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

1. Take inventory
2. Find keepers (money, freedom, satisfaction, impact)
3. Compare results (what to double down on / stop)
4. Cut fluff (Do / Defer / Delegate / Delete + first actions)
5. Make a Don’t List (keep distractions from creeping back)
6. Create rules (avoid default yes—protect your best work)
7. Record decisions (build confidence and course-correct faster)

Resources & Links

• Grab the Subtraction List Worksheet: https://bit.ly/SubtractionListWorksheet
• Apply to the Freelance Cake Community: https://freelancecake.com/community
• Katelyn Bourgoin’s Twitter thread on subtraction: https://x.com/KateBour/status/1620795412641718318

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