I know this is a YNAB sub, but I found YNAB to be a bit tough to deal with for my small business. I already categorize all of my transactions in QuickBooks, so to have to do it again in YNAB for budgeting seemed pretty rough. I did see they have some budgeting functionality in Quickbooks that might be worth looking into, but I have been using the Profit First method and doing it all through my checking accounts. Can check out the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4
It's still an envelope method like YNAB, but a little less detailed. I am pretty religious about my usage of YNAB for my personal life, but this feels like a much better fit for my business and the volume of transactions I'm going through.
Gino Wickman’s book is great. Profit First may also be useful
https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4
I want to give you a long answer, but I don't have a lot of time for that.
Here is the trick, Its never about the skill but the experience that you add to the skill. Python + No Experience = not a whole lot of value. Python + experience with ERP Systems = HUGE VALUE.
So consider going at this from the experience route. Find a problem domain that has people that is clamoring for help/support, dive into it, and learn the skill that is necessary in that domain. Then go from there.
Also learn how to plan your efforts/career/business with "profit first" Book: https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4.
Find a number that you want to get out of your business "$X" ... then work out what you need to get there, like expenses, then billable hours. Then decide if that is the right route to get to that.
Good luck, I resonate hard with wanting to take care of younger family.
One, seperate your expenses. have a business bank account and a personal account. Send all business transactions money in and money out through your business bank account. At the end of the month, you can pay yourself out. Also read the book profit first https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4
Check out the book called Profit First, its a method I have been trying to implement and it has helped me a lot. https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4
Give this book a read (profit first by Mike Michalowicz) presents a guide to managing irregular income pretty well.
He actually recommends doing this (setting rules for use of each payment) manually at first so you can easily tweak the percentages as situation changes.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4