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The Business Overheads Review: A 12-Point Annual Checklist

One afternoon a year spent reviewing fixed costs typically returns more than a month of new sales effort. Here is the checklist.

29 July 2026 8 min read

Why fixed costs deserve dedicated time

Overheads renew silently. Nobody sends an invoice saying 'you are now paying 30% more than the market' — the increase just appears. A structured annual review is the only reliable defence.

The twelve items

Work through these in order of typical saving.

  • Business electricity and gas contracts
  • Card processing and terminal rental
  • Broadband, phone lines and mobile
  • Business insurance
  • Waste collection and recycling
  • Water supply and retailer
  • Software subscriptions per seat
  • Merchant and banking charges
  • Cleaning and maintenance contracts
  • Vehicle leases and fuel cards
  • Business rates and any available relief
  • Any service you cannot name the owner of

Track the outcome

Record the before and after annual cost for each line. Seeing the total saving in one figure is what turns this from a chore into a habit your team defends.

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