Our featured article either offers a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re up to at Empower or provides a fresh lens on how to grow, operate or think differently about business.
THE Q1 SCORECARD
Let’s take a moment to give ourselves a pat on the back. We’ve all made it through the first significant measuring stick of the year: Q1.
How does it feel?
Most people I engaged with this past quarter (myself included) felt like we jumped into January 🔥. Since then, the hustle’s been real, the macro feels shaky, but there’s also a level of commitment, decisiveness and investment that I didn’t experience last year. The latter is encouraging.
Walking my own talk
I talk to a lot of founders and teams about instilling accountability structures, including goal setting, so it seems only fair that I hold myself to the same standard. That’s why I’ve gotten into a rhythm of sharing my quarterly objectives and performance.
It’s not to be performative (honestly, sometimes I don’t like the look in the mirror). The point is to use myself as an example and to illuminate how focusing on a key set of quarterly objectives helps you stay grounded in what really matters, even when there’s a pull to go in 100 divergent directions.
If you’ve been here a while, you’re probably already familiar with my approach to transparently sharing quarterly scorecards. If you’re new, here you go!
Empower’s Q1: Focused execution. One miss will require Q2 catch-up.
Since I’ve worked on integrating EOS into a partner organization, I decided I’d leverage the EOS toolkit for goal-setting in 2026. It starts with being clear on my 1-year plan. Then, deconstructing that into 90-day sprints with a core set of clearly defined Rocks.
I set five Rocks in Q1. I didn’t hit 100%+ (which, spoiler alert, is never the point of goal-setting), but this is probably the best performance I’ve had since launching Empower nearly two years ago. As they say, progress beats perfection, right?
The core five focus areas and results
✅ ACHIEVED: Retain an existing Fractional COO client through Q1 2026.
❌ MISSED: Secure one new retained Fractional COO engagement by March 31.
⭐ EXCEEDED: Engage one new partner with our Empower Progress offering by February (RESULT: two new partners).
⭐ Drive optimizations such that we achieve a profit margin of at least 65% for Q1 (RESULT: ~70%).
🟡 NEARLY HIT: Increase founder focus by freeing up at least five hours per week on admin and marketing tasks by EOQ.
Importantly, I hit 80% of my revenue target and exceeded my profitability goal. I also closed a new project sprint engagement on the last day of the quarter. I’m very excited to kick that one off next week!
What this quarter taught me
It’s great to hit a milestone. It’s equally important to reflect, learn and apply forward.
Here are three things I’m taking from the first three months of 2026:
The unexpected will happen: There was an unprecedented ice storm in Nashville at the end of January that threw me and a lot of the city for a loop. There were local opportunities scheduled to close that week or in early February. One event changed the course of this quarter and was a large factor in the revenue miss.
Timing is everything: There were multiple conversations this quarter that led to mutual excitement about moving forward, and then a stall. Disappointing, but the reasons were more around fundraising or a revenue unlock for the budget vs. fit. I’m hoping a couple of those engagements come to fruition later in the year, but I also can’t hang my projections on them.
Make time to delegate effectively: This one’s relevant for me personally and for partners. For me, I hired part-time help in February, and it’s been a good reminder of how important it is to onboard people with the context they need to get up-to-speed and add value quickly. Delegation sometimes fails because people skip the setup. For the record, this is true of humans and AI. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve any time savings this quarter without that person + my AI buddies. In all cases, it required upfront investment.
Other fun things that happened
The Rocks helped me stay focused, and execution was tighter as a result. In the pursuit, there are a handful of other fun things that happened this quarter, worth taking a moment to celebrate.
🎉 I’ve been selected to be on one non-profit board and nominated for a second. Very excited about both opportunities!
🎉 In pursuit of building a stronger community and networking differently, I’ve co-hosted three (HER) Coffee events for female entrepreneurs and four signature evening events through my (HER) Parlour collaboration in Nashville. March was a highlight, with an inspiring evening in honor of Women’s History Month.
🎉 2026 speaking engagements kicked off with a lunch-and-learn at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
🎉 I finally finished the audiobook of 1929. Great to finish, but maybe not so fun thinking about how history may repeat itself.
🎉 I vibe coded an app and I’m actively user testing. If you’re someone who tends be the travel planner in your crew and you want to check it out as a tester, reply to this newsletter.
What’s coming
I’m entering Q2 no less ambitious. There’s ground to make up on the revenue side, and I’m clear on what needs to happen to catch up.
I’m leaning into the focus. I’m doubling down on my 2026 word of the year: rhythm.
I’ll report back in July.
My two cents
Yes, the quarterly scorecard is naturally a performance grade. However, if you simply take the grade and move on, you’re probably missing the point. Use these natural milestones throughout the year to take stock, reflect and adapt to what may have changed.
A peek into another entrepreneurial journey. The wins, challenges, pivots and lessons.
MEET JORDAN VON TAGEN, CO-FOUNDER OF BIG FALCON DIGITAL
Q: When did you know you were destined to build a business?
A: “Since I can remember. My grandparents and my dad were all entrepreneurs.“
Q: What’s the most unexpected thing (+/-) that’s happened along your entrepreneurial journey?
A: “The most unexpected thing has been realizing how much of a mirror this journey is. Starting a business has revealed to me all the great and ugly about myself.“
Q: When did you hit your first scaling challenge, and how did you overcome it?
A: “The biggest scaling challenge wasn't fully realized until our fifth year of business. We realized we were trying to be a general drone service provider and classify anyone as a potential prospect if they were simply ‘excited about drones.’ Turns out, everyone's excited about drones, because drones are awesome. But that doesn't make everyone a potential client. So in our fifth year, our whole team read the book, ‘How To Win Without Pitching Manifesto’ by Blair Enns. We instantly realized we needed to fully niche down. We decided to solely focus on serving the construction and manufacturing industries. The following year, we had our best year of business yet and nearly doubled our revenue compared to the prior year.“
Q: If you were starting all over, what’s one piece of advice you would give yourself?
A: “Start SEO early and take it seriously.“
Q: Do you have one ask or offer you would like to share with the Empower community?
A: “If you know any land developers or plant directors, I would love an introduction. My email is [email protected].”
Q: A fun one, what’s your all-time favorite restaurant and where is it located?
A: “All-time favorite is Kayne Prime in Nashville, TN. I've only eaten there once, but I'll never forget it. Unreal food and service.“
Curated reads or listens that piqued my interest and might spark new ideas for you, too.
SINCE LAST EDITION…
Lessons for building in the AI age.
J.W. Marriott as an outlier.
The evolution of solo founders.
The art of influence.
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