The $25K Rule: How Small Shifts Can Unlock Big Profit

In the early 2000s, British Cycling was unremarkable, except perhaps for their inability to win the Tour de France. No commanding performances. One top bike manufacturer even refused to sell to them, worried their brand would be tarnished.

Then came Dave Brailsford, a new performance director with a radical idea: improve everything by 1 percent.

Bike seats. Tire friction. Sleep habits. Hand washing technique.

Small improvements, compounded across dozens of areas, led to something much larger. In less than five years, British riders began dominating. They went on to win seven Tour de France titles and over 60 Olympic medals.

They didn’t win by overhauling everything. They won by looking closely, being honest about where they were, and making small adjustments that worked.

If an Olympian can get better with 1 percent changes, you absolutely can.

In fact, unless you’re already operating at an Olympic level (and let’s be honest, you’re not), your opportunities are probably closer to 5 or 10 percent or more.

That’s the $25K Rule.

What is the $25K Rule?

It’s the idea that no matter how successful your business is, and no matter how tightly it runs, there are always small improvements you can make. Realistic ones. Strategic ones. The kind that add up quickly.

If your business earns $1 million in revenue (for easy math), a 2.5 percent improvement in the right area adds $25,000 in profit. If you’re at $600K or $2.2M, the numbers shift, but the logic holds. The goal isn’t always radical change. It’s small, deliberate upgrades that improve how your business performs, and how your life feels as a result.

A fictional example

Let’s say a financial planner, call her Jordan, came to me because she sensed that even though her business was in great shape, everything wasn’t quite where it could be.

She wasn’t struggling. Her firm was successful. Her operations were well-organized. But like many small business owners, success brought growth, and growth brought evolution. Some long-time clients no longer fit how her business worked today. Her pricing and her service had evolved, but not everyone had caught up. Her week was full, but not always as productive as she knew it could be.

So we took a step back. We explored the situation, not just the numbers. We looked at her pricing, her client mix, and her delivery model. But we also talked about what she actually wanted. How she wanted to show up.

What kind of work energized her? What kind of clients did she want more of? What role did she want to play in her business six months from now?

From there, we developed a clear picture of what “better” looked like for her and how to get there. That included potentially refining her service tiers, restructuring how clients engaged with her team, and having a few thoughtful, respectful conversations to transition legacy clients to a new model or a better-fit advisor.

The result? More focus, better alignment with her values, and a profit increase of over $25,000.

She didn’t have to work harder. She had to work more intentionally.

Why this series matters

You don’t have to be in crisis to want better.

In fact, the best time to make strategic changes is when things are going well. When you have the capacity to step back, ask smart questions, and make decisions that will compound over time.

This series will walk you through a dozen realistic ways to find your next $25K in profit—without gambling your business or burning yourself out. One post at a time, we’ll look at the small shifts that create a big difference.

Want to get a head start?

Download the checklist: Double Your Profit, Halve Your Chaos. It’ll help you identify some of the highest-impact opportunities before the next post drops.