Startup founders are always looking for a creative way to reduce small business expenses. And to some, it may even seem almost pathological. 

“You ride your bike 10 miles to the office every day, Tim! Are you training for a triathlon or something?” …nope. Just reducing small business expenses. 

“Why is this proposal printed on the back of a takeout menu?” Well, obviously I’m reducing small business expenses. 

“Really? Dumpster diving!?”

Reducing. Small business. Expenses.

Luckily, Lauren Rose from BlueFirePR has broken down 3 small business expenses that end up paying for themselves and outlined how your startup or small business can benefit (and so you can sleep better at night). 

Less than 1 percent of entrepreneurs in 2009 came from an extremely rich or poor background, reports OnStartups. The finding represents 549 major company founders, and stresses a greater truth about starting a business: One does not need to be wealthy or come from extreme beginnings to flourish as an entrepreneur. One way start-up business owners can succeed is to use the techniques listed below to find small business necessities that pay for themselves.

Reduced Small Biz Expenses vs. Tax Write-Offs

• Vehicle mileage
• Furniture
• Home office supplies
• Child care
• Social security
• Retirement contributions
• Insurance
• Business-related gifts
• Travel
• Software
• Telephone
• Meals

Setting Up the Paperwork

Paperwork is a major initial expense for a small business. Fortunately, such an expense will rarely appear again, and may vanish forever. Because paperwork is required to start efficient business practices and attain prosperity in the field, it pays for itself almost immediately (though certainly in a different way than more tangible aspects of business). Paperwork pseudo-assets include bonding forms, tax identification, EIN number qualification and general business type filing for corporate, LLC, partnership and other company types, according to SBA.gov.

Of course, legal documentation is important. For a business in a creative field, trade marking various graphics and names will pay for itself immediately because doing so protects the business from being inherently sued right out of the gate. Copyrighting and trade marking logos, general business graphics and the business name facilitate business credibility. Without them, the business is left more vulnerable and may potentially collapse due to legal fumbling.

Software: The Crux of Small Business

Many businesses prosper because of the software behind their functionality. A graphic design firm requires a sophisticated design software to succeed, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. A company that offers cloud services for firms unduly rely on cloud computing software systems to offer the service. These pivotal software systems, detailed by PC World, pay for themselves, because a firm would not be able to realistically offer the service without them.

One example, WordPress, is a borderline groundbreaking component to the modern Internet and business landscape, signaling WordPress-built home pages, integral blog pages and SEO-qualified specifications. Quickbooks by Intuit becomes paramount for accounting businesses, as well as Peachtree for administration and tax accounting.

As far as software goes, one of the most complete and essential is credit card processing software. The system is necessary to receive digital payments. AmericanExpress.com cash flow, for example, assists business in grounding their digital transactions en masse.

A business stands on the use of its software, whether the field is digital-based or not. No business can escape the need for a quality software and, if it does, it is unlikely to be a business that can gain major traction in this globally focused, small business environment.

For more information about starting your first business, check out these business skills you can put into practice for better results.