Pull the Right Lever (3 Min Read) | Vol. 224

October 9, 2026

“One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations.” – Yuval Noah Harari

Pull the Right Lever

In the past two weeks, I’ve had the same conversation three times. A business owner tells me the year has been good. They’re profitable. Then they drop the bomb. They lost five figures last month. 

Three owners. Same story.

They’re not alone. A lot of leaders are feeling the uncertainty right now. Sales slow down. Costs don’t. And the gap shows up on the bottom line.

When that happens, most reach for the same lever. Cut. Slash the budget, freeze the spending, and hack their way back to the black.

They aren’t wrong. Cutting is just one of five options.

Recently, I co-taught a class in Vail, Colorado, with my wife Wendy and my friend Jordan Freed. Jordan shared a familiar model I’ve seen versions of since the Great Recession. He spells it KRONC. (Yes, it sounds like Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove. Pull the lever, Kronk!)

Most people only look at the first and last letters.

K – Keep. These expenses clearly earn their place.

R – Replace. Can you get the same product or service somewhere else for less? Software, insurance, payroll, phone plans. Prices creep up while we aren’t looking. Shop them. 

O – Offset. Ask who could help pay for it. Say you host a client appreciation event. What vendors serve the same people you do? Invite them to co-sponsor. You get a better event for a fraction of the cost. They get in front of your clients. Everybody wins.

N – Negotiate. Pick the two or three vendors you plan to keep. Then call them. Jordan’s script is simple. “We love your service. We’re reviewing our budget, and we’re not sure we can keep it next month. Is there anything you can do on price before we decide?”

It costs a company far more to win a new customer than to keep an old one. Your vendors know it. Jordan made that call to his cell carrier and cut his bill from over $250 a month to around $150.

C – Cut. Whatever’s left that doesn’t earn its keep goes.

Do one big pass and aim to trim 5 to 10%. Then come back every month and find another 1 or 2%. It’s like stretching. The first time, you can barely touch your toes. The fourth time, you can place your palms flat on the ground. 

Don’t work from your profit and loss statement. Categories hide vendors. Print your bank and credit card statements and go line by line. The first time is painful. What is this charge? Who is this vendor? I promise you’ll find something you signed up for years ago and forgot. My wife Wendy does this with her director of operations every month.

And here’s what’s great about this work. A new dollar of revenue has to cover its costs. Every dollar you save drops straight to profit. 

Harari was talking about the dawn of farming when he wrote “luxuries tend to become necessities.” But he could have been reading your credit card statement. Every one of those charges was a luxury once. Then it became a habit. Now it’s a “necessity” nobody questions.

This is a good season to question them. Trim now, and you start 2027 lighter.

One question to ponder in your thinking time: Which lever have I been ignoring?

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan
Author | CEO | Coach

P.S. Trim now, and you start 2027 lighter. The next step is knowing where you’re headed. Join us November 13–14 for our final ONE Thing Summit and Goal Setting Retreat. Two virtual days to set the goals that matter most. Click here to save your seat now.