Are you a dental hygienist feeling burned out, unfulfilled, or stuck in a cycle of long hours and stress? Do you dream of transitioning to a more flexible, rewarding career that allows you to work less and earn more? If so, it’s time to discover your “freedom number”—the key to unlocking more time and building a business that you’re truly passionate about.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the process of calculating your freedom number and show you how this simple step can give you the runway space you need to start your journey toward becoming a successful myofunctional therapist. Let’s dive in!
What is Your Freedom Number?
Your freedom number is the amount of money you need to cover your essential expenses while freeing up enough time to build your business. It’s not about earning a fortune right away—it’s about finding out how much you need to live comfortably and how you can reduce your hours or expenses to make room for your new career in myofunctional therapy.
The key takeaway here: there’s no time fairy coming to grant you extra hours. But by calculating your freedom number, you’ll know exactly how much you need to work and how much time you can free up to focus on your business.
Step 1: Calculate Your Baseline Needs
The first step in finding your freedom number is to calculate your baseline needs. These are your non-negotiable fixed expenses, such as shelter, utilities, and food—basically, the essentials to keep you alive. This is where you start.
If you’re married or share expenses, calculate only the portion of the expenses you’re responsible for. For example, if your mortgage is $3,000 and you only pay one-third, work with the $1,000 figure.
Once you’ve written down your basic, non-negotiable expenses, it’s time to move on to your next category.
Step 2: Account for Debt Payments
Next, list out any debt payments you have, including student loans, car payments, or credit card debt. Debt payments are often a significant part of your financial picture, so it’s important to include them when calculating your freedom number.
If you’re trying to get more strategic with your finances, take a hard look at how much you’re paying toward debt and whether you can reduce these amounts. Can you refinance any loans or adjust your payment plans to create more room in your budget?
Step 3: Identify Negotiable Expenses
Once you’ve covered your fixed expenses and debt, it’s time to look at negotiable expenses—those that aren’t essential to survival and can be adjusted. Think about things like your cell phone plan, cable subscription, or entertainment costs.
You don’t have to give up everything, but cutting back on these expenses can free up more money and ultimately give you more flexibility in your schedule. For example, switching to a lower phone plan or eliminating unnecessary subscriptions could save you a significant amount over time.
Step 4: Refinance Your Finances
Now that you’ve got your numbers, it’s time to think about whether you can refinance your finances to reduce your monthly expenses. Can you downgrade your car? Cut back on data for your phone? Get rid of unnecessary subscriptions like cable or streaming services?
Being strategic with your finances is key to freeing up time and space for your new career. The more you can cut back on non-essential expenses, the more runway you’ll have to focus on your business.
Step 5: Calculate Your Annual Freedom Number
Once you have a clear picture of your monthly expenses, multiply that number by 12 to calculate your annual freedom number. For example, if you need $3,000 a month to cover your essential expenses and debt, that’s $36,000 a year.
But wait, we’re not done yet. To truly understand how much you need to work, we have to break it down further.
Step 6: How Many Hours Per Week Do You Need to Work?
Here’s where the magic happens! If you’re working a hygiene job, calculate how many hours you need to work to cover your annual freedom number. For example, if you need $36,000 per year and your hourly rate is $50, divide $36,000 by 50 weeks (assuming you take 2 weeks of vacation).
$36,000 ÷ 50 weeks = $720 per week
$720 ÷ $50 per hour = 14.4 hours per week
This means you only need to work 14.4 hours per week to meet your baseline needs. If you’re currently working 40 hours a week, this gives you a huge opportunity to free up time for your business.
Step 7: Deal with the Mindset Drama
Now, I know what you’re thinking—reducing your hours means earning less money, which can feel like a big leap. It’s normal to experience some mental drama around cutting back on your income, especially if you’ve been used to a certain lifestyle.
But here’s the key: this is not your forever situation. It’s a temporary phase while you build your business. And trust me, once you get started, it will be so much easier to go through the Ditch Hygiene Academy™ and set yourself up for success when you have extra time on your calendar.
Step 8: Let’s Talk About Jess
I want to share a story about my associate, Jess. When she first joined me, she was ready to leave dental hygiene behind. But as we worked together, Jess found herself slipping back into dental hygiene because she was scared. She was worried about her income and the fear of transitioning to something new.
I coached her through the process, and eventually, she was able to overcome her fear and embrace her new career path. Jess is now thriving as a myofunctional therapist, and her story is a testament to the power of mindset and determination.
Step 9: Make Space and Take Action
It’s time to make space on your calendar and start taking action. The next step? Join the Ditch Hygiene Academy™ when it opens next. Inside, I’ll teach you exactly how to fill that newfound time with a systematized, repeatable process to build your business and start attracting clients.
You’ll learn how to go from burnout to building a business you love. And the best part? You won’t be stuck at your baseline number forever. You’ll be on your way to a fulfilling, financially free life.
Be Incredible My Friend!
😘 xo,
Carmen
P.S. Are you tired of building someone else’s dreams? If so, here are some upcoming dates that you will want to pay attention to….
👉 Myo Week (Free 8 Day Training): Jan 10-17, 2025
👉 Next Ditch Hygiene Academy Enrollment: Jan 10-21, 2025
Make sure you are on the waitlist to get all the enrollment information + a super awesome early bird discount!
