Rueben Taylor

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Be sure to take some time to slow down, rest, and enjoy a well-deserved break.

Our office will be closed from 5pm today and will reopen on Monday 5th January.

Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a successful, fulfilling 2026.

See you in the new year. 🤩

Rueben

17 Questions I Ask Myself at the End of Every Year

Every year, before I set any new goals, I sit down with a notebook and ask myself 17 questions to review the year just gone.

This simple ritual helps me slow down, reflect honestly, and understand what actually created progress and what held me back.

I first learned this process from my fellow coach, Jeevan Sahadevan, and it’s become one of the most valuable habits I have.

Some of my biggest breakthroughs in business and in life have come from working through these questions.

Here they are:
1) What were your top 5 goals? (and what % of each goal did you achieve of each?)
2) What were your top 10 achievements?
3) What were the top 5 crucial lessons that you learnt?
4) What were the top 5 things you got right this year?
5) What was the biggest risk you took this year?
6) What was the smartest decision you made this year?
7) Which 3 important relationships improved the most this year?
8) What did you do to make those relationships improve?
9) Who are the 5 people you spent the most time this year?
10) How did those 5 people influence you (positively or negatively)?
11) What were the 5 best books you read this year?
12) What are 5 things that you are most grateful for this year?
13) What are the top 5 things you need to STOP doing for next year to be incredible?
14) What are 5 powerful habits that you must develop for the coming year?
15) What 5 books and courses will you read and attend in the coming year that will guarantee you massive breakthroughs in work and in life?
16) What are your top 5 goals for this coming year?
17) What one word (or sentence) will be your theme for this coming year?

Feel free to use these questions for your own yearly review.

They’ve helped me build clearer plans and stronger habits as I start each year.

Because being in business should give you more life…

How to Take More Holidays From Your Business Next Year

Most business owners want more holidays…

But they’re waiting for the “perfect time” and it never comes.

There’s always another quote to finish.

Another client to follow up.

Another week that’s “too busy right now.”

But here’s the thing:

Time off doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design.

Here are three principles I teach clients to make holidays happen:

𝟭. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

Stop waiting for the right moment - put the dates in your 2026 calendar now.

Once they’re locked in, you naturally start shaping your workload around them.

𝟮. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.

Great holidays cost money, but with a little planning, your business can fund them.

Sometimes it’s just one extra client, a small margin improvement, or improving efficiencies.

When you know your number, you can plan for it.

𝟯. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲.

Holidays are one of the best tests of whether your business can run without you.

List what needs to happen in your absence, assign responsibilities, and train your team.

Each holiday you take becomes another step toward a business that isn’t dependent on you.

A number of years ago, I took five months off to travel around Europe with Sandra.

And it didn’t happen because I “found the time.”

It happened because I planned it 18 months in advance, built the right systems, hired the right people, and trusted my team.

So what holidays would you love to take in 2026?

Put them in your calendar now and create the plan to make them happen.

Because being in business should give you more life…

I was working with a client who runs several childcare centres.

Every week, they held a team meeting.

Everyone talked and shared.

But nothing really changed.

It had quietly become more of a talk fest.

Lots of discussion.

Not much action.

And definitely not the results they wanted.

So we made one simple shift:

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀 – 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭-𝟮 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗲.

So the agenda and the discussions had to tie back to key metrics.

And the results were immediate.

The meetings become shorter.

The team became far more focused.

And performance lifted because everyone knew exactly what to focus on.

Here’s the principle behind it:

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁.
B𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲.

So here’s a question for you:

If your team could only focus on one KPI each week, what would it be?

Because being in business should give you more life…

Lately I’ve been speaking with a lot of business owners, and I keep hearing the same thing:

They’re working hard… but not always with clarity.

They have goals in their head… but not in a plan.

They want next year to be different… but the day-to-day keeps pulling them back into old patterns.

I know that feeling well.

And that’s why I’ve opened just three spots for a personalised 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

This isn't a program or sales pitch.

It’s simply you and I mapping out the year ahead - clearly and practically.

In your session, we’ll work through:
• Where you are right now
• What you want 2026 to look like
• The bottlenecks slowing you down
• The key shifts that will create the biggest impact
• A simple, realistic plan so you know exactly what to focus on next

Every time I run these, people walk away feeling clearer, more focused, and far more confident about where they’re heading.

