Your 2025 Year in Review — What Worked, What Didn't & What's Next

It’s the end of the year (already?!) and Lindsay is guiding you through a different kind of year-in-review. One that blends data, emotion, alignment, and intuition.

This isn’t about grading yourself. It’s about understanding what actually happened in 2025 so you can carry the right things forward and leave the rest behind.

WHAT YOU’LL EXPLORE

• Your highlight reel: what felt good, what came easily, and who your most aligned clients were.
• The essential numbers: GCI, net profit, average commission, average sales price, and your real hourly rate — all without judgment.
• What truly moved the needle in your business (and what didn’t).
• The energy drains, broken systems, red-flag clients, and commitments you won’t repeat.
• Where life and business worked together — and where they clashed.
• A simple 2026 starter plan: your word of the year, one Q1 focus, and one small shift that will make a big impact.

This aligned review sets the foundation for a calmer, clearer, more profitable 2026. Lindsay will be diving deeper into business planning in the upcoming episodes — so stay tuned. You’re ready for what’s next.

*****************************************************

Let's stay connected!

💼 Coaching with Lindsay – happyagent.co/coaching

Get personalized strategy, support, and mindset shifts to scale your real estate business without sacrificing your joy.

🎓 Happy Agent Academy – happyagent.co/academy

Your go-to resource for freebies, on-demand courses, templates, and tools to help you grow a thriving real estate business.

📩 Join the Happy Hustle Newsletter – happyagent.co/subscribe

Weekly insights, strategies, and real talk to help you build wealth, lead boldly, and create a business you love.

📲 Connect with Happy Agent Co. on Instagram or Facebook – instagram.com/happyagentco

📲 Connect with Lindsay on Instagram or Facebook – instagram.com/lindsaydreyer...

Chapters

• 1:42 Rethinking Year-End Reviews
• 2:43 The Cozy Highlight Reel
• 5:25 Feelings Meet Metrics
• 8:45 CEO Money Check
• 12:42 What Drove Real Results
• 16:44 Energy Drains And Red Flags

