Every December, before Christmas chaos fully kicks in, we sit down and do one of the most important things we do all year:
our year-end review.

Not a goal-setting session.
Not a vision board.
Not a “rah rah, next year’s our year” meeting.

It’s called The 4 Helpful Lists.

We’ve done this exercise every year since we started Moe Bros. It’s simple, uncomfortable in the right ways, and responsible for some of our biggest breakthroughs.

The 4 Helpful Lists

Every year, we make four lists:

• Right – What’s working and worth protecting

• Wrong – What’s broken or costing us momentum

• Missing – What should exist, but doesn’t

• Confused – What’s unclear or misaligned

That’s it. Four lists. This way, even we can’t make it confusing.

How We Do It

First, we write our lists on our own.

No talking. No comparing notes. Just brutal honesty on paper.

This is harder than it sounds because entrepreneurs want to solve problems immediately. This forces us not to.

No fixing, defending, or justifying.

Just naming reality.

Then we come together and compare lists. It always starts calm… sometimes it even stays that way.

Some items match word-for-word.

Some surprise each other.

And there’s always one line where one of us looks up slowly and says, “You serious?”

The goal isn’t to win. It’s to see the business clearly and consolidate everything into one honest snapshot.

Why This Works: Facing the Brutal Reality

This part really matters.

There’s a concept from Good to Great called the Stockdale Paradox. In plain English, it means great leaders do two things at the same time: 

They believe, without question, that they’re going to win in the end.

And they’re brutally honest about how messy things are right now.

Not fake optimism or pretending everything’s “fine.”

Reality. The uncomfortable kind.

The Helpful Lists force us into that mindset every single year.

We’re confident in where Moe Bros is going, but we can't ignore what’s broken, unclear, or missing along the way.

This exercise removes our ability to lie to ourselves. Which, if we’re being honest, is a skill most entrepreneurs are way too good at.

You can’t fix what you won’t name.

And you don’t get better by avoiding things that make you squirm a little.

A Real Example: The Truck

One of our favorite examples came from year one.

Scotty was still living in Chicago, driving down to St. Louis as necessary to manage rehabs and deliver supplies.

In a Hyundai Sonata.

The same Sonata he’s had for eleven years.

The same one that keeps producing metal shavings in the oil.

And yes… he still drives it.

Every month, that car was packed like Tetris. It worked, technically. But we looked like two kids trying to run a business with our pants on backwards.

When we did our year-end review, something finally landed clearly in the Missing category:

We didn’t have a truck.

Obvious now. Not obvious then.

So a couple weeks later, we bought one. Eight-foot bed. Topper. Nothing flashy.

And it was a game-changer.

Now supplies get delivered efficiently, stress dropped, and we started operating like adults. We didn’t realize how badly we needed it until we slowed down and named what was missing.

Another Year: When “Flexible” Was Just Confusing

In 2022, Scotty’s travel schedule landed in the Confused category.

He was still working full-time but had flexibility. The problem was we never defined what that flexibility meant.

So trips happened whenever it made sense. Which sounds reasonable. And also isn’t a plan.

Some months he was visiting multiple times.

Some months barely at all.

And we kept saying, “Yeah, we should probably figure out a rhythm.”

We didn’t. Until it showed up on the list.

Once written down, the issue was obvious: no agreed-upon cadence.

So we set one. Specific weeks. Clear expectations. Defined priorities.

It worked, and TJ’s wife regained the basic human right of knowing when her brother-in-law was coming over.

Early On: When “Missing” Was Basically… Everything

In our first year, the Missing list was almost comical. Not funny like a joke. Funny like, “How are we even allowed to run a business?”

We didn’t just have gaps. We didn’t even know what gaps existed yet.

What did make the Missing List:

• Profit

• Business insurance

• On the ground help (because our project manager, Scotty, lived 5 hours away)

• Painter, electrician and plumber (preferably the kind that show up)

• An accountant

• And our personal favorite:“celebrating small victories”
  (Because let’s just say there weren’t many)

That list wasn’t strategic. It was survival.

Looking back, it reads less like a business plan and more like two guys realizing hustle alone is not a system.

Fast Forward: A Much More Grown-Up Kind of Missing

This year, consistent owner salaries made the Missing list.

Believe it or not, we didn’t pay ourselves a dime from the business for the first four years. We were focused on buying rental properties, and that didn’t leave much room for getting paid.

Two years ago, we started paying ourselves a modest salary, but it fluctuated. This year, we decided it was time to change that.

We won’t be driving Ferraris anytime soon, but this plan might put Scotty on pace to replace his $1,500 Hyundai Sonata by 2030.

What Happens Over Time

When you repeat this exercise year after year, you see progress.

You look back and say:

• “That used to be broken.”

• “We fixed that.”

• “We hired for that.”

• “Why did that ever feel so hard?”

We’ve also learned:

• Problems don’t fix themselves.

• Many “complex” issues were just unnamed problems that needed a little thought.

• Half the breakthroughs happen when we finally sit down with a full list in front of us and see the obvious holes in the business.

It’s one of the best ways we’ve found to measure growth, not just in the business, but in us.

Our Challenge to You

Before the year ends, take one hour:

Make your four lists.
Be honest.
Name reality.

And try not to start a big fight with your business partner right before Christmas because you finally have an excuse to name the thing that’s been bothering you all year.

If you do it right, you’ll start January with clarity instead of chaos.

This rhythm has grown Moe Bros year after year.
We’re not special (obviously). There's no magic.
We just choose not to operate in chaos when clarity is available.

From our family to yours,

Merry Christmas, God bless you all, and enjoy celebrating the birth of our Savior with your loved ones.

Here’s to a clear start to the new year.

—The Moe Bros

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; And the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". - Isaiah 9:6