From Frugal Beginnings to Millions Saved: The Story Behind Spend Shrink

My journey into cloud cost optimization began long before I encountered terms like serverless or compute savings plans. During my early days working for Amazon Web Services in various different engineering roles, I learned that every dollar counts. There, the focus on being frugal was not optional; it was essential and part of the work culture and a core company value. This early lesson in cost-consciousness and the values that eventually led to Spend Shrink shaped my approach to every technical challenge that followed.

Later, I joined a major managed service provider as one of their lead engineers where I witnessed firsthand how companies often wasted large portions of their AWS spend. I saw customers investing heavily in cloud resources without a clear strategy, leaving money on the table due to misconfigured services and idle capacity. This experience opened my eyes to a problem that affected many businesses.

A turning point came when I joined my next employer. I had the opportunity to implement basic cost optimization methods, including leveraging compute savings plans. By carefully analyzing usage patterns and making targeted adjustments, we saved several million dollars. It was incredibly rewarding to see how simple, practical changes could have such a profound impact on the bottom line.

These experiences led me to an important realization. More companies face similar challenges when it comes to managing cloud spending effectively. The techniques that saved millions in one organization could help many others achieve significant savings.

That is why Spend Shrink was born. Our mission is straightforward. We help businesses optimize their cloud spending so that they can reinvest those savings into growth and innovation. I understand the pain points because I have been there myself. Our goal is to provide practical, effective solutions grounded in core values like simplicity, frugality, and customer obsession.

Spend Shrink is not just a service; it is the culmination of years of firsthand experience, a passion for efficiency, and a commitment to empowering companies to get the most out of their cloud investments. Our core values are simple,

I invite you to join us on this journey. Whether you are a seasoned engineer or just starting your cloud adventure, there is always room to optimize, save, and grow.

Thank you for reading,

Michael Arida
Founder of Spend Shrink