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First-Principles Cost Teardown

Every expense rebuilt from zero. What it should cost, what to delete, and what you keep each month.

For owners whose costs crept up while nobody was looking, and startups burning faster than they sell.

Emon, a cartoon parody hostDELETE IT
Emon · Chief Deleting Officer

“The best part is no part. The best invoice is no invoice.”

0/600 · numbers make it sharper · never published
  1. 1Describe your business
  2. 2Pay once on Stripe
  3. 3Read it in about a minute

Watch it run

From a few sentences to the playbook.

The sample business, typed in. Real page, real output.

The whole sample, uncut

Written for an invented 6-person web agency (“$62k a month, 14 retainers, losing pitches to offshore teams and DIY Webflow”), so its numbers are safe to publish. Yours is written against your own.

Brightline can free ≈ $8,600 per month by cutting inflated software, ads and contractor spend

I compared each line item to the cheapest realistic alternative. Software is ~12× the floor price, Google Ads cost three times a typical lead cost, contractors are billed at about 90% markup, and office overhead is modestly above market. Cutting those excesses would save roughly $8.6k each month.

01

Line by line, from the floor up

What each expense really buys, the floor cost, and the markup.

  1. Payroll – $38,500/mo

    Six designers & devs. Assuming a market salary of $7,000 each, floor = $42,000. They are actually paying 8% below floor, so no saving here.

  2. Office rent – $4,200/mo

    ≈ $700/mo

    Denver co‑working average $3,500 for 1,200 sq ft. Markup ≈ 20%. Potential saving ≈ $700/mo.

    This week:

    Get three comparable lease quotes this week.

  3. Software stack – $2,900/mo

    ≈ $2,660/mo

    Figma, Webflow, Notion, HubSpot, Slack, Adobe, Loom + 5 niche tools. Floor price for essential tools ≈ $240/mo. Current spend is ~12× the floor. Saving ≈ $2,660/mo.

    This week:

    Audit each tool; cancel any not used weekly.

  4. Contractors – $3,800/mo

    ≈ $1,800/mo

    Assuming $30/hr for 20 h/week per contractor = $2,400 floor. Current spend is 58% above floor. Saving ≈ $1,800/mo.

    This week:

    Negotiate flat‑rate rates or replace with lower‑cost freelancers.

  5. Google Ads – $3,000/mo

    ≈ $2,000/mo

    2 qualified leads per month. Typical cost per lead in Denver web design ≈ $500. Floor = $1,000. Current spend is 3× floor. Saving ≈ $2,000/mo.

    This week:

    Pause campaigns and test organic referral incentives.

  6. Accountant – $600/mo

    ≈ $300/mo

    Basic bookkeeping for a 6‑person agency. Floor services cost ≈ $300. Markup 100%. Saving ≈ $300/mo.

    This week:

    Switch to a low‑cost online bookkeeping service.

  7. Insurance – $450/mo

    ≈ $150/mo

    General liability & professional indemnity. Comparable policies run $300/mo. Markup 50%. Saving ≈ $150/mo.

    This week:

    Request quotes from two new carriers.

  8. Coffee/snacks – $380/mo

    ≈ $280/mo

    Office pantry supplies. Bulk coffee + snacks cost ≈ $100/mo. Markup 280%. Saving ≈ $280/mo.

    This week:

    Switch to bulk supplier and limit to coffee only.

02

Delete, don't shave

Things that can be cut entirely.

  1. Google Ads campaigns

    ≈ $3,000/mo

    Zero leads for $3,000 spend. Delete and reallocate to referral bonuses.

  2. Redundant design plugins (5 of them)

    ≈ $150/mo

    Each costs $20–$30/mo and overlaps with core tools.

  3. Weekly catered lunches

    ≈ $200/mo

    Occasional team meals cost $200/mo and add little value.

03

What the money is for

Where to put the freed cash.

  1. Hire a senior UI/UX lead

    Adds $3,500/mo of expertise, lets you charge higher retainer rates.

  2. Invest in a client referral program

    Allocate $2,000/mo to bonuses that reward existing clients for new business.

  3. Build a low‑cost AI‑assisted prototype tool

    Spend $1,500/mo on a custom prompt library to speed up Webflow builds and stay ahead of DIY competition.

04

The mission the cuts serve

  1. Mission

    Deliver premium, on‑time web experiences that let small businesses grow 30% faster without hiring in‑house developers.

  2. Vision

    Become the go‑to Denver agency where founders pay for speed and design excellence, not for wasted overhead.

Trim the fat, reinvest in talent and referrals, and you’ll protect margins while out‑selling offshore copycats.

Estimates are arithmetic on stated assumptions, not forecasts, and this is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Check each assumption against your own books before acting.

Now do it for yours.

$49, once. About a minute.

0/600 · numbers make it sharper · never published

Questions

How fast is it?

About a minute after payment. It is written on the page Stripe returns you to, and the link is emailed to you as well.

What should I write?

What you sell, to whom, at what price, and whatever numbers you have — costs, customers, how people find you. Where a number is missing it assumes one and says so.

Is it generic?

It is not allowed to be. Every line has to name a price, a cost, a channel or a customer from your description, and phrases like "build your brand" are rejected and rewritten.

Is my description private?

Yes. It is used to write your playbook and is never published or added to any gallery. The sample on this page is an invented business.

Is it financial advice?

No. Every estimate is arithmetic on stated assumptions. Check them against your own books before acting.

Other playbooks: Moat Review · Distribution Sprint · Dare-io · Runway Pack

Emon, Henson, Samam and Dare-io are cartoon parodies of founder archetypes. They are not real people, have never heard of us, and did not write your playbook.

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