I was looking at startup budgets earlier and had to laugh a bit. The numbers always look so reasonable before the business actually starts operating.

Then you get hit with another software renewal, a supplier changes their prices, someone pays late, or an expense you thought was a one-off turns out to be monthly.

None of it looks disastrous on its own. But where does all that money actually go?

What's a cost that caught you off guard in your first year? Not necessarily a huge expense, just something you hadn't properly accounted for.

Bonus points if you found a way to bring it under control without making life harder for yourself.

For me, it’s wastage.

Say you make 20 extra bottles of juice for a weekend market, thinking they’ll sell, but only half do and the rest expire before the next one. You’ve already paid for the ingredients, bottles and labels, so that money’s gone.

Do that a few times and you realise it’s not just about selling more, it’s about getting better at knowing how much to make in the first place.