2025 Annual Review
I do a version of these annual reviews each year:
2025 was a year of hard pivots. I killed some businesses. I rebuilt others. If there’s a theme to this year, it’s knowing when to walk away and when to double down.
Business
Let’s start on the professional side. It’s what most want to read and know anyway.
1. White Label Agency
This was a hard year. AI has changed the agency landscape, and we’re in the middle of a big pivot. The old model of selling marketing services the traditional way is being disrupted. We’re still doing marketing, but now we’re using AI to do it more efficiently.
The shift is about adopting AI tools and helping other agencies adopt them too. We’re retraining the team around AI agents and implementation. It’s really AI retraining at its core. We’re not moving away from marketing. We’re getting better at it while helping others do the same.
2. WP Creative House
I didn’t focus much here in 2025. We kept selling themes and kept that side rolling. Sometimes you have to let things run while you focus energy elsewhere.
3. USA Tax Solutions
Our first full tax season with the team was fun. We’re growing and keeping up with the influx of small businesses that need help. There’s something satisfying about this business. It’s straightforward, the demand is consistent, and we’re building real relationships with business owners beyond just their marketing.
4. PJL Marketing Holdings (Killed)
We shut down PJL this year. The equity and revenue share model sounded innovative, but the reality was we didn’t have enough focus. Not from us, and not from the clients. When both sides aren’t fully committed, the model falls apart. Lesson learned.
5. Niche Websites (Killed)
I finally pulled the plug on the niche site portfolio. After the 2024 Google update devastated traffic, we tried to recover. But the landscape changed too much. AI-generated content flooded the web, platforms adjusted their algorithms, and we never protected the moat.
The honest truth is we got complacent. We relied on search traffic for years without diversifying. When the platforms decided to change the rules, we had nothing to fall back on. It’s a hard lesson, but an important one. If your business depends entirely on a platform you don’t control, you don’t really have a business. You have a vulnerability.
6. The Boost Network
On the flip side, The Boost Network has been the bright spot. What started as a single podcast has expanded into a collection of shows:
The Marketing Boost (formerly The Boost), where I sit down with business owners and entrepreneurs to talk marketing
Social Ledger Report with JRB covering crypto news. This supports our social push for Mintlocke marketing
Beyond Giving in partnership with NonprofitsHQ, focuses on the nonprofit space
Building a network of content rather than a single show feels like the right move. It diversifies the audience, creates more opportunities for collaboration, and builds something bigger than any one show could be alone.
Personal
My daughters turned 6 and 10 this year. It’s wild watching them grow. My oldest has really taken to basketball. She loves going to Spurs games with me, and it’s become our thing. Having season tickets has been one of the best decisions for spending quality time together.
Sim racing is still a hobby, though I need to make more time for it. When I’m racing, I’m completely locked in. No phone, no notifications. It’s one of the few activities where I can fully disconnect.
The summer had a rough moment. I broke my collarbone after falling off a bike. Not exactly how I planned to spend part of the year, but it forced me to slow down for a bit. Recovery went well, and it gave me time to think about what I was building and where I was headed.
Trips
I got to travel more this year:
Toronto for a crypto conference in May
Michigan for a family vacation
Arizona to visit family with Phoenix
Denver for Vistara to learn more about AI agencies
The Denver trip was valuable given where the agency is heading. Being around others who are figuring out the AI agency model helped clarify some of the direction we’re taking.
Looking Ahead
2025 taught me that sometimes you have to kill things to make room for what’s next. The niche sites and PJL weren’t failures. They were experiments that ran their course. The agency pivot is uncomfortable but necessary. And The Boost Network is proof that when you focus on the right things, they grow.
Into 2026, the focus is clear. Lean into AI implementation, grow the podcast network, and keep building USA Tax Solutions. And make more time for sim racing.
