This article is excerpted from Hidden Profit: Take Control of Your Finances, Stop Leaving Money on the Table, and Create Abundance in Your Business.
When I first started teaching entrepreneurs, I focused only on imparting my knowledge and tactics for managing money and optimizing profit. It didn’t take long for me to realize that there was so much more to being financially successful than robust tactics. Yes, we need the practical advice, the templates, and the tools. As you can see, I’ve got loads of that. But if that’s all I give you in this book, I’ll be leaving out an incredibly essential component of success. And this one’s not easy to track or calculate on a spreadsheet.
I’m talking about understanding yourself, including your motivations, beliefs, habits, and desires when it comes to money. When you understand yourself, you can better tap into your unique strengths and be more aware of potential pitfalls.
Once I started to incorporate this type of self-reflection into some of my financial programs, I saw my students’ success rates drastically improve. Even if you’re tempted to skip this chapter and get back to the meat-and-potatoes financial strategies, I hope you stick around. You just might benefit the most from this section.
Your Money Personality
Once I recognized how much of our success with money hinges on understanding ourselves, I went digging for resources to help my students with some self-reflection. I knew there must be brilliant thought leaders who had already done some amazing work in this area that we could benefit from.
While sleuthing through the internet one day, I happened upon Kendall SummerHawk and her eight Sacred Money Archetypes® and instantly saw how useful those insights would be for the entrepreneurs I taught. I became a certified coach of the Sacred Money Archetypes®, and I have now integrated her resources into my teachings.
For some of you reading, the term sacred money archetype might feel a little bit too ‘woo.’ Or perhaps you’re stoked that we’re talking about archetypes in a book on finance. When it comes down to it, an archetype is just a way of looking at a shared human experience. While we are wholly unique as human beings, we aren’t alone in how we operate in the world.
Partly for the benefit of my non-woo friends, in this book I’ll refer to these archetypes as your “money personality types.” As with any other personality test, the goal is to help you understand yourself more fully and gain insights into how you make decisions and operate in the world, and ultimately implement a financial strategy that will leverage your unique strengths as a business owner.
Think of your money personality as the personal operating system in your Financial Control Room. These are your ‘factory settings,’ the built-in programming that shapes how you interact with each knob, switch, and gauge. Your money personality influences every decision you make in the control room, from how much risk you’re comfortable taking to how closely you monitor your cash flow. But remember, while these ‘factory settings’ are part of your financial DNA, they’re also influenced by external factors, such as how you were raised and what you learned (or didn’t learn) about money. Just as you can update software, you can adjust your financial ‘operating system’ as you grow in self-awareness, which will help you make more intentional choices in your business.
Rest assured, there are no ‘bad’ or ‘good’ money personalities. Each has strengths and gifts, as well as challenges. Additionally, it’s common to have several different money personality types influencing your decisions. The goal of understanding your primary money personality types is not to change them; instead, it is to help you lean into your strengths and away from your weaknesses when it comes to money and finances. Learning about your money personalities can also help you design a unique money management system that will actually work for you, rather than forcing you to be someone you’re not.
I recommend pausing a moment and taking the Money Personality Quiz at HiddenProfitTheBook.com. Take note of your top three personality types and consider whether they resonate with you. All of the money personalities influence you in some way; however, your top three are typically the most prevalent in your day-to-day life (and can sometimes be in conflict, as we’ll discuss).
The Eight Money Personalities
Within Sacred Money Archetypes®, there are eight distinct personalities, each with its own beliefs about and approach to money. Below is a list of some of the core beliefs these personality types tend to have. While you may identify with several (or even all) of these beliefs on some level, your top three personality types will likely point to which beliefs are most deeply held and prevalent in your decision-making.
The Accumulator: You believe that your money could run out or disappear at any moment, and you need to be prepared.
The Alchemist: You believe that there are lots of creative ways you can make money, even if they are unconventional.
The Celebrity: You believe that money is a tool to achieve status and recognition.
The Connector: You believe that personal connections are more important than money and somehow, you’ll always be taken care of financially.
The Maverick: You believe that making money is a game, and you play to win.
The Nurturer: You believe that helping others often means sacrificing yourself and your financial resources.
The Romantic: You believe that money is to be enjoyed in the moment. YOLO!
The Ruler: You believe that the more you hustle today, the more happiness you’ll have in the future.
As I mentioned before, each personality has strengths and superpowers that help you make (and keep) more money. Each also has obstacles and challenges that can hinder you from doing so. As with anything else in life, achieving self-awareness is the first step to making positive changes.”
Excerpted from Hidden Profit: Take Control of Your Finances, Stop Leaving Money on the Table, and Create Abundance in Your Business. Copyright © 2025, Jamie Trull. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
Photo Credit: Liza Hippler @ Liza Hippler Photography