Get Sorted: No worries about failing - just move on quickly

If something isn't working for you, learn from it and move on quickly. Photo / Thinkstock

Think like an entrepreneur and find money strategies that work for you.

"Thanks for the education."

These were the only words of my farewell email to the boss as I wound up my short career in sales - an experiment if there ever was one.

Sometimes you just need to give things a try.

A friend had invited me to join his sales team in mortgage banking and give it a go, which I did for the better part of a year. It was one of those times in life that you just have to do something so you don't wind up saying "What if I had?" for the rest of your days.

But sales wasn't really my thing, and I ended up switching back to a previous company. I certainly never made millions, but during a tremendous learning curve I absorbed more about personal finance than in any other role.

One of the things I find inspiring these days about entrepreneurs, start-up companies and web developers is their mantra to "fail quickly". Of course, they're actually not failing at all - they are testing the waters, learning quickly, keeping what works and scrapping what doesn't.

The faster they get feedback, the faster they can change, and the faster they can find better solutions.

We can do the same thing as we manage our money. There are many techniques out there, but there are really no one-size-fits-all solutions - you need to find what works for you. And sometimes that means playing with small amounts in order to find what makes sense with the large amounts.

Here are some things to try (or suggest to those you're close to).

• Track your spending for 14 days.
• Pay yourself first.
• Build a buffer.
• Set aside a bills account.
• Save to buy.
• Pay more than the minimum.

As you try a technique, get feedback as fast as possible - is it getting you ahead? If so, make it a habit. Or if it's a fail, just move on quickly.

The trick is to find what works for you.

Get Sorted is written by Sorted's resident blogger, Tom Hartmann. Check out the guides and calculators at Sorted - brought to you by the Commission for Financial Capability - at sorted.org.nz.