My little one-person business made $127,305 in January

How? Subtraction 👇

When faced with a business challenge—like how to grow revenue—our default reaction is often to *add* stuff

We add:

> New tactics
> New products
> New team members
> New marketing channels

I used to do this constantly too...

I’ve been an entrepreneur for 12 years

Before launching my current business I built a branding agency, a restaurant consulting business, and a VC-backed tech startup

Every time growth stalled or something wasn’t working, I’d launch something new

The problem?

Addition rarely solved the root problems in the business—it just created new ones

When I become a new mom in 2021... I knew something needed to change

I only had 10-15 hours a week to work

*Adding* wasn’t an option

I had to *do less*, better

Here are 4 things I *stopped* doing that paid off:

1. I stopped trying to “be everywhere”

I used to think that to be a good marketer I needed to be active on every social channel

When I went all-in on Twitter and stopped posting elsewhere, my audience—and revenue—grew rapidly

2. I stopped hiring full-time employees

Over the years I kept making the same mistake—I’d hire young, ambitious folks and expect them to “wear many hats”

That’s what a small business needs, right?

Wrong

Now I hire experienced contractors for specific projects

The result? 📈

3. I stopped consulting

In 2020, more than 70% of my revenue came from consulting projects

One-off consulting projects paid the bills but they also ate up all my time

I stopped consulting to double-down on my newsletter

It was scary at first but it’s definitely paid off

4. I stopped saying yes to every “opportunity”

As my audience grew suddenly my inbox was flooded with offers

I was invited on podcasts and webinars, asked to contribute to articles, and pitched collaborations with people I greatly admire

At first, I said “yes” to everything...

Now I (politely) say “no” to almost everything

I learned that amazing opportunities are often really distractions in disguise

Every time you say yes to something you’re also saying no to something else—choose wisely

After years of hunting for a silver bullet that would propel my business growth...

It turns out that I was asking the wrong question

Don’t just ask, “What should we do?”

Ask yourself, “What *should* we stop doing?”

In summary: Don’t do more—do less, better

That’s a wrap

Did you find this thread helpful?

This lesson took me 10+ years to learn—retweeting it will take you 0.23 seconds and could help someone avoid years of agony

Thanks in advance 🙏

Are you ready to lean into doing less?

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