A few years ago, I hit the income goal I’d been chasing: six figures in my photography business. I bought myself a little celebration cake (highly recommend, 10/10), took a breath… and then a new thought dropped in:

“What if I could double this?”

Immediately, the guilt showed up.

Is that selfish? Isn’t this already enough? Who am I to want more?

If you’re a photographer or creative entrepreneur, I’m guessing you’ve brushed up against those same questions. We’re told to be grateful, to love the work, to focus on “passion over profit.” And yes, gratitude matters. But so does this truth:

It’s okay to want more money. Especially if you’re a creative with a big heart and big vision.

In this post, I’m sharing part of the story I recently talked about on the Wedding Industry Insider podcast with Eddie Babbage of Timeline Genius, and how shifting my money mindset as a creative entrepreneur changed everything in my business, my life, and my impact.

(If you’d rather listen to the full conversation, you can tune into the episode “It’s OK to Want More Money (with Mycah Bain)” here:

The Relauch, the Leap, and the Decision to Double

When I first picked up a camera, I was 20 years old, living in the Middle East for a summer and then in Uganda that fall. I was convinced I’d be the next National Geographic photographer. 🗺️ I had this wild, unfounded confidence and fell hard for storytelling and travel.

Fast forward a few years, and my business had gone through multiple iterations. I’d moved, I’d grown, I’d burned out, and eventually I did a full business relaunch. New positioning. New boundaries. New offers. New team.

After that relaunch, I hit my first big goal:

“Let’s see if I can make six figures again.”

I did it.

And then the next question came:

“Okay… what if I could double that?”

That’s when all my hidden beliefs about money started screaming.

I grew up in an “experience-forward” family who valued people, art, and community more than stuff—which I still deeply love. But somewhere along the way, I quietly absorbed ideas like:

• “Rich people are selfish or bad.”
• “Wanting more than ‘enough’ is greedy.”
• “If you already have your house and your bills covered, why want more?”

In college, I lived in Santa Barbara and worked for some very wealthy families—nannying, cleaning baseboards, being hired “security” for parties (lol). I saw luxury up close… and I also saw a lot of people who were very unhappy. My brain made a link:

More money = more problems, more pressure, more disconnection.

So when I started thinking about doubling my income, it wasn’t just a spreadsheet problem. It was a money mindset for creative entrepreneurs problem that went all the way back to those early stories.

Why Money Mindset Matters for Creative Entrepreneurs

The real shift started when a friend asked me some very simple (but very annoying) questions.

I told her, “I’m making enough. I’m good. I don’t really need more.”

She knew me well, and she pushed back:

• “What if you made more and could donate more every month?”
• “What if you could employ more people and create meaningful jobs?”
• “What if you could be even more generous with your family, your community, and the organizations you care about?”

Oof. 😅

That was my first real permission slip:

Wanting more money doesn’t make you greedy. It gives you more options for generosity, stability, and impact.

Since then, I’ve:

• Grown a team of photographers and behind-the-scenes support in Minneapolis.
• Continued to scale the business so we can serve more clients and pay our people well.
• Done deep inner work with a coach to untangle the old money stories that made me feel “bad” for wanting more.

And here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

• Money is an amplifier. If you’re kind, generous, and community-minded, more money simply lets you do more of that.
• Money isn’t the sole source of happiness, but the lack of it can absolutely create stress in your nervous system. Feeling safe and resourced matters.
• Your dream life requires clarity and cashflow. Time wealth, travel, creative freedom, taking a sabbatical, supporting your family—these aren’t just vibes. They’re line items.

As creative entrepreneurs, we love art, emotion, beauty, relationships. We are not always taught to love profit margins and cash reserves. But if you want to build a business that supports your art and your actual life… your money mindset as a creative entrepreneur has to grow too.

Money Mindset for Creative Entrepreneurs: 4 Shifts to Try

If you’re feeling a tug toward “more” but also guilt or confusion, here are a few places to start:

1. Get Curious About Your Money Stories

Grab a journal (or your favorite AI assistant 😉) and ask yourself:

• What did I see or hear about money growing up?
• How did my family talk about “rich people”?
• Deep down, do I believe that wanting more is bad, selfish, or risky?

You can even ask a tool like ChatGPT or Claude to act as a money mindset coach and reflect your answers back to you. Awareness is step one.

2. Define Your Actual Dream Life (Not Just a Random Revenue Goal)

Instead of picking numbers out of thin air, get specific:

• How many days a week do you want to work?
• How much rest, travel, or creative play do you want each year?
• Who do you want to be generous toward—family, community, nonprofits?

Then ask: What would it realistically cost to live that way?

This is where being a Creative CEO kicks in. You’re not just hoping it works out. You’re designing a life and then building a business that can fund it.

3. Let Yourself Set a “Scary” Goal

This is where the book 10x Is Easier Than 2x really challenged me.

Instead of asking, “How can I grow 10–20%?” I started asking:

“What would it look like to 10x this?”

Not because I need more shoes or gadgets—but because that level of thinking forces you to:

• Raise your standards for your team.
• Have the hard conversations.
• Tighten your systems, workflows, and client experience.
• Stop trying to do everything yourself.

Bigger goals push you to think differently, hire differently, lead differently—and that’s where real growth happens.

4. Use Tools, Systems, and Support to Buy Back Your Time

Money mindset for creative entrepreneurs is not just about feeling worthy of higher prices. It’s also about acting like a Creative CEO in the day-to-day.

That might look like:

• Using software to automate repetitive tasks instead of manually reinventing the wheel.
• Getting cozy with AI as a collaborator—not a threat.
• Investing in a CRM, project management, or workflow system to save you hours every week.
• Working with a coach who can see your blind spots and help you move faster with less drama.

More money + better tools + stronger mindset = more freedom to do the work you love and live a life you’re obsessed with.

Your Permission Slip to Want More (and Next Steps)

When I decided to double my income after my relaunch, it wasn’t because I was ungrateful. It was because I finally understood:

More money meant more options, more generosity, more impact, and more support—for me, my team, and my people.

If you’ve been feeling that nudge for “more,” consider this your permission slip. You’re allowed to build a wildly profitable, beautifully creative, deeply generous business.

If you want to keep exploring this, here are three ways to go deeper:

1. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation on the Wedding Industry Insider podcast with Eddie Babbage: “It’s OK to Want More Money (with Mycah Bain)”

2. 💸 Grab my free Money Mindset guide for creatives at mycahbain.com/money – it walks you through simple prompts to clarify where you are now and where you want to go.

3. 🚀 Explore coaching + education with me at mycahbain.com/edu – if you’re a creative entrepreneur who’s already solid in your business and ready to scale with systems, strategy, and support, this is where we can go deep together.

You don’t have to shrink your dreams to fit your old money stories.

You get to rewrite them—and build a business that actually matches the life you want. 💛