2025 Year in Review

2025 was the year of clarity. Clarity through lots of attempts and learning what is and isn't true to me.

More specifically:

Seeing the right business opportunity and having the courage to pursue it
Creating family experiences that will be remembered forever
Improving my health and energy through exercise and nutrition

This year I tried more business ideas than any year I can remember. I shipped landing pages, explored markets, did due diligence, and took swings. The truth is I didn't validate traction because I didn't sell. I'm grateful for that realization. I end the year with greater self-awareness. I invested a lot in my marriage and kids. Those efforts created lasting memories and strong connections. Losing my dad to cancer in March was the defining event of the year. This grief shaped me, deepened my understanding, and changed my values.

Professional goals scorecard

Goal: $35,000 net profit from Corner Canyon products

✅ Complete

I paid myself $20k into savings
I also captured ~$15k in value through personal purchases

Goal: Validate one business model with traction

❌ Not achieved

I attempted a lot of ideas but didn't achieve validated traction. I mostly got "shots on goal" and a clearer view of the bottleneck, which for me I believe is distribution.

Notable attempts:

Shut down Siftbooks
Talked with YC cofounder search / explored cofounder paths
Did due diligence on lots of ideas. AI image gen, AI OS for insurance agents, money coach for couples, lead gen for water damage, skincare for gym bros
Built lots of landing pages. grocery-wise.com, funeralflow.io, lehiwaterdamage.com, geospect.io, mentionedbyai.io, podblog.io, tatoo-transform.com

Goal: Write 52 blog posts (1/week)

Status: 🟡 Partial

Published: 34 posts
Plus a handful unpublished

Family goals scorecard

Meaningful date nights

✅ Achieved (highlights)

Truck bed movie in the mountains
Blue Bird concert series
Sundance anniversary & birthday
Arizona birthday trip + dates
Denver trip + dates
And a handful more where we had dinner and walked.

Memorable experiences with kids

✅ Achieved (you exceeded the goal)

BYU football games
Oakley Rodeo
4th of July hike
Ski School for Beau
AF Canyon with friends
Beau's sports (baseball, soccer, flag football)
Beau's first fish at Highland Glen Park w/ Deacons
Boating in Delta with family
Monster Jam
Disney on ice

Family trips

✅ Achieved

St. George surfing w/ Keners
Midway Homestead staycation
St. George Parade of Homes w/ Mansells

Bonus experiences (not in goals, but meaningful)

Arlington for BYU vs Texas Tech Big 12 Championship with Gray
Stake Young Men's camp
Girls Camp where Abbey and I brought Costa Vida

Finance scorecard

❌ Not achieved

Goal: Reduce monthly household spend to under $4,000

Actual average monthly spend: $4,285
Big insight: Food & Dining is the biggest lever (~$2,021/mo average).

Health scorecard

Lift weights 2x/week: ✅ Achieved
Run + sauna 1x/week: 🟡 Partial (ran more than ever; less sauna consistency)
5am wake / 9pm bed: 🟡 Mixed (seasonal; traded for nighttime deep work blocks)
Stable energy and avoid processed sugar: ✅ Mostly achieved

Best investment of the year

Trips without kids.

Worst investment of the year

Trying to build businesses in spaces that weren't true to me or my experience.

Biggest personal loss

Losing my dad to cancer in March. It shaped me in many ways.

Coolest moment

Celebrating the life my dad lived.

Frame-breaking person of the year

Andy Dent. Belief, inspiration, example.

What 2025 taught me

Always invest in family. It's the only thing that's actually fulfilling.
Distribution is more important than the product.
Solving personal problems is much easier to be passionate about.
I love to write. It helps me communicate. I love looking back at what I wrote.