Year-End Reality Check: What’s Working, What’s Not, and What Must Change

With Thanksgiving behind us, most small and mid-sized businesses have 20 working days left in the year. Some hit their numbers, some didn’t. Either way, now is not the time to coast. Now is the time to get clear.

Not clear in a vague “we’ll try harder next year” way, but clear in a practical, measurable way:

• Why did we win?
• Why did we lose?
• Where are we leaking money, time, or trust?
• And what needs to change before January, not in March?
  

The leaders who do this work now give themselves an unfair advantage next year. The ones who don’t end up reliving the same problems with a new date on the calendar.

What Needs a Hard Look Before Year-End

You don’t need another 30-page manual. You need a focused set of questions that forces honest conversation in a few critical areas:

• Customers and revenue: Did we gain or lose clients? Why? What did we learn from every “yes” and every “no”?
• Sales and delivery: Are sales bringing in opportunities the business can’t deliver on—on time, to standard, profitably?
• People and culture: Are we keeping the right people? Losing the wrong ones? Struggling to hire who we actually need?
• Operations and projects: Do we really know what’s on our plate, who owns it, and when it will be done?
• Finance and contracts: Do we know where the money comes from, where it leaks out, and which contracts could make or break next year?
• Brand and presence: Does the way we show up—website, collateral, conversations—match who we say we are?
  

These aren’t academic questions. The answers drive:

• next year’s budget,
• realistic sales targets,
• hiring plans,
• and where you, as founder/CEO, spend your time.

Why This Matters Now (Not on Dec. 31)

December, January, and February are some of the best months to reconnect:

• with clients you may have lost,
• with accounts that slowed down,
• and with partners who could open new doors.

But you can’t have meaningful conversations if you don’t know:

• which contracts are up for renewal,
• which relationships are at risk,
• and where your own delivery or internal friction has hurt trust.
  

Waiting until “after the holidays” is how companies drift into another reactive year.

If you’d like to go deeper than a general year-end reflection, I’ve put together a structured Year-End Clarity Checklist with 50 key questions (by function) that I use in advisory and fractional engagements.

Ready to start your 2025 clarity audit?

Let’s review your numbers, people, and systems before the year ends, so you start January 2026 ready to execute, not scramble.

It’s designed for owners, founders, and senior leaders who want real visibility before they lock in next year’s plans.

Request the 50 Questions Every SMB Must Answer Before January 2026

Share it with your leadership team.
And if you’d like a guided working session to turn answers into a concrete Q1 plan, let’s talk.

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Insights from Anwer Qureishi, Thought Leader & Entrepreneur
Ready to accelerate growth? Schedule a Consultation with Anwer Qureishi, Founder, Q&S International (ThinkQSi).