The Importance of Removing the Middleman 💸

Oh,, there's a snake in your Workforce or Business??..

Very few look at everything standing between revenue and what actually lands in their pocket — rent, platforms, agents, marketplaces, commissions, licensing fees, employees, distributors, all taking a piece. Slowly, a big revenue number turns into a small profit number.

That's the hidden leak behind a lot of businesses. You can make $10,000 and still be poor if $8,000 disappears before it ever reaches you.

Middlemen can genuinely earn their cut too — distribution, customers, infrastructure, trust, convenience are all real value worth paying for. The key is knowing exactly what's being paid for and whether it's worth the cut (this is where most people stop paying attention lol).

Say you have a skill that earns $100 per job. A platform takes 30%, and you're doing the exact same work but only keeping $70. Now imagine building enough direct demand to charge $130 instead. Even after expenses, that could mean keeping more than the original $100 ever paid out. 📈

valid crashout LOL.

That's the game. Increase your rate when someone else controls the customer relationship, or build your own channel and remove the dependency altogether. The same principle shows up in physical businesses too. A company paying rent for years is continuously transferring cash to a landlord. A business that eventually owns its commercial property turns that same expense into an asset. The same logic applies to land, equipment, software, distribution, audience, and skills — every dependency carries a cost, and every owned asset can widen the margin.

A few things smart entrepreneurs watch that others miss:

1. Revenue isn't profit
   Always trace where every dollar goes before celebrating the top-line number.

2. Middlemen should justify their percentage
   If someone takes 30%, they should be creating more than 30% of the value.

3. Ownership increases leverage
   Land, audience, customer relationships, distribution, and intellectual property can become assets instead of recurring expenses.

The takeaway:
Track where every dollar actually goes before deciding a number is worth celebrating. Find the hidden leaks, understand every commission and monthly payment and dependency, then decide — remove the middleman, or raise the price enough to make the relationship worthwhile. That's how revenue turns into real profit.

What's one "middleman" expense in your business you've thought about cutting?

That's exactly what I amplify..
Solving real audio related problems in your business..
👉 santelmomusic.com

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