Based on my recent conversations with more than 40 CEOs in my Practical Founders CEO peer groups, it’s clear that growth rates alone don’t define whether it was a “good” year.
Founders experienced very different outcomes—and very different feelings about them.
Some had 100% growth and were disappointed because they expected more.
Others had 5-20% growth rates but were happy because they rebuilt their products and their organizations.
Either way, the founder made up “good” and “bad.” It’s not in the number itself.
As the year winds down, I shared an end-of-year message on my Practical Founders Podcast for serious SaaS founders who want to make better progress in 2026.
In this episode, I walk through five practical and powerful questions founders should consider as they look ahead to 2026.
These questions focus on:
- Are you really focused on the right hard things?
- What are you deliberately shifting next year?
- What help do you actually need to move the hard stuff?
- Do you have enough cushion in the business and in your life?
- What’s the story you’re telling yourself and your team?
This isn’t about templates, quick-fixes, hype, or perfect planning.
It’s about making steady progress on the hardest, most important things in your business—while staying independent and resilient.
As I described in this week’s episode:
“Everybody’s doing really hard things who are practical startup founders. I know you are too. The question isn’t about what the perfect growth rate or planning process is for you right now. The question is, are you lined up to do enough of the most important hard things in your business next year?
Are you really set up to make the kind of progress you want toward the bigger vision you have for the company? There are all kinds of ways to do it. You can go fast or slow or it could be an invest year or a rebuild year or a a steady year. You can choose your growth rate and your profitability goals.
“You get to do it your way. You’ve bought your independence, or you are paying for it the hard way. There’s no one right way to do all of this,, if you making big progress and getting better every year in the eyes of your customers, employees, and the owners, you are winning.”
Success isn’t final, and failure isn’t fatal.
What matters is whether you keep going—and keep making progress.
If you’re still here, still building, still learning—you’re doing something right.
I respect practical founders who choose independence, solve real problems, and do hard things year after year.
Check out this thought-provoking episode on the Practical Founders Podcast.
Stay practical, my friends.
