When I started clearing out my parent’s house earlier this year, I thought I knew what I was walking into. They had lived there for forty five years, and mom loved her routines, her traditions, and, most of all, her shopping trips to TJ Maxx.
But I still wasn’t prepared for the sheer volume of decorative pillows.
Everywhere.
On beds, couches, chairs – and then stacked in corners, closets, and drawers.
Alongside drawers filled with costume jewelry, heaps of scarves, and artificial flowers hiding in places I didn’t know could hold anything.
It was funny – until it wasn’t.
Because the deeper we went, the more I could feel the weight of it.
It wasn’t the physical weight that hit me most. It was the emotional weight that comes from years of adding without ever letting anything go.
And then when Jim and I started preparing our lake cottage for short term rental, I caught myself noticing the same pattern in a different form.
Not pillows. But towels. Books. Random items from previous owners. The small things you keep “just in case,” until one day you look around and think, How did all of this even get here?
As we dug in, both houses revealed something else: they each needed new chimneys.
How strange and yet interesting – as aren’t these the “breathing” centers of a home?
It also reinforced the truth: You don’t see what needs fixing until you clear the clutter that’s been hiding it.
And that is exactly what happens inside a business heading into a new year.
Most people jump straight into planning. They make lists. Set goals. Start dreaming.
But planning without clearing the clutter and making decisions is like organizing around piles of pillows. You can create a beautiful plan on paper, but the weight underneath will still be there.
Before you plan 2026, here are five decisions every solo business owner needs to make.
1. Decide what you’re no longer willing to cram into your schedule.
This is the one most people avoid. But truly, nothing new fits until something old is released.
Look at the tasks, commitments, or obligations that create stress, pressure, or resentment. Those don’t belong in 2026.
Things like:
- Saying yes to last-minute requests that hijack your entire day. You can support others without letting their urgency replace your priorities.
- Attending events out of guilt instead of purpose. If you leave drained and never gain new relationships or opportunities, it’s time to release it.
- Squeezing in back-to-back calls with no white space A sustainable schedule has room for thought, rest, and preparation, not breathless scrambling.
2. Decide which offer gets to lead your business.
Your business can have many offers, but it can only have one leader.
Pick the offer that will carry you into 2026. The one that is profitable, aligned, and sustainable.
Everything else becomes supportive, but doesn’t compete for attention.
3. Decide what patterns you’re not bringing into the new year.
The ones that drain time, energy, and focus.
Things like:
- Inconsistency
- Looking for perfection
- Taking on too much
- Ignoring the follow-up
- Planning without executing
I have one client currently counting the number of times someone asks him to do a task or project that has nothing to do with his current role or responsibilities, and then also track how many times he declines. In 2026, we’ll be looking to both decrease the asks and increase the percentage of “no’s”.
These patterns cost more than any expense line ever will.
4. Decide where you will show up as a leader rather than a caretaker.
The business owner you were in 2025 is not meant to be the same one you carry into 2026.
Ask yourself:
Where did I hold back?
Where did I stay quiet?
Where did I choose comfort instead of decision?
Leadership is visible, confident, and steady. Have you been that leader?
5. Decide which growth strategy you’re committing to.
Not five. One.
Growth accelerates when you stop switching direction. Pick your approach and then build your habits around it. Growth comes from that consistency.
*****
When the chimneys were repaired and both spaces were cleared, the feeling shifted.
There was room. Breathing space. Direction.
Heading into 2026, I’m choosing that same mindset in my business.
My hope is that you give yourself that same gift.
And if you want support making these decisions and entering 2026 with direction, structure, and renewed leadership energy, I’m here for that.
Let’s make this your strongest year yet.