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Last year, I hit 120% of my sales goal.
Sounds great, right?
It was. Until I burned out.
I was working too much, traveling too much, and saying yes to everything because it all felt like momentum. And momentum is intoxicating when you're building something from scratch.
But here's what momentum doesn't tell you: it doesn't care about your health. Or your kids. Or whether you actually enjoy the thing you're building. It's all about go, go, go.
So this year, I did something different. I sat down and picked just three goals for the entire year. Not ten. Not a vision board full of aspirational fluff.
And I want to walk you through them. Not just what they are, but how I picked them, how I pressure tested them, and how you can use the same approach for your own strategy.
Ready? Let's ride 🌊
Why Only Three?
I've always been a sucker for the rule of three. But beyond the aesthetic, it's practical.
I'd rather be intentional about reaching three goals than spread thin across five and watch numbers four and five slowly die from neglect.
Because that's what happens: Whatever's fourth and fifth doesn't get the attention it deserves. Quality slips, things fall through the cracks, and now you're not just missing goals — you're losing confidence.
Three forces you to choose. And choosing means saying no.
Which leads us to...
What I said no to:
I'm not trying to make as much money as possible this year.
I have to remind myself of that every week day.
That means...
I'm not scaling my Executive LinkedIn Accelerator program into a full-blown agency.
I'm keeping it to 3-5 concurrent clients so I can build deep relationships and actually enjoy the work. Why? I've never met anyone who owns or works at an agency who says they love it. Most are trying to escape. So I'm avoiding that before I get there. (No knock if you run one — just the pattern I've observed.)
I also said no to TikTok. I don't even know what's going on over there since it switched ownership. I might post, but I'm not making it a goal.
I'm not getting on as many planes as possible. I want to speak at more events, but not every event. I've got a long career ahead of me. I don't need to burn all the gas at once.
I'm starting with what I'm not doing because more often than not, we forget to make room for the things that matter most.
Perfect transition to...
My 2026 Strategic Goals
1. Grow Revenue 8%
Not 50%. Not "10x." 8%.
I could've taken last year's number and stacked a percentage on top. And I almost did. But the goal isn't to make as much money as humanly possible.
It's to build a business that brings me joy, time, and freedom. So I can be a present dad to my two little girls, play basketball, keep sucking at golf, and enjoy San Diego with my family.
I believe any business that isn't growing is dying. But 8% is enough to grow without breaking me.
2. Grow and Diversify My Audience
An owned audience is the most valuable asset any business can have.
Here's what I mean: A huge reason I crushed my revenue targets last year is that people already know, like, and trust me. Sales calls are one-call closes. They don't need convincing — they just need to know how to work with me.
I want more of that. And the best way is to double down where it's already working (LinkedIn) while diversifying into channels I actually own.
Newsletter is my #1 focus this year. It's my most valuable channel, and I didn't spend nearly enough energy growing it in 2025.
Here's where it gets fun: by leveling up my newsletter production and process, I'm building what I'm calling a Creative Operating System — a system that takes one piece of IP and feeds it across LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.
Might sound a little corporate, but I nerd out on this stuff. It's the sweet spot between being an operator and giving yourself the freedom to be creative. (More on this system soon.)
And YouTube? That's my big bet. I've said it before — YouTube is the next frontier for B2B creators. It's still massively underutilized, and I want to be early.
3. Become a Top 1% Business Creator
This one is intentionally aspirational. There's no trophy at the end of the year. No one's gonna knock on my door and hand me an award.
And I like that.
The point is authority because authority creates leverage.
You're gonna hear me use the word leverage a lot this year.
Here's what "top 1%" looks like in practice:
-Speaking at tier-1 conferences like INBOUND or Cannes
-Landing 2-3 brand partnerships with companies like Adobe or HubSpot
-Getting featured in major industry publications
-Launching a digital product that generates real impact and recurring revenue
Audience + authority opens doors — for clients, speaking, brand deals. Tie those together, and they fuel the revenue target.
It all compounds.
How I Pressure Test My Goals
I love making a solid plan and seeing it become real and drive my intended results.
But that doesn't just happen.
I like to pressure test my goals before giving them the greenlight.
So I run them through what I call The Compound Test.
Question 1: How will I feel on December 31st?
I imagine myself at the end of the year. If I reached this goal, how would I feel?
If I missed or ignored it, how would I feel?
That tells me whether it's real or vanity.
Question 2: Will this compound?
Will reaching this goal make next year easier? Will it increase my leverage, authority, or positioning? Or is it just shiny in the moment?
Speaking at 20 events sounds cool. But if you've ever taken 20 business trips in a year, you know your health deteriorates and your relationships suffer.
I'd rather nail a few, make killer content from them, and distribute intentionally. I'll get more from that than from doing as much as possible.
How to Apply This to Your World
If you lead a marketing team, this framework works the same way. Here's what I did as an in-house marketing leader:
Start with The CEO Slide — the all-hands slide with your company's top 3 priorities.
Not LinkedIn engagement metrics (nobody in the C-suite cares about those.) The real goals.
For SaaS companies, it's usually: grow revenue by X%, launch a new product (probably AI), win a category, or expand into a new geo.
Once you know those...
Look at everything you're doing and ask why.
If your CEO asks "Why are we posting on YouTube?" — you need a clear, succinct answer that ties back to one of those goals. If you can't answer why, it's either because you shouldn't be doing it, or you don't understand it well enough yet. Both are fixable.
Then commit. Most marketing strategies don't fail because they're bad. They fail because they never had a real chance. Too much zigzagging. Too many pivots. Not enough conviction.
It's impossible to build a legendary company or career if you spend weeks making a plan but never run it. I don't want that for you.
I feel great about 2026 because I know what my goals are, and I know why I want them. I know they compound. And I believe in the plan to get there.
That clarity is available to you, too.
If you have any questions about your plan, send 'em over. I'll holler back with a quick voice note.
See you letter,
Devin
Pen by Devin Reed
Founder, The Reeder
Follow me on LinkedIn | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram
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