The Level #111

< 5 min

Welcome back to The Level —  where the year actually changes.

This week’s Level Set: January doesn’t reward ambition. It punishes what you refuse to retire.

Expert Insight of the Week

“Slow progress is not the same as no progress."
- Attribution varies, principle holds

January has a way of distorting reality. Suddenly everything feels urgent. Everything feels behind.

But the truth is quieter. Most experienced founders don’t need a new surge of effort. They need to stop dragging last year’s weight into this one.

What feels like stagnation is often the cost of building something designed to last.

This Week’s Shift: Decide What Ends

There’s a dangerous assumption baked into the New Year.

That if you just move faster, things will finally click.

But here’s what’s actually happening for most founders reading this:

You’re no longer experimenting.
You’re no longer unsure of your expertise.
You’re building something meant to last.

And durable businesses don’t respond to pressure.

They respond to structure.

This is the phase where effort starts outpacing feedback. Where you’re doing the right things, but the payoff lags. Your brain interprets that lag as failure.

It isn’t.

It’s the cost of building for durability instead of dopamine.

January is not the month to add more goals.

It’s the month to decide what does not come with you.

This Week’s Tool: The January Filter

Before you plan anything, draw a line.

Everything above the line stays. Everything below it ends or gets rebuilt.

Ask yourself:

1. What took the most energy last year without returning stability?
   That’s not a personal failure. It’s a design flaw.

2. Where does the business still rely on you manually?
   Sales. Delivery. Decisions. Everything.

3. What would have changed last year if this worked without you pushing it?
   That’s your highest-leverage rebuild.

4. What cannot come with you into this year if you want it to feel different?
   Be honest. Be specific.

Not everything deserves to scale.

January isn’t about doing more.

It’s about deciding what finally gets rebuilt.

→ Your Next Move

Take 15 quiet minutes this week. No planning apps. No goal trackers.

Just answer these on paper:

• What felt unnecessarily heavy last year?

• What only worked because I carried it?

• What must end for this year to actually feel different?

Then finish this sentence:

This year won’t be different unless I stop ______.

Circle your answer.

That decision matters more than any goal you write down.

The Invitation

The start of a new year isn’t about motivation.
It’s about installing the structure that lets your effort finally compound.

Inside the MRR Accelerator, we help founders rebuild the parts of their business that make growth feel fragile so momentum becomes predictable.

If you’re done carrying the business manually and ready to build something that can actually hold your ambition, this is the work we do.

Explore the MRR Accelerator →

To building a year that feels steady, not frantic,

 - Amanda

Enjoying The Level?
Forward it to a founder who’s ready to build a business that runs on systems, not stress.

Want your own copy each week?

Subscribe to The Level