This was my final newsletter note for 2025. No predictions, no “next year is your year” energy. Just something honest for solo and small business owners
As this year wraps up and the next one wanders in without knocking, let’s do something radical for small business owners.
Let’s be honest about where you actually are.
Not where Instagram says you should be.
Not where that podcast host insists you’d be if you just “wanted it badly enough”.
Not even where you think you should be.
Just here. Just now. Bills, browser tabs and all.
Some of you are finishing the year feeling proud. You shipped things. You learned things. You survived things. Maybe things even worked.
If that’s you, take the win. You don’t have to downplay it or add a struggle story for balance. You’re allowed to feel good without explaining yourself.
Some of you are exhausted. Quietly flat. Wondering how you worked so hard and still feel behind.
You carried the admin, the decisions, the self doubt, the emotional labour, the “is this even worth it?” spiral at 11pm.
You didn’t fail. You’re not bad at business. You’re not broken.
You’re a human running a business in a world that rarely makes that easy.
Some of you are heading into the new year with fear. About money. Visibility. The future. The state of everything.
Fear doesn’t mean you’re weak or doing it wrong. It usually means you care. A lot.
Most growth starts there, not with confidence, but with showing up anyway.
And if you’re feeling invisible, like you’ve been quietly plugging away while the loud ones get all the attention, hear this.
Your work matters. Your presence matters.
Impact isn’t always loud or viral or obvious. Sometimes it’s one client who felt understood. One person who felt steadier because you exist.
If you’re feeling nothing at all, numb or switched off, that’s allowed too.
Burnout isn’t a mindset issue. It’s a nervous system issue. Rest isn’t quitting. Stillness counts.
2026 isn’t asking you to reinvent your business, pick a word for the year, or map out a five year plan on a beige Canva template.
It’s asking you to soften.
To stop beating yourself up for not being a machine.
You don’t need all the answers.
You don’t need a perfect strategy right now.
You just need to stay honest about what’s working, what’s not, and what you actually have capacity for.
We all step into a new year carrying something. Lessons. Fatigue. Hope. Grief. A few scars from things that didn’t pan out.
The goal isn’t to arrive polished.
It’s to arrive real.
So if you can, take a breath.
You’re still here. Still building. Still becoming.
And if at any point next year you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or tired of pretending you’ve “got this”, remember this.
You don’t have to do it alone.
Rawmarrow exists to walk beside solo and small business owners through the messy middle. The rethink. The reset. The quiet rebuild.
No hype. No pressure. Just steady support, clear thinking, and someone in your corner when things feel wobbly. If you know a solo/small business owner who could use this right now, feel free to forward it to them.
P.S. If this resonated, my newsletter is where I share the thinking behind running a small business without burning yourself to the ground. You can subscribe here.
