Confessions of a Cereal Entrepreneur

There is a season each year when reflection feels natural. In business, we often talk about doing this intentionally at year-end, though many of us quietly avoid it. Looking back can feel time-consuming, uncomfortable, or unproductive.

Like most entrepreneurs, I didn't want reflection to become a project. So I found a way to make it manageable. I reviewed my year over a few bowls of cereal.

It worked.

The first thing I did was make two short lists. Not exhaustive ones. Just enough to be honest without spiraling. One list captured the biggest victories. The other captured the biggest setbacks. I kept each list short on purpose. This wasn't about cataloging everything. It was about clarity.

When I reviewed those lists, I tried to strip out pride and defensiveness. Victories are rarely solo efforts, even when they feel personal. Most of mine involved the contributions of others. Setbacks were harder. The temptation is always to explain them away. Instead, I asked a simpler question: where did I contribute to this outcome, intentionally or not?

That shift matters. Reflection is not about blame. It is about ownership. Mistakes become far more useful when you treat them as lessons instead of verdicts.

Once I had some clarity, I wrote a short game plan for the coming year. Not a strategy document. Not a mission statement. Just a handful of habits I believed would help me repeat what worked and avoid what didn't.

The list wasn't about goals. It was about behaviors.

I committed to starting each day with quiet planning before opening email. I committed to spending consistent time with our product owner, resisting my instinct to jump back into areas I needed to trust others with. I committed to protecting long stretches of business development time and being fully present with team members during that time. I committed to investing weekly time with marketing, an area I too often neglected. And I committed to spending regular time with a mentor, someone who could see what I couldn't.

None of this was revolutionary. That's the point.

The value came from writing it down, sharing it with people I trust, and giving them permission to hold me accountable. At the end of each month, I graded myself honestly. At the end of each quarter, I let someone else grade me as well. Those conversations were occasionally humbling, always helpful.

Entrepreneurship has a way of pulling us forward so quickly that we forget to pause. Reflection doesn't require a retreat or a long weekend. Sometimes it just requires a quiet morning, a bowl of cereal, and the willingness to tell yourself the truth.

Then you rinse and repeat.

~ Bryan