Studying serialized storytelling and character development for program curriculum and speaking engagements.
Marvel Unlimited ($9.99) – Studying visual storytelling and pacing techniques to apply for program curriculum and speaking engagements.
Liz Wilcox’s Email Marketing Membership ($9.00) – Email marketing training and resources.
Lifestyle Perks / Work-Life Balance ($199.00)
These aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re what keep my environment and mind in a state where I can focus on work.
Bark.us ($14.00) – Keeping my kids safe online so I can focus on work without distraction.
Cleaning service ($185.00) – Biweekly cleaning service so my time goes towards my business, not chores.
Travel & Transportation ($131.30)
Even a mostly remote business has real-world travel costs.
EZPass ($110.00) – Tolls for travel, events, workshops, training, and speaking engagements.
Tesla Subscription ($21.30) – Premium Tesla features like real-time traffic, satellite-view, streaming, and more.
Marketing Tools & Social Media ($120.99)
Growth doesn’t happen by accident. These are the tools that keep my marketing machine humming.
Hypefury ($29.00) – Social media content scheduling and automation for audience growth.
LinkedIn Premium ($51.99) - Networking and outreach platform for connecting with potential clients and collaborators.
Stanley ($29.00) – AI content advisor for LinkedIn.
X Premium ($11) - Paid tier for Twitter/X to boost reach, run ads, and access advanced analytics.
Content Research & Creative Inspiration ($63.88)
I treat my streaming subscriptions as research labs. These aren’t just for binge-watching; they’re for studying narrative structure, UX flows, and brand experiences.
Discretionary Business Budget ($3,500.00)
Every month, I give myself a $3,500 budget for truly flexible, high-ROI spending. It’s my “move fast” fund for things that might not have been planned but are too valuable to pass up: fonts, software, client dinners, team gifts, or anything else that advances the business that‘s not a regular monthly expense but more of a one-off purchase.
Team (undisclosed)
As you probably already know, I’m pretty transparent about everything except for one thing: how much I pay people. I think that’s their business and information to share, not mine. Suffice it to say that I spend an additional four figures each month on the people who help me, from contractors and retainers to teams working with and for me.
The price of the costs
Over half of my monthly budget is already committed before the month even begins. That’s the real weight of running a business: the fixed burn rate you have to clear before you see a dime of profit.
How to Use This in Your Own Business
It’s tempting to look at someone else’s expense list and just copy the tools or budgets.
Don’t.
Instead, use it as a mirror and a reference point:
Total up your fixed monthly costs. If you didn’t sell a thing next month, how much money would you still owe? That’s your real starting line.
Assign every expense a job. If you can’t answer “What business result does this get me?” in one sentence, it’s either a hobby or dead weight.
Create a discretionary budget. Mine is $3,500/month for opportunistic, high-ROI spending — fonts, client dinners, experiments. Having a set amount makes those decisions fast and guilt-free.
Shrink your “miscellaneous” bucket. Break it into specific categories. It’ll force you to see where your money really goes and make smarter cuts when needed.
Justify your “gray area” expenses. If the IRS or your business partner asked why you’re paying for Netflix or a trip to Disney, have a short, credible business reason ready.
The point isn’t to run your business my way.
It’s to run it your way, with the same level of clarity, intentionality, and willingness to spend when it matters.
What else?
What else do you want to know about how I run my business?
Reply and let me know and I’ll make it my next issue.
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