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Happy New Year!

Is 2026 coming with new goals, new affirmations, and new promises?

That ritual of treating each new year as a blank canvas seems harmless at face value.

But it is incomplete. Progress does not come from resets.

And before 2026 begins, there are a few truths worth sitting with, especially if you are building a business, leading people, or calling yourself an entrepreneur.

Let’s start the year with the uncomfortable ones.

After all the talk of impact, purpose, and social good, learn to be honest with yourself. You want to make money. That’s the bottom line.

There is nothing immoral about that. Most of your problems can be solved with money.

Profit is proof of usefulness. Read that slowly and let it sink in.

Do not feel guilty for being prosperous; it is by no means a betrayal of purpose. Money keeps the lights on, salaries paid, and your family well fed.

You have a big problem if you do not want money. Or want it without respecting what it demands of you.

Which leads to the second truth.

Whether you believe success comes from God, Allah, ancestors, luck, timing, or sheer effort, money does not manage itself. It requires structure. And structure requires hierarchy.

Don’t put everyone ahead of yourself.

One of the quiet reasons many people remain stuck is that the moment money appears, discipline disappears. Early gains are mistaken for abundance. And suddenly, you become a philanthropist. You suddenly think you are Elon Musk!!!

Every friend’s rent. Every cousin’s school fees. Every other person’s emergency suddenly sounds more urgent than your own plans.

Money can neither accumulate nor compound if you are everyone’s financial safety net. Generosity without boundaries is not noble. It is foolishness.

There is a season to give and a season to keep. Confusing the two is costly.

If giving is your attempt to buy goodwill, loyalty, or reputation, prepare to be disappointed. Bill Gates has spent billions eradicating disease, funding research, and supporting global health initiatives and still finds himself at the centre of conspiracy theories.

If billions cannot secure universal goodwill, what exactly do you expect a year’s savings to accomplish?

Give because it aligns with your values, not because you are trying to be liked. And never give at the expense of your own sustainability.

And never take from your business cash flow to meet your philanthropic endeavours.

This is where many entrepreneurs self-sabotage.

Sales improve slightly, and suddenly, everything must be upgraded. New software. More staff. Bigger office. Better tools.

But revenue growth is not the same as readiness.

If you are a photographer, a good year does not automatically justify new gear. There will always be better cameras, better lenses, better lighting. Equipment companies depend on your insecurity. If every profit becomes an upgrade, you will never build reserves.

The same applies across industries. Better sales do not require more complexity. Often, they need restraint.

If something works, resist the urge to interfere.

Programmers put it best when they say: "If It Works, don't Touch It."

Too many founders confuse motion with progress. They change systems that are functioning, add costs before maximising value, and hire before improving efficiency.

Optimise before you expand. Get better before you get bigger.

Better leads to growth. Bigger often leads to bloat.

As the proverb reminds us: what is good is good; you cannot add salt to milk.

This one needs to be said plainly.

Bad decisions produce bad outcomes.

Not every delay is spiritual warfare. Not every setback is divine testing. Not every loss is the devil at work.

Sometimes it is cause and effect.

You ignored the numbers. You avoided hard conversations. You repeated mistakes. You delayed decisions.

Actions have consequences. Refusing to acknowledge that only prolongs the lesson.

When people walk away, it is tempting to call it pruning of people who are not good for you. And sometimes it is.

But sometimes, it is stagnation. Your stagnation!

Repeating the same mistakes. Telling the same stories. Avoiding accountability. Expecting sympathy without change.

Growth has very little tolerance for excuses.

Eventually, people move on, not because they are bad, but because you are standing still.

Astronauts describe something called the Overview Effect. This is a cognitive shift that happens when they see Earth from space.

No borders. No flags. No races. No hierarchies.

Just one fragile planet suspended in darkness.

From that distance, conflicts shrink. Differences soften. Interdependence becomes obvious.

In a world where extremists amplify hatred, racism, and xenophobia under the banners of nationalism or patriotism, it is worth remembering that we are more than our race, colour, tribe, gender, political affiliation, or nationality.

There is no me without you.

We call this Ubuntu. I am because you are.

BMW Group South Africa is hosting a Yes4Youth (Y4Y) programme in 2026. The Y4Y Program is our commitment and a collaborative effort to address youth unemployment in South Africa, enabling youth to develop new skills and gain meaningful workplace experience. The program is tailored to empower participants with hands-on work experience in their chosen field.

The program is aimed at participants between the ages of 18 and 34, who have completed their studies, have not participated in a Y4Y program before, and are currently unemployed.

Read more and apply here.

Every yes needs clear criteria
↳ Check each request against your top 3 goals

Today, investing legend and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett is handing off the reins at the conglomerate he founded.

1. “It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.”

The best successes in the workplace can come from those who are consistent. Flashy ideas and grandiose plans only take you so far.

2. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

Anyone’s reputation can quickly take a hit. Always act with integrity. Otherwise, a whole career can be ruined easily, no matter the effort over the years.

3. “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”

It’s important to focus on tasks at hand and not get too bogged down in various projects. Otherwise, it’s easier to end up doing nothing well at all.

4. “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.”

An investor should always do his or her homework before making decisions.

5. “Never invest in a business you cannot understand.”

You should only invest your money in companies and industries that you know about.

6. “Chains of habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”

Bad habits will end up harming you. Stop getting too comfortable; instead, ensure that you remain open to change.

7. “You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.”

If you don’t fail too much, you can be professionally successful with a few wins to your name.

Botswana was the leading African country in favouring women's entrepreneurship in 2021. In the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE), the country scored 56.3 points and was followed by South Africa (54.9) and Ghana (51.1). According to the index, these nations not only have a high percentage of female-owned businesses but also formally support women entrepreneurs.

Contrary to popular belief, first movers do not automatically win; many markets are ultimately dominated by fast followers with better execution. Google and Facebook are good examples of this.

Sustainable advantage comes less from being first and more from timing, execution, defensibility, and adaptability.

One whose seeds have not sprouted does not give up planting.

Meaning: Don’t give up even when you don’t see results. Keep working, pushing and planting. One day, your breakthrough will come.

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