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:08

I cannot believe that it is the end of the year. Is anyone with me? This is crazy. So this is actually one of my favorite times of year because we get to dig into what worked and what didn't. And a lot of agents think that a year in review means we're actually grading ourselves. Like, do we get an A plus or do we get an F? But it isn't about that. It is about understanding what happened in that year because the truth is that like getting clear on that is actually a gift to your future self. So today for our 2025 review, we are going to look at reflecting on what was feeling cozy. We're going to take an honest emotional inventory and we're also going to check some data. So we're going to get into some CEO level data checking. And then it's also my favorite, a part energetic clean out. My hope is that by the end you'll know exactly what worked, what didn't, and what deserves a repeat in 2026. So let's dive in. I know a lot of you are probably used to traditional end-of-year reviews, which really is just a numbers-on game. What I want to look at is an aligned review. So we're going to look at numbers, but we're also going to tap into how did your nervous system feel? What were the patterns that played out and what were your preferences? So many agents just look at how many deals did I do? What was my GCI? Did I hit my goal? But honestly, that's an incomplete view because it ignores how you felt. What did you enjoy and what felt sustainable throughout the year? So the review we're going to get into today is going to blend both. It's going to blend the data that matters, but it's also going to blend the feelings that matter. And we are going to start that with your highlight reel. We are going to start a little bit cozy. So I want you to ask yourself what were the best moments of 2025? And this can be personal, this can be professional. I know I personally keep everything on my Google Calendar. So I actually literally will review my entire calendar and I will look at all of the things that were the best. It could be vacations, it could be clients I worked with, it could be self-care activities, whatever happened. It usually my calendar is going to tip me off to if that was one of my best moments. Also, listing out who were your favorite clients and why. Why did you love working with them? What came easily this year? So what didn't feel hard? What felt like flow? Like what just came naturally? What felt really easeful? Like what was easy this year? And then what surprise wins happened? I mean, there's always magic, right? Happening to us all the time. So what were the surprises that happened for this year? Also, what are you proud of? I am sure you have something that you are proud of. I really hope you do. Maybe it was a tough client you got to the finish line, or it could be that you spent more time with your family, or maybe you dedicated time to take care of yourself. But what are you really proud of this year? And then lastly, how did you grow? Because we are always growing, we are always getting better, we are always being challenged. So I want you to really zoom in on your experience of 2025 and not necessarily the performance. So really take time to answer these questions, rewind it, pause, get a journal. I feel like we oftentimes just skip the step, but the reflection is so crucial to really understanding where you want to go next in 2026. So once you have that reflection done, we're going to then transition gently into the story of your money. Now we can't just ignore practical metrics because we are running businesses. We are the CEO of our business, but I want you to take a look at your practical metrics without judgment. So ask yourself, what was the total GCI? Just the number, no emotion related to it. What was your total net profit? So what did you keep after expenses? That is honestly the real story because if you are running a million-dollar business and you're only keeping 100,000 of that, that is not an incredible net profit. Let me put it that way. Then we're going to look at your average commission per transaction. So you take your gross commission income, divide it by your number of deals, and that really helps you set 2026 projections because you have your average commission per transaction. Then we're going to get your average sales price. That really helps you understand your market, your ideal client. I would also take a look at what your minimum price was and your maximum price with was and see kind of how does that compare. Then I want you to calculate what your average cost per transaction was. Now, this could include marketing if it's a listing. It could include buyer gifts or housewarming gifts. It could be support like transaction coordination, home staging, photography, print, all of it. I want you to factor that in to your average cost per transaction. Now, this next one can get a little tricky, but I do think it's important to know, which is your average hourly value of your time. So your average hourly rate. The way that I calculate this is I take the net income, so whatever you netted, and I'm gonna divide that by your hours you actually worked. And this is really important because you need to know what your hourly rate is. And this is oftentimes a benchmark for people who are outsourcing or looking for help, is that they want to focus on the things that increase their hourly rate. So if you are stuck doing transaction management as a solo agent and your hourly rate is$350 per hour, and you realize a transaction coordinator is going to cost$450 and will save you lots of hours, that is probably a good trade-off. It is a aligned business decision. So knowing your average hourly value of your time is a really good metric to know. And it changes, obviously, as your business changes. And lastly, when it comes to your numbers, we're gonna look at your tax set aside. So how much did you set aside for taxes? Did you oversave? Did you undersave? Do you need a better quarterly estimate plan for 2026? Um, this is where a CPA can come into effect. You may want to hire one if you don't have one. Um, but really having a good tax plan for 2026 can help you be in a good place at the end of the year and avoid a surprise tax bill, which is no fun. I like to try to keep money data neutral because a lot of people get really emotional about money or they say I'm not good with money. So it doesn't have to be emotional, it doesn't have to be charged. It's really just information that helps you make informed decisions for the future. Next, we are going to dive into what actually made an impact in your business. So the first is where did your business come from? Where did your deals come from? So we can break it down. Was it sphere referral? Was it past client referrals? Was it past clients coming back and doing repeat transactions? Open houses, was it cold online leads? Was it your Instagram? Was it your Facebook? Was it referrals from other agents, direct mail? It could be your farming, workshops, lender referrals, really wherever your business was coming from, go through every single deal, go to where it came from, and then you're going to circle your top two to three sources. And that is a key to what you need to focus on in 2026. The next thing you're going to look at is what marketing actually worked, not what you did, but what got results. So I want you to list out everything that you were doing in terms of lead generation efforts. This