Hey, my friend!
It's here - that weird week between Christmas and New Year's.
The one where no one really knows what day it is.
I've been splitting my time between family, leftovers, and some planning for 2026.
I cleaned up my office, ordered some new tech to upgrade our content next year, and we even wrapped up our entire yearly reflection and 2026 goal setting at Write • Build • Scale.
We set some very ambitious goals for the new year.
But here's the thing...
We didn't start with goals.
We started with a question:
Are all three of us still happy with the work we're doing?
Not "are we hitting our numbers" or "what should we optimize."
Just... do we actually enjoy this?
It might sound obvious, but I've learned that ambition without alignment is a recipe for burnout.
You can hit every target and still feel empty.
You can grow fast and realize you've built a business you don't even want to run.
So before we mapped out revenue goals, subscriber targets, or content plans, we checked in.
Is there anything that feels off?
Any part of the work that's draining instead of energizing?
Any changes we need to make so this still feels like something we love?
Only after that conversation did we move into planning.
The end of the year is always full of "set your goals" energy. And I'm not against goals (we have plenty!)
But goals without reflection can send you running faster in the wrong direction.
So before you map out 2026, maybe sit with a few questions first:
- Do I actually enjoy the work I'm doing right now? Not the results. The actual day-to-day.
- What drained me this year that I want to do less of? Be specific. Name it.
- What energized me that I want to do more of? Also be specific.
- Am I building toward something I actually want? Or just toward "more"?
You don't need to have all the answers right away. Just asking the questions already creates clarity.
And clarity makes the goal-setting part so much easier.
Worth Your Time This Week
If you're thinking about growing (or monetizing) your Substack in 2026, these might help:
→ How This Writer Turned His Substack into Multiple Income Streams — A new conversation with Derek Hughes on diversifying your creator income.
→ Most Substack Pricing Advice is Wrong — How and when to actually go paid on Substack.
→ How to Build a $10K/Month Content Business — Our latest YouTube video breaking down the "Substack method."
→ Build Your Own AI Business Strategist — This is a step-by-step tutorial on using AI to build your own strategic planning board. I loved it so much that we recently invited the writer, Tuhin, to host a workshop for our private community on how to apply this. I'll definitely keep refining and working with this AI project in 2026.
Cheers to building businesses we actually love,
Sinem
P.S. Want 2026 to be the year your Substack actually takes off? Our VIP coaching program is how we help creators get there — real strategy, direct feedback, and a clear path to your first 100 paid subscribers.
We only work with a few people at a time. Reply "VIP" if you want one of the spots.