If you’ve been carrying too much in your head or you just want a plan you can actually stick to - this may be a good fit.

If you’d like one of the three spots, comment PLAN below or send me a message.

Because being in business should give you more life…

A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week

- George S. Patton

Where do you need to execute?

Remember version one is better than version none!

Super pumped ready for our final Quarterly Growth Day of 2025. Ready to help my clients set their sails for success and kickstart 2026 with momentum. 💥🚀

Do you ever feel like you’re always busy but not actually getting anything meaningful done?

When this is happening, usually you don’t have a time problem - you have a structure problem.

And one of the simplest fixes is something I get every client to create:

𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆.

It’s a weekly rhythm that tells your time where to go, instead of letting the week decide for you.

Here are five simple principles to build yours:

𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

Block family time, health, school pick-ups - your non-negotiables. Then add work around them.

𝟮. 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆.

Quoting, strategy, sales, leading your team - the things that actually move your business forward.

𝟯. 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀.

Stop switching all day. Batch emails, calls, quoting.
You’ll get more done with less stress.

𝟰. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆.

Use your best hours for your most important work.
And leave buffer for the unexpected.

𝟱. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺.

When people understand your rhythm, they’re far more likely to support it.
When you follow this, your week becomes calmer, more intentional, and far more productive.

Most clients tell me,
“I 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸.”

If you’d like a simple Default Diary template you can set up in under 30 minutes, just comment 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗥𝗬 or send me a message.

Because being in business should give you more life…

When something goes wrong in a business, most people quickly blame a person.

But the smarter move is to look at the system first.

Because in most cases, it’s not a “people problem” it’s a system problem.

W. Edwards Deming, father of the quality movement, famously said that 94% of problems are caused by the system, not the people.

Fix the system, and you fix the issue - without blame, frustration, or repeat mistakes.

Here’s a simple process to follow next time something breaks. Ask yourself:

1. Is there a system?
If not, create one. No one can follow what doesn’t exist.

2. If there is a system - does it need updating?
If yes, update it. Businesses evolve, and systems must evolve with them.

3. If the system is solid - has the person been trained in it?
If not, train them. A system only works when people know how to use it.

4. If the system is clear, and training has happened… only then look at the person.
But this is the exception, not the rule.

Always look to the system for a solution.

Because being in business should give you more life…

I’m deep in prep this week for our upcoming Quarterly Growth Day - one of my favourite parts of the work I do.

Each quarter I bring my clients together to step back from the day-to-day, get clear on priorities, and walk out with a practical 90-day plan they can execute.

Our next session is all about starting 2026 with clarity and confidence.

Right now, I’m refining a session on the Hedgehog Principle: what you can be the best in the world at, what drives your economic engine, and what you’re deeply passionate about.

It’s always powerful watching business owners get clarity on these three things because once they do, their plans become sharper and their growth becomes simpler.

I’m looking forward to seeing what insights this round unlocks.

Because being in business should give you more life…

One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is becoming a “me too” business.

• You compete on price instead of value
• Your marketing feels generic
• Customers can’t see why they should choose you
• You struggle to attract the clients you really want

That’s exactly what happened to Barry.

When Barry first started his business, he had big plans to do things differently.

But as things got busier, he slipped into the same patterns as everyone else:

Same messaging.
Same service.
Same customer experience.

He became another “me too” option and he knew it.

So we worked together using a simple set of questions (you can ask yourself these too):
• What do your competitors do well?
• What do they do poorly?
• What frustrates customers about your industry?
• Why do customers choose you over others?
• What bold promise could you make that would truly set you apart?

Very quickly, Barry realised where the gap was.

Most of his competitors used cheap parts, took forever to quote, and didn’t show up on time.

Customers hated that and Barry knew he could do better.

So he built a clear and compelling point of difference:

Barry’s 3 Points of Difference:
1) Always on time, with our quotes, when starting the job, and finishing the job;

2) Only genuine parts used, which means when we fix something, it stays fixed, when we install something, it keeps working, and if it doesn’t for some odd reason, we’ll fix it for free;

3) Clean and tidy - we’ll leave the area we work on cleaner than it was when we got there, and we’ll send you the picture to prove it.

As well as winning more work, the other advantage Barry got from this was the positive pressure to improve his processes and train his team so that his business lived up to its point of difference.

This is the power of defining your uniqueness

So what truly sets your business apart from everyone else in your industry?

Because being in business should give you more life…