This is not my usual newsletter. But before 2025 ends, I want to share one lesson from this year that didn’t come from a book, a podcast, or a mastermind.
It came from a mistake.
Last year, I was chasing numbers.
Ad costs were rising fast, and on paper, things still looked great. I had a coaching program doing close to $2 million a year. From the outside, it looked like momentum.
But behind the scenes, something was off.
To keep revenue growing, I started compromising.
I took on more clients — even when I knew many weren’t the right fit. Some wanted shortcuts. Some had a “get rich quick” mindset. Some simply weren’t willing to do the work.
I told myself it was temporary.
That I’d clean it up later.
That this was just the cost of scaling.
It wasn’t.
The compromise slowly drained me.
I wasn’t just dealing with difficult clients — I was losing the thing that made my work great in the first place: focus, curiosity, and the mental space to think deeply.
And that spillover hurt my agency.
The digital advertising landscape was shifting fast, and for the first time in years, I wasn’t ahead of it. Client results started slipping. Cost per lead went up. I didn’t have the energy to experiment, research, or see what was coming next.
I was busy… but I wasn’t sharp.
So before 2025 began, I made one of the hardest decisions of my career.
I shut the door for my coaching program.
Who walks away from a $2 million-a-year revenue stream?
At first, it felt reckless. My income dropped this year. There were a lot of uncertainties. But almost immediately, something else returned.
Peace.
Joy.
Margin.
White space.
I had time to think again. To research. To deconstruct patterns and study the market. Even though I earn less income this year, I was able to enjoy my work and to build again.
And that’s when the breakthrough came.
I discovered a new AI data-driven creative engine that was able to spit out 30-50 high-performing new creatives fast — and that helped many of our clients in competitive markets drop their cost per lead from $60–$90 down to $15–$20, achieving 10-20x return on their ad spend.
These are numbers I honestly haven’t seen in years.
We are now partnering with a selected group of clients to help them dominate their market next year and get a revenue share.
And I will likely make more money serving less clients (and less headache…)
That system would never have appeared if I had kept saying yes to the wrong thing.
I had to say no to a $2 million business to create it.
Here’s the lesson I’m carrying into 2026 — and I hope it helps you too:
Sometimes the thing blocking your next breakthrough isn’t a lack of skill, strategy, or effort.
It’s a compromise you’ve normalized.
Every wrong “yes” comes with a tax:
A tax on your energy
A tax on your focus
A tax on your ability to see clearly
And breakthroughs don’t come from doing more.
They come from creating space.
So before the year ends, I’ll leave you with one question I’ve been sitting with:
What are you still saying yes to that’s quietly stealing your edge?
If you remove just one compromise in 2026, you might be surprised by what returns.
See you in the new year,
Gabriel Wong
P.S. If you’re doing at least 500k a year and are interested in partnering with us to dominate your market in 2026, you can apply here to see if you qualify