The real reason founders give up on goals in January

I have to be honest with you.

This has been hurting my business more than I realised.

I’ve been wanting to start a YouTube channel for YEARS.

The issue is, I hadn’t done the mindest work to get out of my own way.

So I stuck with what was easy to me.

However, when I sat down to plan my goals for 2026, being a paid speaker was number 2 on my list.

I instantly knew that YouTube was going to be my route to attracting those opportunities.

No matter how much time passes, I still feel drawn to YouTube as a platform because of the deep connections it builds.

Platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok are great for brand awareness and reaching new people, but they are not great at bringing people behind the scenes and showing them the real you.

That’s where the mindset work is needed. It feels more exposing being on camera than writing a LinkedIn post. That’s where the resistance comes from.

Then there is the overthinking 🙃

→ My office/ house isn’t aesthetic enough to film content

→ Where/ When do I film? What about lighting, sound, and editing?

→ How do I look? Do I feel confident on camera?

But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve realised you need 3 core elements to your strategy, so you can get out of your own way.

1️⃣ A REALISTIC plan of action (making this actually realistic is vital)

2️⃣ A clear goal that this action aligns with ( more on this in this week’s HOT TAKE 🔥)

3️⃣ A person to keep you accountable (who believes you can do it)

Want to know how I’m actually going to make my goals of posting consistently on YouTube & get paid to speak this year happen?

Keep reading, I’m going to give you my exact strategy.

Hot Take 🔥 This is why you want to give up on your vision board goals (and how to fix it)

By this point in January, 43% of people have given up on their goals.

If that’s you, don’t panic!

This is what you need to do to make your goals a reality.

Most people (this was me for YEARS) fall into this trap.

You create a vision board or write out your goals for your year, and then you stop there.

Hoping, manifesting and wishing that those goals will come true.

The problem is, those hopes wear off very quickly when you don’t see any progress.

Instead of waiting for things to happen, we need to shift into the mode of making things happen.

These are the exact steps I follow to make things happen.

→ Set specific goals that light me up ⚡️

E.g - Getting paid speaking opportunities - Events, Corporate Training, Education about story-branding, the rise of creator founders, etc.

→ Send out signals that attract opportunities 🧲

Post consistent thought leadership content, create content for YouTube, and prove I can hold attention.

→ Schedule these actions in my calendar

Set time aside to do the work. Build habits and systems that make this easier.

Do this, and achieving your goals will start to become your reality!

The real Hot Take 🔥 → Building in public gets you to these goals x10 faster, because it makes you visible!

Want to know what’s holding you back from building a magnetic personal brand that helps you attract opportunities more easily?

Take our free quiz, where you’ll get a personalised action plan on how to get unstuck.

Steal My Strategy 👀 Graeme’s Anti-Advice That Kickstarted Business

I remember it like it was yesterday.

After months of trying to crack the code to my business, I opened YouTube for the thousandth time.

If you asked me what I was looking for, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you.

I was stalling and completely vulnerable to distraction.

Stuck.

The video I watched opened with a message that has stuck with me: “You don’t need to read another blog or watch another video. Why are you here? Just go and do your thing.”

So I did.

I closed the video and focused.

It was a wake-up call.

You won’t find many videos like that. Few are willing to sacrifice watch hours for hard truths, and fewer are willing to listen.

That said, that video couldn’t give me something that has been vital to my progression: somebody to answer to.

Fast-forward several years, and I’ve sometimes found myself stuck again. But thankfully, I now have something far more powerful than a talking head on a screen: an accountability buddy.

Actually, it’s Emma, Lucky Founders’ very own super-founder.

Lucky for me.

If I say I’m going to do something and I don’t do it, Emma is not going to be happy. And the consequences are not worth the unfinished task 😆

Even the most mundane tasks can’t hide from accountability. It will drag every boring job into the done folder, kicking and screaming if it has to. There is no room to hide.

Here’s how to feel less and do more:

1.⁠ ⁠Pick 3 outcomes for January with real, measurable results.

2.⁠ ⁠Put them in front of someone who won’t indulge you—a peer, coach or mentor.

3.⁠ ⁠Attach a real consequence to missing them. A public admission. An uncomfortable task. A reputational hit. It’s too easy to kick unfinished tasks into February, and you’re not doing that. No consequence = no accountability.

4.⁠ ⁠Track progress somewhere you can’t ignore—a whiteboard or wall chart.

Accountability doesn’t care how you feel. Nor does it negotiate or wait for the right mood.

If it’s difficult, do it. Because nobody else is.

Steal this strategy. Use it for 30 days and let us know how you did!