As another year comes to a close, here is my annual list of reflections on the past year. Hope you have a great 2026!

10. Meet in person

Nothing beats meeting in person. There is so much more you can learn and see in-person versus reading online, listening to a podcast, or having a Zoom. Those are all good, but in-person allows a much deeper level of interaction and relationship building.

9. Get in the flow

I am often asked how to get involved in the Atlanta startup scene. The easiest way is to get in the flow - be where the events are happening (i.e. places like Atlanta Tech Village). Be where other entrepreneurs, industry folks, investors, etc are already going and see what you can learn and who you can meet.

8. Start in a niche

It is great to have a big vision. But to get started, narrow down to a small niche where you can target one must-have problem for a specific underserved customer segment that you can be 10x better out of the gates with laser focus.

7. Competition can be a good thing

I often see entrepreneurs worried about competition, but competition can be a good thing. Early on they can help you market the industry to customers, they can validate a real problem to solve, and they can give you clues into how to differentiate your approach.

6. Forecast cash flow

Every forecast I have ever built is wrong, but you can use forecasts to effectively model how you manage your cashflow. Don’t get caught surprised when you run out of cash sooner than you think and don’t have a good plan to get through it. ARR (Annual recurring revenue) or cumulative revenue does not equal cash flow.

5. Share your ideas

There are very few truly unique ideas in the world. I am confident all of our Studio ideas are also held by someone else. The execution is what matters. I highly encourage sharing your ideas for feedback so you can more quickly make the necessary pivots to evolve your thinking into a great business.

4. Communicate

Working with many founders, I see the value of good communication. Weekly updates, formal or ad-hoc check ins, well written emails, etc all can share both the good and bad of what is happening and gain support when needed. Most people don’t like surprises (especially bad ones). Be careful not to surprise customers, employees, or investors with bad news coupled with poor communication.

3. Return on effort in fundraising

Fundraising is difficult and may not be the best path for most businesses. I am a big fan of maximizing return on effort in fundraising. Meet the investors you want well before you need money to build relationships. When you are ready, target those investors and raise what is easily doable. Be careful being drawn into a long spray and pray fundraising cycle that distracts you from building your business.

2. What is your real end goal?

I sometimes hear founders describe their goals as being acquired by Company X or raising $YM. Be careful using those as barometers - instead focus on what matters most …

1. Build a great business

What matters most is building a great business whereby you are solving a must-have problem and customers love you in a space you are passionate about. If you do this well, there will be plenty of fundraising opportunities (if you even need it) as well as potential acquirers down the road.