Why Putting Growth First Can Secretly Kill Your Business Prosperity

For as long as anyone can remember, the formula for running a business seemed obvious: sell as much as you can, pay the bills, and whatever drips down last is the fabled profit. But, in everyday business life, those 'leftovers' are usually gone before they even reach you. The pattern leaves owners perpetually hustling for bigger sales, convinced that growth alone will bring financial freedom. The reality? Most find themselves exhausted, running on the hamster wheel of decent revenue but mounting expenses—and rarely, if ever, see the payoff in their own pocket.

Here’s the basic flaw: putting growth as the sole target quietly encourages every new dollar earned to be poured right back into more spending. Instead of making profit a distant someday, flipping the formula (by taking profit first) changes everything. Suddenly, profit becomes a deliberate habit, not an afterthought. Even starting with a tiny fraction—just 1%—forces a rethink of every purchase and trims away the wasteful or unnecessary expenses that quietly drain your earnings.

Behavioral science calls this the Primacy Effect: what comes first gets more attention. By making profit your first move, you focus on it automatically—meaning you'll cut costs, get creative, and drive genuine value. Parkinson’s Law backs this up too: people stretch to use all the resources at hand, spending what’s available unless you limit yourself on purpose. Take away the surplus upfront, and your business learns to thrive within its true means.

It’s not about denying growth or ambition. It’s about making sure your business finally starts working for you, not the other way around. With this new formula, growth becomes healthy and rewarding—because it’s anchored in true profitability.

Here’s your chance to escape the old cycle: start by writing down your current formula and then, right now, boldly cross out the old approach. Adopt a new one: for every payment you receive, move a small, dedicated percentage straight into your profit account before paying yourself or anyone else. It doesn’t matter if you start with 1% or 5%, as long as you commit to never spending this money except at your chosen interval. If you stick to this simple rule with every deposit, you’ll not only build discipline, but over time, you’ll also watch real profit stack up—no matter how much your business grows. Give it a try with your next payment.