Step Two: Streamlining Your Operations to Reduce Waste

In my last post, I talked about focusing on your most profitable offerings—getting clear on what’s driving results in your business and letting go of what isn’t. Once you’ve identified where the real value is, the next step is about simplifying how you deliver it.

Step Two: Streamlining your operations to reduce waste.

Now, “waste” isn’t always obvious. When you hear the word, you might picture money being poured down the drain, or stacks of unused inventory taking up space. And sure, those things happen. But waste is sneaky—it shows up as redundant processes, tools you’re paying for but barely using, or workflows that made sense three years ago but now feel clunky and outdated.

It’s the hours you lose chasing unnecessary tasks, the resources spent solving problems that shouldn’t exist, and the energy drained by systems that no one questions because, well, “that’s just the way we’ve always done it.” (I hate this rationale, personally)

The truth is, as your business grows, these little inefficiencies start to add up. They quietly eat into your time, profits, and ability to focus on what really matters.

But here’s the good news: once you know where to look, streamlining your operations is one of the simplest ways to make your business leaner, stronger, and more profitable.

Where to Start: Find the Waste

The first step is simple but not always easy: identify the bloat. Ask yourself:

• What tools, processes, or systems am I paying for but not really using?
• Where do things consistently slow down in my business?
• Am I spending too much time or money on things that don’t deliver enough value?

If you’re feeling resistance, start small. Pick one area of your business—a process, a tool, or a routine—and ask: “What happens if I stop doing this, or simplify it?” Test it. You might discover it’s not as essential as you thought.

A Restaurant in Jackson Hole Simplifies and Succeeds

Let’s take a high-end restaurant in Jackson Hole as an example. It’s a popular spot, offering both an à la carte menu and a chef’s tasting menu. On the surface, everything looks fine—they’re busy most nights, the food is great, and customers leave happy.

But behind the scenes, things are messy.

For starters, the restaurant is overstocking ingredients for dishes that barely sell. Those unused ingredients? They’re expensive, and they end up in the trash. On top of that, the kitchen staff is constantly juggling a huge menu, which slows them down, leads to mistakes, and makes prep far more complicated than it needs to be.

Then there’s staffing. The schedules are static—predictable but inefficient. Slow nights are overstaffed, and on busy nights, the team can barely keep up. Costs creep up. Stress levels spike. Service quality takes a hit.

So, the owners decide to make a change.

The first thing they do is analyze the menu—what’s selling, what isn’t, and where the margins are best. They realize the chef’s tasting menu isn’t just popular; it’s their highest-margin option. The à la carte menu, on the other hand, is driving up costs and creating unnecessary complexity.

So they simplify. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, they streamline the à la carte menu to focus only on the dishes that customers love and that make financial sense. And they position the tasting menu as their signature experience—a curated, premium offering that sets them apart.

Next, they tackle their staffing issues. Instead of relying on guesswork, they use a scheduling tool that predicts demand based on historical sales and upcoming reservations. Now, they have the right number of people working on the right nights, and labor costs start to drop.

Finally, they look for ways to maximize revenue without adding stress. Servers are trained to recommend high-margin wine pairings and pre-dinner cocktails. It’s a small change, but it adds up—average revenue per table starts to climb.

By making these adjustments, the restaurant doesn’t just cut costs; it creates a better experience for everyone. The kitchen runs more smoothly. Service improves. Food waste drops. And customers leave happier, because the restaurant feels focused and polished.

How to Start Streamlining Your Business

You don’t have to own a restaurant to see the opportunities in your business. The process is the same, no matter what you do:

First, take a hard look at how your business operates. What’s eating up time, money, or energy without delivering real value? Are there tools you’re paying for but barely using? Are your processes clunky or overcomplicated? Where do things feel harder than they should be?

Start small. Pick one thing to simplify or eliminate—something that’s clearly draining resources or causing frustration—and see what happens. Maybe it’s consolidating your software tools into one platform that does everything you need. Maybe it’s refining your processes so tasks get done faster and with fewer steps.

Then look at your team. Is their time being spent where it matters most? Are there better ways to allocate resources—whether that’s staffing, inventory, or even your own hours? Small changes here can make a big difference.

The point isn’t to overhaul everything at once. Streamlining is about making thoughtful, incremental improvements that add up over time. Each small change frees up space—space to focus on what’s profitable, what’s working, and what’s next.

The Impact of Streamlining

When you reduce waste, everything feels lighter. Costs come down. Your systems run more smoothly. You regain time and energy you didn’t even realize you’d lost.

And here’s the best part: streamlining your operations doesn’t just save money—it makes growth easier. When your business is running efficiently, you have more bandwidth to deliver exceptional value to your customers. You’re not bogged down by the unnecessary; you’re free to focus on what really matters.

That’s what happened for the restaurant in Jackson Hole. They cut food waste, lowered labor costs, and increased table revenue, all while improving the customer experience. They didn’t work harder—they worked smarter.

Imagine what streamlining could do for your business.

Running a business is hard enough without wasting time and money on things that don’t serve you or your customers. By streamlining your operations, you create clarity, simplicity, and focus—all of which make your business stronger, more profitable, and easier to grow.

And the best part? It doesn’t have to happen overnight. Start with one small change, measure the results, and build from there.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series, where we’ll dive into Step Three: Increasing Customer Lifetime Value—because your best customers are the ones who already know and trust you.

Is your business weighed down by inefficiencies? Let’s change that. Download my free guide, ‘Scale Your Business Profitably,’ for simple strategies to streamline your operations and boost your bottom line. Or, if you want to dive deeper, schedule a Business Catalyst Consult—I’d love to help you uncover opportunities to simplify and grow.

P.S. You don’t have to fix everything all at once. Start small. Focus on one change at a time. The impact will surprise you.