As the year winds down, reflection often replaces momentum. Studies note that people naturally assess effort, resilience, and progress during seasonal transitions, especially when routines pause. While January is framed as a fresh start, meaningful change usually begins earlier—by recognizing what endured, not just what succeeded. Small wins, unfinished attempts, and quiet persistence shape growth more than dramatic breakthroughs. History supports this: most long-term innovations, careers, and relationships advance through iteration, not reinvention. The end of the year creates a rare pause to notice that reality. This expert roundup explores what professionals across industries believe is worth acknowledging before stepping into a new year—moments of effort, adaptability, and resolve that rarely make headlines, but often determine what comes next.

Small Bets Spark Big New-Year Change

I remember one winter, right before the holidays, we launched a risky new Tutorbase feature. Seeing it actually save people time was an incredible feeling. We started the company because we were just tired of the old admin tools and wanted to try something different. Sometimes those small, uncertain moves are the ones that lead to the biggest changes in the new year.

Sandro Kratz, Founder, Tutorbase

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Set Clear Goals, Reward Honest Effort

Celebrating your personal wins. For me, this has been very easy the past few years, because on January 1, I write down my biggest goals for the year. There’s not many (I had just 6 for 2025) but around this time of year, I reflect on them to see what I was (not) able to achieve and congratulate myself on the effort. I try to be very realistic with my goals and I’ve consistently achieved the majority of them for the past few years.

Daniel Kroytor, CEO, TailoredPay

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Persistence Beats Shortcuts In Real Estate

The holidays make me think about the tough years in real estate. I remember when deals just wouldn’t close and the market felt dead. But I kept at it, and eventually things turned around. Honestly, just sticking with it through the bad times worked better than any shortcut. Think about how you handled the hard stuff this year. That’s what actually moves you forward.

JP Moses, President & Director of Content Awesomely, Awesomely

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Let Passion Preserve Movie Poster History

This Christmas has me thinking about why I do this. Curating film posters was never just about business for me. It’s about keeping these incredible pieces of movie history alive, making sure a new generation gets to see them. When we choose a collection based purely on what we love, that feeling seems to connect with both collectors and designers. You never know who your work will touch, and that’s something to be proud of.

Simon Moore, Founder/CEO, Famous Movie Posters

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Empower Teams To Build Bigger Ideas

This Christmas, I’m just happy watching creative teams use Superpencil to make things they never thought possible. It’s not about some big tech breakthrough, it’s about them collaborating on ideas that used to be out of reach. Seeing more people actually build their bigger ideas is something to celebrate.

Bell Chen, Founder and CEO, Superpencil (Enlighten Animation Labs)

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Keep At It; Persistence Moves Work Forward

Christmas makes me think back to our time at GRIN, when we were growing so fast it felt like new problems popped up daily. We just kept going, even when we weren’t sure what was next. If you’ve pushed through your own tough patches this year, take a second to recognize that. We often forget that just not giving up is what actually moves things forward.

Brandon Brown, CEO, Search Party

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Celebrate Small Impacts That Change Lives

This Christmas, I keep thinking about the teachers we worked with at UrbanPro. Watching them stick with it and actually change a student’s life showed me what matters. It’s not the big wins, but the small impact you have on someone else. My time in online education taught me that when you push through a problem to make something better, that’s worth celebrating.

Rakesh Kalra, Founder and CEO, UrbanPro Tutor Jobs

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Listen More, Strengthen Work Relationships

This Christmas I realized I’ve gotten better at building relationships. Instead of just pushing conversations forward, I actually listen. Clients and colleagues have responded to that. They’re more open, have more ideas. It hasn’t made things complicated, just better. That’s a real improvement this year, and I’m glad to see it.

Selene Luk, Customer Care manager, Spanish Cultural Association of Hong Kong

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Start Scared, Find Validation, Move Forward

This Christmas, I’ve been thinking about how hard it is to start something new. When my wife and I launched Japantastic in 2022, I was so nervous. I kept wondering if anyone else would actually care. Then we got our first customer email saying they’d found a favorite item, and suddenly all the worry just vanished. If you tried something new this year, even if it was scary, that’s a big deal.

Falah Putras, Owner, Japantastic

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Simplify Chaos, Help Others Breathe Easier

Things get crazy around the holidays. Being the person who can sort through the noise is a real gift. We saw this when we cut down the steps for getting married, which made a huge difference for couples. When you figure out a new system or just make a hard day easier for someone, you’re not just helping yourself. You’re giving other people a reason to breathe easier too.

Daniel Oz, CEO, Marryforhome.com

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Small Praise Can Transform Someone’s Day

Running an awards company showed me how a simple “nice work” can change someone’s whole day. This Christmas, think about the small ways you support people. You probably don’t even notice, but that casual encouragement you offer might be exactly what someone needed to hear. Don’t underestimate that.

Graham Bennett, COO, Bennett Awards

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Acknowledge Quiet Resilience Before You Advance

What they should take the time to notice about themselves during the holiday season is their resilience. Not the heroic part. The unsung part. The part where they made it through the year by entering a room despite the lack of motivation, by setting a plan and following through despite the lack of a plan, and by getting through the day despite the lack of cooperation from the world.

“I carried more than I thought I could.” This will never be perceived as anything less than the truth. Always look back before moving forward. When reflecting on what the previous year included, it’s essential to acknowledge that most of us jump headfirst into the new year without realizing the amount we’ve been able to carry with us throughout the previous twelve months. To take a quick look in the rearview mirror to acknowledge this fact will help reset your outlook on everything.

