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Ten years ago, I spent six months manually tracking contracts for a $5 billion telecom company in France. The experience was so frustrating that I quit to build my own software company. But here’s what I’ve learned since then: most businesses—whether you’re running a Fortune 500 company or a boutique interior design firm—use only 20% of their software features.
I call this the 90% Rule: 90% of what’s in your business software is clutter, just like that overstuffed closet you’ve been meaning to organize.
The Marie Kondo Moment for Business Software
Think about your favorite room in your home. Is it the one crammed with every possible piece of furniture and decoration? Or is it the thoughtfully curated space where every element serves a purpose?
The same principle applies to the software you use to run your design business, manage client projects, or track your inventory. Yet most business software is designed like a Victorian parlor—stuffed with features you’ll never touch, menus within menus, and complexity that makes you want to go back to pen and paper.
Research backs this up. Studies show that 80% of software features are rarely or never used. At Microsoft, they discovered that 80% of errors and crashes came from just 20% of bugs—usually in the overly complex features nobody wanted in the first place.
Why This Matters for Creative Entrepreneurs
If you’re running a home staging business, managing a landscape design company, or selling handcrafted furniture online, you don’t have time to navigate software that feels like a maze. You need tools that work as elegantly as the spaces you create.
I’ve seen this firsthand at Concord. When we started, we tried to build everything—like adding every possible tool to a workshop when all you really need is a good hammer, saw, and measuring tape. We had features hidden three layers deep that even our own team forgot existed.
The turning point came during COVID when businesses everywhere had to work remotely. We made a radical decision: instead of adding more features, we started removing them. We killed developments that were already built. We simplified our interface until my grandmother could use it.
The result? Our customers actually started using more of our platform because they could finally find what they needed.
The Hidden Cost of Complexity
When your contract analytics software has 47 different notification options, or your project management tool requires a PhD to set up, you’re not just wasting money on unused features. You’re wasting something far more valuable: your creative energy.
Every minute you spend fighting with complex software is a minute not spent:
- Sourcing beautiful materials for your next project
- Meeting with clients to understand their vision
- Creating the designs that fuel your passion
- Growing your business
This is why 65-70% of our customers at Concord don’t even have dedicated IT teams. They’re small businesses that need tools that just work, like a well-designed kitchen where everything is within reach.
Applying Minimalism to Your Business Tools
Here’s how to apply the same minimalist principles you use in design to your business software:
Start with the essentials. Just as you’d begin a room design with the key pieces, identify the 20% of features you actually use daily. For most creative businesses, this means: client communication, project tracking, invoicing, and basic contract management software functionality.
Remove before you add. Before subscribing to that all-in-one platform with 200 features, ask yourself: Will I realistically use even half of these? Often, a simple tool that does one thing well beats a complex system that does everything poorly.
Test with real projects. Just as you’d live with a paint swatch before committing to a whole room, try software with actual client work before fully implementing it. Most companies offer free trials—use them to see if the tool fits your workflow, not just if it has impressive features.
Prioritize user experience over feature lists. A beautiful, intuitive interface that makes your work enjoyable is worth more than a hundred features you’ll never touch. Think of it as the difference between a cluttered antique shop and a curated gallery.
The Power of Saying No
The hardest lesson I’ve learned in building software is that innovation often means removing, not adding. It’s the same principle that makes minimalist design so powerful—every element must earn its place.
When investors pushed us to add enterprise features that only 1% of our customers would use, we said no. When competitors boasted about their 500+ integrations, we focused on making the 10 most important ones work perfectly.
This philosophy has made us profitable and, more importantly, has made our customers’ lives easier. They can set up their contract management in an afternoon instead of requiring six-month implementations.
Your Next Steps
Look at the software you’re using to run your creative business right now. How much of it brings you joy? How much of it feels like clutter?
Start by auditing your current tools:
- List every software subscription you’re paying for
- Note which features you use weekly
- Calculate how much you’re paying for unused functionality
- Consider switching to simpler alternatives that do fewer things better
Remember: in both design and business, less is often more. The goal isn’t to have every possible tool, but to have the right tools that let you focus on what you do best—creating beautiful spaces that transform how people live and work.
Just as a well-designed room doesn’t need every piece of furniture from the catalog, your business doesn’t need every software feature Silicon Valley dreams up. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simplify.
Matt Lhoumeau is the co-founder and CEO of Concord, a contract management platform designed for simplicity. After witnessing the frustration of manual contract management at a major telecom company, he built Concord to help over 1,500 businesses manage their agreements without the complexity. He believes the best software, like the best design, is invisible—it just works.