Hitting ~$330K should've felt like a win. Instead, it revealed the real bottleneck: complexity.
In this episode, Austin talks about how pruning services, projects, and obligations—less, but better—created the space for saner, more sustainable growth. You’ll get the tomato-plant metaphor (shoutout to Grandmother Martha), insights from Katelyn Bourgoin (“What should you stop doing?”), and even an Apple-style reset moment.
Plus, Austin walks through a practical 7-step Subtraction List to help you focus on the work that actually moves the needle.
(Feel free to grab the free worksheet under Resources)
What You’ll Learn
- Why “more” often makes things worse
- A simple metaphor to decide what to cut
- How world-class companies used subtraction to win
- The exact 7-step process to simplify your business now
The 7 Practical Steps
- Take inventory
- Find keepers (money, freedom, satisfaction, impact)
- Compare results (what to double down on / stop)
- Cut fluff (Do / Defer / Delegate / Delete + first actions)
- Make a Don’t List (keep distractions from creeping back)
- Create rules (avoid default yes—protect your best work)
- Record decisions (build confidence and course-correct faster)
Resources & Links
If this helped you, follow for more systems, strategy, and sanity for advanced freelancers and creators.
Chapters
00:00 Hook — when “more” stops working
01:28 The $330K year (and why it didn’t feel like success)
04:22 Complexity: the sneaky saboteur
06:19 Grandma’s garden: prune for higher yield
09:11 What “growth by subtraction” really means
10:33 Focus beats variety (how to choose)
10:59 Example: Katelyn Bourgoin and “do less, better”
13:27 Example: Apple’s 2×2 and 97% cut
15:54 The 7 Steps: Take inventory → Record decisions
24:39 Summary & next steps
26:04 Invitation to the Freelance Cake Community
