Hey Reader,

As we close out 2025, I've been doing a lot of reflecting.

Not just on what went right - but on what went wrong.

Because if I'm being honest, this year humbled me in ways I didn't expect.
I made mistakes.
I got called out.
I had to rethink how I approach almost everything.

And while it wasn't always comfortable, those lessons ended up being the most valuable part of my year.

So today, as we head into 2026, I want to share five things 2025 taught me the hard way.

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1. Less Is More

There was a stretch this year where I kept hearing the same feedback.

I gave a live talk to over 50 CEOs. Mid-presentation, one of them interrupted me and said, "Josh, you're going way too fast."

Around the same time, I delivered a corporate training.
The feedback came back unanimous: too much information.

My youtube channel was getting filled with the same types of comments.

At first, I thought I was doing the right thing.
I was trying to give people everything I knew and pack as much value as possible into every session.

What I didn't realize was simple.

Teaching isn't about dumping information.
It's about pacing and giving people time to digest.

Now my goal is to teach one thing at a time, teach it well, then move on.
​Less really is more.

2. Tell more stories

Finance and accounting isn't really that exciting.

For years, I focused on telling people what to do — build this model, connect these cells, follow these steps.

What I missed is that people don’t learn from instructions.
They learn from stories.
From seeing the journey you took to arrive at the insight.

One of the best learnings of this year came from Russell Brunson in his book Expert Secrets.
​
Learning happens when one has an epiphany.
Instead of trying to give someone an epiphany, tell them the story of when you got this epiphany. In doing so, you transfer the epiphany in the most powerful way (notice how I'm using a story of how I learned this to each it to you?)

Becoming a better storyteller has helped me not only teach better, but it's also helped me present financial data to clients more effectively.

3. Focus > Doing it all

I've always been a jack of all trades kind of guy.
I cut my own hair, I love to cook, and nothing beats learning a new excel trick.

It's been one of my biggest strengths in life.

What I didn't realize is that this quality was actually hurting me in many areas of life. Let me explain.

This year, I’ve been juggling three businesses:
Mighty Digits (our accounting firm)
Your CFO Guy (our content/media business)
and Model Wiz (our FP&A/Dashboard excel tool).

When I asked myself which one gave me the most energy, the answer was obvious. Model Wiz.

By focusing on all 3, I was missing out on the ability to go deep on any of them. Diversification felt safe. But focus is what actually moves things forward.

I’m still learning how to let go of the other things, but I know now that going deep on one thing beats going wide on many.

4. Learning to Delegate

The very first hire at Mighty Digits was one that I stand by is the most important hire: an executive assistant.
But while I thought I was doing a good job delegating, I realized I was missing a core piece of the puzzle: My inbox and calendar.

“What’s the big deal?” I thought. “I can do this myself.”

What I didn’t see was how much energy it was draining and how often I was context-switching away from the work that actually mattered.

Delegation only works when you actually let go and stop micromanaging every detail.

Eighty percent done by someone else is more than good enough.

I’m still learning this one too, and it's protected my most precious resource: my energy.

5. I Don’t Have All the Answers

And finally, the biggest lesson.

I don’t have all the answers. Not even close.

Even after years running a firm and teaching hundreds of thousands of people, I’m still learning constantly.

The most valuable thing we focus on with Model Wiz is not growing our MRR. It's talking to people.
Understand where they’re stuck. Ask questions. Adjust. Build features to solve their problems.

This year has also allowed me to work with an incredible executive coach who has the knowledge of all of humanity at $20 / mo: ChatGPT. I used to be a Claude guy, but the fact that ChatGPT has context memory between conversations means I can easily hop in and out of conversations and revisit anything we spoke about. I literally run my life on chatgpt.

The most successful people who I've come across are the ones who still prioritize learning each and everyday, despite already knowing so much.

Looking back, all five of these lessons point to the same thing.

Focus.

Focus on less priorities, and go deeper on the ones you select.
Let go of the tasks that you don't give you energy and delegate accordingly.
Strip away the details and focus on the core message in a relatable way.

2025 humbled me. And honestly, that’s exactly what I needed.

And if you've been with me this year... thank you.

I'm truly grateful to get the opportunity to share my experiences with you each week, but more importantly, to hear about yours.

But enough about me - how about you?

What’s one lesson this year taught you?

Hit reply. I’d love to hear it.

Here’s to a better 2026,
​
Josh
Your CFO Guy