A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.
We learned early on that if we help enough people, the money will come.
Money... is like a beautiful thoroughbred horse - very powerful & always in action, but unless this horse is trained when very young, it will be an out-of-control & dangerous animal when it grows to maturity.
You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.
As you will it, so shall it be.
Instead of just purchasing an ad campaign, target test and measure. Give an ad a small try. If the response is enough to pay for the ad, make it larger. With a franchise, ask the most successful franchisees what they did. Ask the bottom five guys what they did and avoid it.