The costs that hurt small businesses are rarely the big ones. Nobody forgets the rent or the vehicle instalment. What slips through are the small, recurring, automatic amounts that were justified once and never questioned again.
A software subscription bought for a project that ended two years ago. A delivery arrangement priced when fuel was cheaper. A supplier who was the best option when you were half your current size. Individually, each one is too small to trigger a conversation. Together, in most businesses we review, they add up to a meaningful share of monthly profit.
The fix is not dramatic. Pull twelve months of bank and card statements, list every recurring line, and put one question next to each: if this were being proposed for the first time today, would we approve it? Anything you hesitate over goes on a shortlist for cancelling or renegotiating.
Do that once a year and you will keep more of what the business earns without selling a single extra unit.