Top Business Decisions of 2024: The Best and Worst

As 2024 comes to a close, this year seems to have flown by faster than ever. Perhaps it’s because it was so eventful, or maybe I’m just getting older.

Interestingly, I’ve noticed fewer year-end reflections from my peers on social media. Strange, isn’t it? 😁

This year, I had to make twice as many business decisions, conduct more experiments, and test more ideas than usual. As a result, I’ve accumulated some valuable insights that I’d like to share. Hopefully, they might be useful to someone.

Let’s start with the worst decisions:

1. Postponing Difficult Decisions

When something (or someone) wasn’t working, it became obvious quite quickly. Yet, I often delayed decisions about firing employees or shutting down ineffective initiatives. I tried to approach these decisions from every possible angle, but in the process, I lost precious time.

Not once did such delays lead to better outcomes. The issues simply piled up, canceling out any potential benefits that might have been gained.

Lesson learned: Don’t delay decisions. If something isn’t working or isn’t delivering results, act quickly to address it.

2. Wasting Time on Middlemen

Perhaps due to the economic crisis, or maybe for other reasons, the market seems flooded with middlemen. Some offer warm introductions to investors, while others promise connections to potential clients. In my experience, this has been a complete waste of time.

If someone truly has valuable connections or expertise, they won’t monetize them in such a superficial way. For example, if you know a lot of great VCs, why not launch your own startup and secure funding through them instead of selling introductions?

Lesson learned: Eliminate middlemen in all business processes.

3. Relying on Overly Optimistic Projections

I’m naturally optimistic, which sometimes leads me to overestimate what’s feasible. For instance, I’ve often thought, “This month we’ll easily close deals worth $XXXXX” or “Let’s hire this person—they’ll definitely handle the process flawlessly.” But in 80% of cases, the optimistic scenarios didn’t materialize.

Lesson learned: In stable times, it’s wise to stay realistic. In today’s uncertain climate, leaning toward a slightly pessimistic outlook helps you prepare for worst-case scenarios.

Now, let’s move on to the best decisions:

1. Narrowing Focus

The best results came when I concentrated on a single priority—whether it was product development, hiring, or building a new process.

There’s something about cutting out distractions that makes your brain naturally align with the right direction. You generate better ideas, find faster solutions, and everything flows more smoothly.

Lesson learned: Focus, focus, and more focus. Work on one thing at a time, say no to extra projects, and simplify your priorities.

2. Diving Deeper into Processes

A few years ago, I believed the ideal management style was to delegate tasks to your team and let them handle everything independently. But that approach doesn’t work as seamlessly as it sounds. For processes to run efficiently, they need close oversight and plenty of questions to address all nuances. This isn’t about micromanagement—it’s about meaningful engagement.

This year, by immersing myself in various lower-level processes, I managed to double efficiency while reducing costs by half.

Lesson learned: Increased process control leads to better outcomes.

3. Trusting My Instincts

The founder’s intuition is an incredible skill that needs to be honed. I’ve noticed that when I listen to my inner voice, it often points me toward the right decisions—even if they seem illogical at first glance.

Lesson learned: Rely more on your instincts.

I hope these insights will be helpful to you, and wishing everyone the best of luck in 2025!

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About the author

Artem Gladkikh
Founder & CEO, Signum.AI
Building The Ecosystem That Transforms Marketers Into AI-Driven Experts.

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