can be those magazines you send monthly, it could be postcards you send, it could be email, newsletter, it could be social media, hosting workshops, anything that you did marketing-wise that you were putting time, money, energy into that actually worked and got results. That is what you need to be focusing on in 2026. And then lastly, I want you to think about which clients were your what I like to call aligned clients. These are the ones that trusted you. They didn't fight you. They were decisive, like they told you what they wanted. And when they found it, they bought it. They valued your advice. Um, they were really fun to work with. Like it just didn't feel hard. Like these were your in-flow clients. And this is really where the alignment comes in, which is how do you get more of these people? So if you realize they all come from one referral source, that is absolutely a top priority in 2026. Or if you realize they all come from hosting a workshop, whoo, you better believe I'm hosting a lot more of those workshops in 2026. It is about spotting those patterns, and that's how you build a strategy around them. So we covered some energy givers. We have those energy giver clients, right? But then we have to look at what drained you in 2025. So ask yourself what felt heavy, what felt confusing, what felt like a mess? And sometimes this is really hard. Sometimes it's hard to take a look at this. But be honest with yourself. Like what clients, what systems, what people, what um, what financially, like just dive into it. What felt heavy? What felt confusing? What felt like a mess? And why did it feel that way? Um, sometimes it's hard to look at this, but honestly, the information you got is really worth it. The second thing is what tasks did you chronically avoid? This is so key to finding out what is not aligned because we avoid things we are not feeling for sure. So avoidance reveals the misalignment 100%. Next, what systems felt broken or stressful? Like, did you dread going into your CRM? Did you dread time blocking? Was your transaction coordinator a mess? Like, did you feel like communication wasn't as good as it could be? Were you missing phone calls, missing text messages? Um, was generating content a pain in the ass? So it's all about really figuring out what systems were feeling broken or stressful for you. And those can be areas that you can really bring into alignment. Also, we looked at our most aligned clients. Let's look at our least aligned clients. Who are the hard ones? What made them hard? And what would you like to avoid in 2026? Like, what are the red flags really that you're looking out for? Because knowing those in advance is so crucial to being able to spot it at like your first client interview or within your first couple of days working with somebody. And then what commitments would you not say yes to again? So, what did you commit to that you would not say yes to? This could be anything. It could be personal, it can be professional, it could be those clients you just didn't want to work with and you knew it from the get-go, you didn't trust your gut. But the reflection on these questions is all about learning. It isn't about judging yourself. Like, I don't want you to be hard on yourself. This is all about figuring out what worked, what didn't, and getting into alignment. And speaking of alignment, we have to check in with what was aligned. So this isn't just about working. This is about your life first and then having business fit into your life. So, first question on the alignment check-in is what actually matched the life that I want? Where did work and life feel easeful? Like they were working together in harmony the past year. And then the flip side of that is where did my life and business clash? Like this could be based on your kids' schedules, it could be based on your travel, it can be based on the seasons, it could be based on your energy levels. But where did your life and business run up against each other? And then what patterns do you want to repeat? So this could be consistent marketing, it could be that you spent time to get into creative flow. It could be that you said set really strong boundaries about working with clients that you really liked. Um, but what patterns served you well in 2025? And then what absolutely cannot follow you into 2026? I want you to draw some boundaries. Like clients that don't listen to you, whew, that is one for me hardcore. If someone does not take my advice or doesn't respect what I'm telling them, that is a hard no for me. I can't work with that person because I am a teammate. And if you don't trust your teammate, that is just a hard no. So, what can't follow you into 2026? What are you leaving behind in 2025? It's really important to get clear on that because that is where your alignment comes from. All right, so I want to close this episode after all this reflection to give you a little mini 2026 starter plan. So this isn't a full plan, but this is just some intention setting. So I want you to pick a word for what your theme is for 2026. It could be ease, it could be connection, it could be momentum, it could be systems, it could be expansion. My word for 2026 is limitless. I really want to be limitless. I don't want to put limits on myself. I don't want to say I can't do that or you shouldn't do that. I want to be limitless. I've had this block that more or growth or being limitless makes life hard, but I really don't believe that anymore. Like in my heart, I just don't believe it. I believe that abundance and limitless, limitlessness is out there and it doesn't have to be hard. I've seen my clients do it, I've helped my clients do it. Um, like my coaching clients are limitless, and I think like the work with them has really kind of proven to me I can be limitless too. And that's really magical. So, what is your word for 2026? What is that theme? Then I want you to pick one focus for Q1. So you have 90 days, pick one focus. It could be a people pillar, so uh like target market that you're focusing on, really going deep with. It could be delegation to somebody, it could be your money, like really getting that honed in, your systems and saving for tax time. Could be a systems overhaul, like really diving into getting your CRM organized, or maybe it's getting into a marketing rhythm of I really want to be consistent in doing sphere marketing. I really want to make sure I'm getting a newsletter out and a postcard out and doing my check-ins with my people. So, what is your one Q1 focus? What is your one 90-day focus? And then coming up with the plan to really execute on that plan for those 90 days. And then I want you to think about what is one small shift that would give you the biggest payoff? I have a feeling you're probably already going to know the answer from the reflection that you did. But what is one small thing? It does not have to be big, that would give you the biggest payoff for 2026. I know this is a little bit cheesy, but I really want you to take a deep breath and repeat after me. I learned, I grew, I earned, I showed up, I am proud of myself, and I am ready for a more aligned, profitable 2026. I know you've got this. The next few episodes, we are going to dive deep into business planning, and this is just a taste of what you are going to get into. So if you like this episode, stay tuned for more. There will be more episodes being released in the next coming weeks that are going to help you set up for a strong 2026.