Your team wants another tool. It's only £40 a month. What's the harm? Well, "only £40 a month" is how a lot of agencies quietly build a second payroll of software they barely use.
First, kill the "only £40" framing. Annualise it.
£40 a month is £480 a year. Ten seats is £4,800 a year.
Now do that across every subscription you're paying for. Most owners are shocked by the total.
Before you renew anything, ask three questions.
One. Does it actually bring in revenue, save real hours, or reduce a real risk? Or is it just nice to have?
Two. Check the logins, not the opinions. A tool everyone "loves" but three people open is a fun tool, not a business tool.
Three. If the honest answer is "nothing much", you have your decision.
And watch the cash trap. Pay a tool monthly and profit and cash move together. But pay annually upfront to get a discount, and you take the full year's cash today while the cost spreads across your profit over the year.
Pay £4,800 upfront: cash drops £4,800 now. Profit only carries £400 this month.
The annual deal can be smart. Just make sure the cash is there to take the hit.
A simple test: if a tool doesn't make money, save meaningful time, or remove a real risk, it's a cost pretending to be an investment.