2025 Year in Review

2025 was a year of compounding in the most literal sense. Our family grew, Poppylist had its biggest year ever, and I finally treated my health like something worth protecting. Everything else was downstream of those three things.

In June, our family grew to five. Nothing about having a third kid truly surprised me—but it compressed everything.

What got harder wasn’t chaos, it was personal time. With a baby who can’t do much independently, any time for myself now has to be deliberately scheduled—especially on weekends and school breaks when everyone’s home. If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t happen.

What got easier surprised me more. Our two older kids started playing together in a way they never had before. Some of that is age, some of it is necessity, and some of it is the younger one finally being more on the older one’s level. Whatever the reason, it’s been a huge unlock. Having an almost-five-year-old in the house also makes a real difference—she’s genuinely helpful in a way she wasn’t when her first sibling arrived.

Almost overnight, I stopped caring about something I thought mattered a lot: getting a bigger home. That had been a priority heading into the second half of the year. Instead, we decided to have all three kids share a room and focus on making our common areas more space-efficient. The tradeoff was worth it because it lets us stay in our downtown neighborhood, where we can walk to everything and live closer to the life we actually enjoy.

One moment from 2025 I don’t want to forget was our first international trip as a family of five—to France and Italy. Travel is central to our family, and having my parents come along made it feel like a real milestone. It wasn’t just a vacation; it was a statement about the kind of family we want to be.

2025 was Poppylist’s biggest year ever: roughly 6× revenue growth and 3× user growth. But the growth itself wasn’t the most important part—the decisions behind it were.

The single most important decision we made was investing seriously in partnerships. The business had been growing steadily from years of compounding effort, but that alone wasn’t going to meaningfully grow our bottom line. In May, we hosted a dinner at the ABC Expo in Las Vegas. That led directly to our first meaningful sponsorship income. From there, we brought on a partnerships lead to turn this into a real growth lever.

One thing that looked like momentum—but was actually something else—was how quickly new sign-ups either became active registrants or didn’t. We’re now able to predict whether an upcoming month will be good or bad for GMV simply by watching how the current month’s users activate. That visibility is powerful, but it also removes illusions. Weak months show themselves early.

As the company grew, it became clearer where I’m still most involved. The business functions when I step away, but it doesn’t move forward in quite the same way. That’s not a criticism of anyone—it’s just the reality of an early-stage company and where my energy is currently best spent. I’m comfortable with that tradeoff for now, but it’s also a signal of the work ahead if we want growth to feel lighter over time.

What’s less fun now than it used to be is dealing with unhappy customers. It was never enjoyable, but after improving the product and operations so much, the complaints sting more. The bar is higher—and so is the emotional cost when we miss it.

In 2025, I finally prioritized running again.

Maybe turning 40 was the trigger, but I realized I had unfinished business. The last time I ran consistently was in my late 20s. My last marathon was in 2013. This wasn’t about chasing old PRs—it was about closing a loop I’d left open for more than a decade.

Being fitter didn’t magically transform how I showed up—I’m not “in shape” yet. I’m still getting back into running form, and that’s a process that will stretch well into next year. What did change was my commitment to the process.

I hired a running coach. Not because I lack experience—I’ve been running for over 25 years, competed in high school, worked in running stores, and even coached high school track while I was in college—but because I lack time. Having an expert remove decision-making and guide the work has been a cheat code. I just show up and execute.

I’ve heard Shaan Puri describe coaches as a cheat code, and so far, it’s been worth every penny. I ran two races this year and, more importantly, built consistency I haven’t had in years.

Across family, work, and running, the lesson of 2025 was the same: I simply have less time.

That forced focus. Work blocks, workouts, and family time all have to be intentional now. There’s no room for drift. Growth didn’t come from doing more—it came from being clearer about what mattered and asking for help when it made sense.

In 2026, I’m actively trying not to optimize everything.

At work, that means prioritizing the highest-impact levers—partnerships and user growth—and letting product enhancements move more slowly, which is a meaningful shift from how we’ve historically operated.

Even if metrics are up, 2026 would feel like a failure if we don’t meaningfully grow profit at Poppylist, or if I can’t get into good running shape while staying healthy and injury-free.