When Less Is More: Streamlining Expenses to Boost Profit

By Sasha Watson
Published: July 11, 2025

Small businesses often assume growth means more — more tools, more subscriptions, more spending. But in today’s climate, the smartest path to profitability might actually be subtraction.

At Sasha Watson Financial Solutions (SWFS), we help business owners uncover one of their greatest untapped resources: the money they’re already spending.

Here’s how to simplify, optimize, and reclaim cash — without sacrificing your goals.

🔍 The Silent Profit Killers

It’s not always the big purchases that drain your bottom line. It’s the $37 monthly app you forgot about. The overlapping software platforms. The vendor whose rates crept up over time.

Here are common culprits we help clients identify:

• Unused or underutilized tools

• Monthly software subscriptions billed annually (and forgotten)

• Outdated vendor contracts with inflated pricing

• Services that duplicate others you’re already paying for

✂️ Step 1: Run a Monthly Expense Audit

Open your business bank account and credit card statements. Create a simple spreadsheet and log:

• Name of each recurring payment

• What it’s used for

• Monthly cost

• Last time you used it

Be honest — if you haven’t touched it in 30–60 days, it’s likely time to cancel or reconsider.

🤝 Step 2: Renegotiate with Vendors

Loyalty matters — but it shouldn’t cost you unnecessarily.
If you’ve been with a vendor or service provider for over a year, reach out and ask:

• Can you revisit your pricing tiers?

• Are there new discounts or bundles available?

• What would it look like to move to a quarterly or annual plan for a lower rate?

At SWFS, we’ve helped clients reduce costs by 20% or more just by renegotiating and consolidating.

🧠 Step 3: Simplify to Scale

Every expense should have a purpose. If a tool or service isn’t directly:

• Saving you time

• Increasing revenue

• Improving client experience
  ...it may be time to let it go.

A leaner business is a more agile business — and agility is what allows you to scale sustainably.

✨ Final Thought

Your business doesn’t need more. It needs the right things.
And the space to breathe, adjust, and grow from a position of clarity.

Simplifying your expenses isn’t a sign of cutting back. It’s a strategic move toward greater profit, cleaner systems, and smarter leadership.

📥 Download Our Business Expense Audit Template
📅 Book a Financial Optimization Review

Sasha Watson
Founder & CEO, SWFS