Why More Founders Need a Personal Wealth Strategy
Rebecca Klodinsky built two wildly successful brands from scratch. Now she’s urging fellow founders to take their personal wealth as seriously as their business growth.
Rebecca Klodinsky built two wildly successful brands from scratch. Now she’s urging fellow founders to take their personal wealth as seriously as their business growth.
When I launched my first business in my twenties, I thought success meant sales, scale, and building a brand with cut-through. And to some extent, it did.
But it took me a little longer to realise that real success — the kind that sustains you beyond your startup — also means financial independence. Not just revenue. Not just growth. But wealth.
We don’t talk about this enough. Founders are often so focused on cash flow, growth targets and reinvesting in the business that they neglect their own financial future.
And for women in particular, that can be a costly blind spot — especially in a climate like this.
Right now, the cost of living is at record highs. Inflation is steadily eroding savings. And Australian women are still retiring with, on average, 25% less superannuation than men. Financial literacy is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a survival skill.
And founders, of all people, should be thinking about how they’re building wealth personally — not just professionally.
When I started my first business, I was a young solo mum navigating life without a blueprint — financially or otherwise. I didn’t grow up talking about money. I didn’t have a financial adviser on speed dial.
But I taught myself. I bought property. I built multiple income streams. I started investing. And I did it all while bootstrapping.
What I learned is this: you don’t need to be a finance expert to build wealth. But you do need to get intentional about it. Because if your personal finances aren’t growing with your business, you’re more exposed than you think.
Here are three things I’ve learned that I now believe every founder should factor into their strategy:
There’s a big difference between making money and building wealth. Your business might generate strong revenue, but if you’re not pulling money out, protecting it, and putting it to work, you’re still operating from a place of risk. I learned to treat my personal finances like a second business — with goals, structure, and long-term thinking. That shift was a turning point.
As founders, we know the risk of relying on a single product or market. The same logic applies to your personal income. One revenue stream — even a thriving one — is still one point of failure. I started looking for ways to build parallel income early: investing in markets, creating digital assets, and adding secondary product lines. That strategy gave me freedom, not just extra income.
The more confident I became with money — understanding debt, interest, returns, tax — the sharper my decision-making got. It wasn’t about becoming an expert.
It was about building fluency. Knowing my numbers gave me leverage — in negotiations, in team conversations, and in moments of pressure. It made me more resilient and more resourceful.
We often hear about “closing the gap” in funding, leadership, and opportunity. But there’s another gap we rarely acknowledge: the financial confidence gap.
And it starts with founders — especially women — being willing to prioritise their own wealth as part of their growth story.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. But you do need to start. Because the goal isn’t just to build a successful business — it’s to build a life that gives you freedom, security, and options long after the business has scaled.
Rebecca Klodinsky is the founder of IIXIIST and co-founder of The Prestwick Place, two multi-million dollar brands built without investors or retail stores. Known for her sharp digital strategy and sustainable, direct-to-consumer approach, she continues to rewrite the rules of modern luxury
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Heavyweights Coca-Cola , 3M and General Motors all reported results that exceeded analyst expectations before the opening bell on Tuesday. 3M shares rose 7.7% to a four-year high, leading the Dow.
GM soared 15% to the highest level since its 2010 post-bailout initial public offering after Chief Executive Mary Barra raised guidance and told analysts the automaker can’t make enough full-size SUVs to keep up with demand.
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The S&P 500 was little changed Tuesday, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.2%. The Dow rose 0.5% to a record closing level of 46924.74. Treasury yields slipped, with the benchmark 10-year yield closing at 3.962%, its lowest reading since October 2024.
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