“Watched a first-time owner spend $8k on a logo redesign last week. Meanwhile, his margins are bleeding at 12%.”

This is how I started a LinkedIn post last week. You can see it here. This rubbed me so wrong, and I see types of situations like this too often, and this mindset is killing their businesses. Sooo, I wanted to expand and provide a boring framework to help going forward.

Just because you now have a few extra dollars in your pocket (hopefully in the bank) it doesn’t mean you should spend it on crap that doesn’t help your company. No. Logos don’t count. Only you and probably your mom can about that.

Yes, I’m guilty of this as well. Here’s my mistake. 🙋‍♀️🫣🫣

I spent $25k on a weather station.
Without going too deep. I sold remote irrigation monitoring to clients who used massive amounts of water to reduce their water bills. After three years of frustrations, time, and barely breaking even, I shut it down.

It had the potential to be more, but my time was already cut too thin. Opps! Yes, we all make mistakes, but how can I lay this out so you don’t make the same mistake?

How can we help you make the most valuable investment decisions on the fly?

If you increase your asset utilization (making the most out of your spending), do you believe you can increase the chances of your company staying in business?

Will others see you crushing your goals faster?

You will constantly have the angel and devil on your shoulders, so let’s install a framework to reduce your cognitive load.

One that reduces the time and quantity to make decisions. Welcome to my Unsexy and Boring Framework (Success Lives in the Unsexy Stuff).

Before running through the framework, ask yourself:
“Am I doing this to look successful or to be successful?”

That one question alone will expose 80% of bad spending decisions.

Perfect, and you understanding 100% isn’t necessary, but you must know what questions to ask:

✅ Check: “Can I still hit payroll and profit targets if this flops?”

You all know I often preach about getting you 100% out of daily operations, so this is a big one for me. Ask:

✅ Check: “Who will own this project if I’m not in the weeds?”

The spend must either increase sales, decrease costs, or increase free time; if not, it’s a no-go. You could strengthen it by naming the fourth hidden lever: reduce risk.
Owners forget that some investments (like SOPs, insurance, or redundancy systems) don’t make cash, but prevent disaster.

✅ Check: “Which of these four levers does it pull, and how does this relate to my strategic plan?”

Absolutely necessary. You must know when to expect to see your money again.
But add the emotional gut-check: “If the ROI is delayed, am I still okay with this?”

✅ Check: “Am I emotionally prepared to wait for the return?”

Sometimes it’s not “don’t spend,” it’s “wait until it can scale impact.”
Look at all factors in the investment decision.

✅ Check: “Would this investment compound if I waited 3–6 months?”

Every decision needs a strategic fit test.
Even if the ROI looks good, ask: “Does this move me closer to my owner goals (freedom, scale, legacy) or is it just feeding my ego?”

✅ Check: “Would my future, system-free self thank me for this decision?”

Profitable growth isn’t glamorous, and it doesn't result in people cheering you on like you've just solved world peace or a stable economy. But it is these small things in the weeds that I love helping my clients grow past. If this resonates, perhaps it’s time for a coach who enables you to focus on what truly drives growth in your company.