A Better New Year’s Resolution Alternative for Founders

People search for a New Year’s resolution alternative when they already know the old model is broken. Gyms, apps, and blank journals are not the problem. Private annual goals without a scoreboard are the problem. Founders feel this first: the business will always outshout a goal nobody can see.

What “alternative” should mean

A real alternative is not a rebranded to-do list. It should include:

• Public commitment — your name on the line
• Fixed numbers — countable, not poetic
• Weekly sizing — the year decomposes into reps
• Peer visibility — someone notices if you go dark
• Restart rules — progress over purity

That is the design of the 50/50 10/10 2/2 Challenge from Steve Simonson and Catalyst88 — purpose-built as a New Year’s resolution alternative for entrepreneurs, sellers, and operators.

The alternative in one screen

For twelve months, you publicly commit to:

• 50 new sellers met in person
• 50 books read (audio counts)
• 10 impact tactics extracted from what you learn
• 10% improvement intent on each tactic
• 2 new marketing funnels or sales channels
• 2 advisors added to your (currently non-existent) board

Decode the brand string: 5050101022. The numbers are the product.

How this differs from a classic resolution

Classic resolutions optimize for identity fantasy in week one. This alternative optimizes for behavior under load in week twenty. See the full comparison: resolution vs. public commitment. For the failure autopsy, read why New Year’s resolutions fail.

Who this is for

• Founders who have recycled the same January goals
• Operators who want personal growth and business growth on one board
• Anyone who performs better when the score is visible

If you want a longer menu of founder-oriented goals before you commit, start with New Year’s resolutions for entrepreneurs and business New Year resolutions.

Start any day — including January 1

Using this as your New Year’s resolution is encouraged. Requiring January 1 is not. Your twelve months begin when you post the commitment in the Catalyst88 community. That post is the scoreboard.