You Carved the Turkey. Here’s What
You Need to Slice Next
This
is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to simplify, shrink, and get rid of old rules
and processes that no longer make sense in our new global economy.
EXPERT OPINION BY HOWARD TULLMAN, GENERAL MANAGING PARTNER, G2T3V
AND CHICAGO HIGH TECH INVESTORS @HOWARDTULLMAN1
Dec 2,
2025
As we reflect on a
bittersweet Thanksgiving for so many—and the very uncertain prospects for the
coming year that may deliver even worse greed, sycophancy, and narcissism than
the year we’ve just suffered through—we’ve still been afforded a moment with family
and friends to take stock and determine what actions and commitments in our
lives and businesses are things that we want to do and really worth doing.
It’s a great time to
dump the many painful and useless efforts, activities and appendages we’ve
accumulated like barnacles over the years, which no longer make sense, justify
their cost and weight, or even offer us joy, comfort or solace. Life and the time
we have are both too short to chase empty dreams and false hopes.
Without apologies or
excuses, as we finally distance ourselves from the ravages of the pandemic and
try to get past the everyday offenses, the sheer gluttony and grift, and the
disgusting self-dealing we see in D.C., we’re at a point where we can simply and
swiftly shed portions of our own past actions, behaviors, and “obligations”
without paying any real social or emotional price.
Many of us who were
lucky enough to survive the past year physically, mentally, and financially
without our lives and businesses being damaged beyond repair definitely feel
that we dodged a bullet, even as we’ve sadly watched our country be torn apart
by a corrupt criminal. Now’s the time for every business owner to start the
year-end review and begin the process of determining when and where changes
need to be made to move away from our past.
It’s not a matter of
restoring or even rebuilding the old; it’s a time to reinvent and reimagine the
future of what can be. The trick for tomorrow will be to learn how to strip
down and simplify our products and services and our lives as well to get more
done with less. It couldn’t be more important to get back to basics and focus
on solid execution and on delivering on the promises you’ve made to yourself,
your family, your employees, and your customers. It’s a time to ask not just
how and when, but why as well. If there’s no compelling reason to offer or
provide something, maybe there’s no need at all, apart from sheer inertia, to
keep doing certain things, other than that’s the way things have “always” been
done.
The greatest single
failing of most entrepreneurs is that they rarely know when to stop. Sometimes
you just need to take a breath, take the win, and stop pushing and selling. For
many established businesses, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to simplify,
shrink, and get rid of old rules, processes, and commitments that make little
or no sense today in the new global economy. For example, the pandemic taught
us that speed, access and resilience, not space and travel, are clearly the
drivers of the digital world. Somehow, many of the excesses of the past that
seemed so essential now feel unnecessary and wretchedly extreme.
As sad as it may be for
some, we no longer respect tradition or even history; it’s all about innovation
and novelty. At way too many companies, traditions are simply costly
encumbrances and nothing more than excuses to avoid change. Over the years,
just like ships, businesses develop barnacles and accumulate things that they
ask their people to routinely do, even if no one remembers exactly why. In the
age of Docusign, hunting down and paying a notary public to sign off on certain
legal documents is just one of many stupid remnants of times gone by, which
need to be put down and done away with. We’re finally seeing a digital solution
to that particular ancient artifact. Illinois, under our new Secretary of State, Alexi Giannoulias, is leading that charge.
For startups,
the post-pandemic “pause to reflect, refresh, and redo” is an even more
critical chance to course-correct and fix things before they solidify, and you
get stuck with them as you rush to return to business as usual. Now’s the time
to get out from under commitments you made that no longer make any sense,
promises that were premised on powers you’ve learned you no longer possess (and
maybe never had), and plans to grow and scale which require radical
reappraisal.
Anyone can make a
mistake, but if you continue down the wrong path, you run the risk of
internalizing and institutionalizing the bad behaviors and making it
exponentially much harder to ditch them down the line. Where you came from and
where you were headed is still relevant, but being a prisoner of the past
serves no one and makes no sense. Don’t be afraid, wherever you’re at in your
company, to ask why and occasionally to question and challenge even some of the
“feel-good” things you see around you. And, of course, losing sight of reality
and practicality aren’t limited to business choices and decisions. Overdoing
just about anything is now an omnipresent part of our life and times, and too
much apparently is never enough for some people.
