The Q4 Pruning Assessment

On my morning walk here on the farm yesterday, something caught my eye that has a valuable business lesson in it.

It's called a stump sprout.

In 2011, we had a timber harvest here and this tulip poplar tree was cut down.

Most people are sad when a tree of any kind is cut but especially a large mature tree like this one was. And I get it.

It's hurts to see a majestic 75-year-old tree fall to the ground.

But as an amateur forester and silviculturist, I know that without harvesting, the forest can become sick and inefficient.

One of the reasons early settlers were in such awe at the beauty and size of old-growth forest wasn't because Mother Nature was left alone to do it all herself. It was because the local indigenous people actively managed and pruned the forest through cutting, pruning, and controlled burns of the forest floor.

When a tree is cut and if the forest is managed properly, new growth erupts from the stump—often more vigorously than the original tree. The cut doesn't kill it. The cut makes way for something new and exciting to grow in its place.

And cutting and pruning is exactly what every business needs before 2026.

Here's what I have for you in this issue:

🛠️ The Q4 Pruning Assessment: Nine areas to examine before 2026

🤖 The "Strategic Pruning" Prompt: Identify what to cut, keep, and cultivate

Why I'm Talking About This Now

Two weeks ago, I let a team member go. It never feels good to do that. And it always happens later than it should have.

His performance had slipped and I gave him every opportunity to improve.

He didn't.

Days later, another team member told me they were leaving, taking their life in a different direction. That cut didn't hurt. It felt natural.

Two cuts. Two different experiences. Same result: new growth became possible.

And it felt like a wet blanket had been lifted off of me.

I had newfound clarity. We're experiencing new growth...our own kind of stump sprout.

And it doesn't happen despite the cut. It happens because of it.

The Q4 Paradox

We're in that strange season, the final months of the year where we're simultaneously:

• Sprinting toward year-end goals
• Reflecting on what worked
• Planning for 2026

Nature understands this rhythm. Trees strategically shed what they no longer need to survive winter and explode with spring growth.

Your business needs the same.

But most consultants focus only on the sprint—hitting targets, closing deals—without pruning what's holding them back. They drag exhausted systems, draining clients, and outdated thinking straight into January.

That's not a fresh start. That's rolling over old problems.

The Nine-Area Pruning Assessment

Before you sprint into 2026, examine these nine areas. Miss even one, and you'll carry unnecessary weight into the new year.

1. Team

Who energizes you vs. drains you? Poor performers who won't change? Cut fast. Good people moving in different directions? Bless and release. High performers? Keep them close.

2. Clients

The 80/20 nobody admits: One difficult $5K client consuming 20 hours of emotional energy is worth less than a great $3K client who trusts you and refers others.

3. Services

What are you offering out of obligation vs. genuine expertise? Every "yes" to mediocre work is a "no" to mastering your genius.

4. Activities

What fills your calendar but moves nothing forward? Networking events generating zero business. Meetings that should be emails. Coffee chats with people who'll never become clients.

5. Beliefs & Mindset

What did you believe in 2020 that's no longer true? "Trade time for money" needs to become "trade insights for money, amplified by AI."

6. Expenses

Where is money bleeding without clear return? Zombie subscriptions. Conferences generating no business. Marketing with no measurable ROI. The 90-Day Rule: If an expense can't justify its value in the last quarter, cut it.

7. Systems & Tools

Is your tech stack simplifying work or adding complexity? An expense might be justified financially, but if managing the tool steals 2 hours weekly, that's $800-1600 in lost monthly revenue.

8. Food & Drink

What are you putting in your body that's stealing your energy? The 3 PM sugar crash. The late-night decision to have "just one more drink." The fast food because you're "too busy." You can't serve clients at your highest level running on garbage fuel.

9. Relationships

Who lifts you up vs. pulls you down? The friend who constantly complains but never changes. The mastermind group that's become a complaint session. The family member who dismisses your business dreams. Energy is finite. Protect it ruthlessly.

The Five Questions

Ask These About All Nine Areas

1. What am I tolerating that's draining my energy?
   Not failing—draining. Something can work perfectly and still exhaust you.
   
   
2. What worked in 2025 that won't work in 2026?
   The landscape shifted. What got you here won't get you there.
   
   
3. If I were starting fresh today, what would I NOT do?
   Remove sunk cost bias. Past investment doesn't justify future waste.
   
   
4. What's growing from my energy vs. depleting it?
   If something consistently depletes you, it's stealing from what could grow.
   
   
5. Where am I spending time/money/energy out of habit?
   Habit is the enemy of optimization.

The Cut, Keep, Cultivate Framework

CUT

Team draining energy. Clients disrespecting boundaries. Services outside your genius. Activities generating no results. Limiting beliefs. Expenses with no 90-day ROI. Complex systems. Energy-draining food. Toxic relationships.

KEEP

Solid performers. Good clients. Competent services. Result-producing activities. Aligned beliefs. Essential expenses. Reliable systems. Nourishing food. Supportive relationships.

CULTIVATE

Top performers. Dream clients. Signature methodology. 10X activities. Empowering beliefs. Strategic investments. Simple systems. Energy-giving nutrition. Life-giving relationships.

Your 9-Day Pruning Plan 

One area per day. Don't rush this.

🗓 Day 1: Team Assessment

🗓 Day 2: Client Evaluation

🗓 Day 3: Service Audit

🗓 Day 4: Activity Review

🗓 Day 5: Belief Inventory

🗓 Day 6: Expense Analysis

🗓 Day 7: Systems Simplification

🗓 Day 8: Food & Drink Audit

🗓 Day 9: Relationship Assessment

The Pruning Secret

The cut isn't the end. It's the beginning.

When you remove what's draining resources, energy flows to what matters. Revenue doesn't drop—it often increases because you're finally focused on high-value work.

You don't burn out from working hard on the right things. You burn out from working hard on the wrong things.

Pruning isn't about doing less. It's about removing everything preventing you from being exceptional at what matters.

What Comes Next

You may have noticed this issue feels different—more personal, more reflective, less AI-polished.

That's intentional. As we head into 2026, I'm evolving this newsletter to be more authentically me.

Expect more farm stories, more hard-won wisdom, more humanity. Less template. More truth.

Want to dive deeper? Check out these related articles:

👉  The Lead Activation Framework From Content Consumers to Retainer Clients
👉  The Content Multiplication System

You might also find these interesting:

🔎  The 10X Brainpower Lever: How Top Consultants Multiply Output Without Working More
🔎  The Human Edge: Why AI's Trust Problem Is Your Biggest Opportunity

P.S.: When you're ready, here are more ways I can help you...