Fred McGill Jr, Owner, Bray Electrical

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Stubborn Persistence Turns Hopeless Cases Around

I’ve been a lawyer for decades and have seen cases that felt completely hopeless. But we just kept going, pushing through the setbacks, and somehow things would turn around for our clients. That same stubbornness works outside the courtroom too. It’s probably the most useful thing I’ve learned in all my years.

Ramiro Lluis, Managing Attorney, Lluis Law

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Unite Teams, Build Trust, Deliver Results

When deadlines got crazy, I saw someone pull the engineering and marketing teams into one room. The first hour was rough, but then they started actually listening. We hit the deadline and the product was better for it. That trust didn’t happen overnight, but those tough conversations are what made us work. It’s always about the people in the end.

Yarden Morgan, Director of Growth, Lusha

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Provide Swift Solutions When Families Face Crisis

Holidays always make me think of a family who was about to lose their house right before Christmas. We got them a quick cash sale so they could start over without that extra stress. Compared to a normal sale, it was exactly what they needed when time was running out. Helping people through their worst moments, that’s the part of this job that actually matters.

Lawrence Irby, President, Bay Area House Buyer

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Solve What’s Next, Refuse To Quit

As a solo founder, you wear all the hats, and sometimes that just crushes you. When I was launching SEO Mode, I wanted to quit constantly. The only thing to do was solve the immediate problem, learn from it, and move to the next one. It wasn’t glamorous, just stubborn. Looking back, the fact that I didn’t give up feels like the real win.

Mehrab HP, Founder, SEO Mode

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Push Through Mess; Confidence And Value Rise

After twenty-plus years in real estate, this time of year makes me think about sticking with things. I’ve seen enough renovation projects where you open a wall and find a whole new set of problems. But pushing through those messy moments always paid off, usually with a better sale price. Think about a time you didn’t quit. Those are the moments that quietly build your confidence, the ones that let you know you can handle the next thing too.

Mike Wall, Founder/CEO, We Buy Gulf Coast Houses

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Restore Self, Celebrate Small Personal Victories

You know, people think plastic surgery is about changing yourself, but I see it differently. Especially around the holidays, I watch patients get a piece of themselves back after reconstructive work. A patient once told me she could finally wear her favorite holiday sweater again without feeling self-conscious. These small, personal victories are what actually matter.

Dr. Tomer Avraham, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Avraham Plastic Surgery

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Persist Through Iteration; Small Wins Count

This season reminds me of working on those tricky insurance topics. Building the digital tools was a lot of trial and error, and it felt slow. But when a customer finally let out a breath, you know, actually relaxed, it felt right. It took a long time to get there, but sticking with it was worth it. It’s worth recognizing those small wins because they’re what really matter.

André Disselkamp, Co-Founder & CEO, Insurancy

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Adapt Fast Together, Still Meet Deadlines

This year, a client called two weeks before launch and wanted to go in a completely different direction. I thought the team would freak out, but everyone just rolled up their sleeves. We were on Slack sharing screens until 11 some nights, just figuring it out together. We still hit the deadline. It felt good to get through that.

Tashlien Nunn, CEO, Apps Plus

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Solve Hard Deals; Grow Through Creativity

Figuring out how to help people when things get messy is what I’m proudest of. Turning around a tough property, then seeing the seller’s face when we finally close, that’s the best part of my job. I’ve had some closings that were complete nightmares, but finding a creative solution made all the difference. You start to notice you’re getting better at solving problems, and that’s how you actually improve in this business.

Brandi Simon, Owner, TX Home Buying Pros

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Embrace Leadership Growth, Guide Teams Forward

This Christmas season, I’ve been thinking back on my shift from hands-on technical work to managing a team. It meant stepping back and letting others handle the details, which was tough at first. But now, that’s exactly how I guide our team through new regulations. It’s a good reminder to take a moment and recognize your own growth and how far you’ve actually come.

Lisa Clark, Director, Bell Fire and Security

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Practice Gratitude; Honor Small, Meaningful Progress

Gratitude. It’s incredibly easy to get fixated on everything that didn’t get done–new goals waiting in the wings, lingering challenges, the usual end-of-year pressure. The holidays give me a reason to slow down and look at what actually moved forward. I’m thankful for the people around me–our team, our partners, and the women we serve–and I try to give myself a moment to recognize the resilience it took to get through the year with my values intact.

In product development, most progress shows up in tiny shifts that don’t make headlines. A small tweak in a formula, a better supplier, a clearer piece of education–those little steps can quietly improve outcomes for women. I try to celebrate the personal version of that too: the times when listening more carefully, taking an extra beat before deciding, or staying curious nudged us in the right direction. Those wins matter, even if they don’t always announce themselves.

Hans Graubard, COO & Cofounder, Happy V

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Simplify With AI, Let Creativity Thrive

If you’ve made technology simpler for creative teams this year, give yourself a pat on the back. At Design Cloud, we brought in AI and suddenly we could handle more work. It let our designers focus on the things they love. Automation took care of the tedious stuff, so we grew faster without the quality dropping. You don’t need a perfect plan, just being willing to rethink the whole process matters a lot.

James Rigby, Director, Design Cloud

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Recover Fast When Algorithms Upend Plans

Christmas always reminds me of the time a Google core update wrecked a client’s holiday sales campaign. Our whole team was in the office until 2 AM for three straight nights trying to fix it. We got their rankings back, and honestly, that felt better than any holiday party. In this business, sometimes winning just means surviving the unexpected messes.

Justin Herring, Founder and CEO, YEAH! Local

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