Addition by Subtraction in Sales: How Saying No Helped Us Grow
We didn’t grow our catering sales by doing more—we grew by doing less. Here’s how saying no to small custom orders helped us focus, streamline, and finally hit our revenue goals in 2025.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How I Manage My Small Business with Just Two Meetings a Week
When I had to rebuild my business after COVID, I made a conscious decision: I wanted to be home more with my kids. Before the pandemic, I was in the business every day, overseeing everything firsthand. But as I rebuilt, I had to find a way to run the business successfully without being physically present all the time.
The solution? A structured approach with just two key meetings a week—one focused on sales and one on operations.
Meeting #1: Sales—Focusing on Growth & Key Metrics
Our sales meeting is all about driving revenue. We track two main performance indicators:
- The number of opportunities created and closed within a given period.
- Our leading indicators, such as how many referrals we requested and how often we promoted a key product or service.
By tracking these numbers, we get a clearer picture of our pipeline and can make data-driven decisions to improve sales.
Meeting #2: Operations—Reducing Costs & Improving Efficiency
Operations is all about running the business efficiently while delivering a great customer experience.
For us, the two largest variable costs are:
✅ Labor
✅ Materials or Inventory
So, we closely track KPIs that help us reduce waste and control expenses while maintaining quality.
Beyond costs, we use this meeting to review mistakes and missed opportunities. These discussions aren’t about blame—they’re about learning. Every mistake is a chance to refine our processes and ensure we’re creating loyal customers.
Embedding Culture & Mission into the Business
If I wasn’t going to be physically present every day, I needed to ensure my philosophy was still part of the company culture. That’s why we spent time teaching every team member our mission:
“Creating Apple Spice fans, daily.”
Beyond that, we invested in our company culture, focusing on how we want our business to feel for both employees and customers. One of the most impactful exercises we did as a team was:
“I feel heard, I feel seen, and I feel safe when…”
Everyone shared their thoughts, and from that, we identified common themes and built our core values around them.
Building a Strong Team by Letting Go of the Wrong People
I knew my managers truly understood and embraced our core values when they made a tough but necessary decision—they let go of two underperforming employees who were not just struggling in their roles but were actively toxic to the team. These individuals constantly undermined leadership and created conflict.
That’s when I realized: our culture was taking root—without me guiding it.
Keeping My Finger on the Pulse of the Business
In business, there’s a saying: “The map is not the territory.” My managers provide me with a “map” of what’s happening, but I need to make sure it reflects reality as accurately as possible.
One of my favorite techniques for uncovering real issues? After a meeting “officially” ends, I casually ask,
“So… what else is going on?”
Then, I just sit back and listen. This is when the good stuff comes out—the real challenges, concerns, and opportunities that might not have been shared during the structured part of the meeting.
I actually picked up this trick from Howard Stern. He uses the same approach in interviews, and it often leads to some of the most insightful and revealing moments.
At the end of the day, managing isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about setting clear expectations, tracking the right numbers, and fostering a culture where people feel heard and accountable—all in just two meetings a week.
“Know what’s enough. Build what matters.”
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