2025 Year in Review

I used to be a “let’s go, let’s go” kind of person. Carefree. Enthusiastic. The type who’d make big decisions on the spot without overthinking.

But somewhere along the way, that changed.

Now I’m the person who thinks twice, three times… and ends up canceling plans. I second-guess myself. I overthink. And honestly? I’m not sure which version of me is better.

Sometimes this new caution saves me from wrong decisions. Other times, it also stops me from making the right ones.

I’m 36 now. Maybe this is what a mid-life crisis feels like. Or maturity?

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Getting Help (And Realizing It’s About Routines, Not Being Broken)

This year, I decided to see a psychiatrist.

Not because something was drastically wrong, but because I wanted to understand what was happening inside my head. Why did I feel this shift? Why was I suddenly so… different?

The answer was simpler than I expected: focus on the right routines, cut the wrong ones, and stick with it.

Nothing was broken. I just needed better structure.

I’ve also been using AI as my personal psychiatrist. It sounds strange, but it’s been incredibly helpful. Sometimes the AI gives me similar suggestions to my real psychiatrist. Other times, it helps me think through things in ways I wouldn’t have on my own. It’s become a daily tool for reflection and figuring myself out.

And one of the biggest routines I had to change? My relationship with my brother.

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The Brother Boundary I Should’ve Set Years Ago

My brother has bipolar disorder. I’ve written about this before in Behind the Smiles.

For the last 15–16 years, I’ve been there for him — financially, emotionally, physically. I cared for him like it was my responsibility. Because it felt like it was.

But this year, things got harder. The situation became more challenging, and I realized — I can’t keep doing this the same way.

After consulting with my psychiatrist, I made a decision that felt both necessary and guilt-inducing: I needed to create distance to protect my own mental health.

For the last four or five months, it’s been just a “hi, hello” kind of relationship. We don’t go deep into each other’s lives anymore.

And honestly? It’s helped me. A lot.

But I also feel guilty. Like I’m not being responsible. Like I’m abandoning him.

My doctor told me it’s okay to feel that way. That with time, the guilt will pass. I’m still waiting for that part.

But here’s what I know now: I have my own family to take care of. My son is five years old. My wife, my health, my peace of mind — they matter too.

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Business: The Year I Chose Learning Over Revenue

Let’s talk numbers.

ThemeGrill’s total revenue in 2025: +1%

Last year, we grew 5%. My target was 15%. So on paper, this year was a disappointment.

But here’s the thing — if I had to choose between hitting 15% revenue or the learning I gained this year, I’d choose the learning every single time.

2025 was my biggest year as a co-founder in terms of personal growth. And I’m confident that what I learned will help us do much better in 2026.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Themes: -16% (Last year: -28%) — improving trend
• User Registration & Membership (URM): +9.5% (Last year: +15%)
• Everest Forms: -2.4% (Last year: -2.3%)
• Masteriyo: +57% (Last year: +103%) — still small, but growing fast
• Woo products: +8.6% (Last year: +0%) — turned around from flat growth
• Others: -44%

Not the results I wanted. But I’m not worried.

Because this year, I finally understood what I was doing wrong — and more importantly, what I needed to do right.

Early in 2025, Rabin (my co-founder) and I attended WordCamp Asia in the Philippines. We met WordPress founders, networked, and took a much-needed vacation together. Rabin and I have been friends for 17–18 years and started ThemeGrill together 12–13 years ago. He’s been helping me over the years, and I’m grateful for that. We’ve also had other breaks within the country this year. Whenever we feel like we need a break or want to discuss business things, we meet up and do both — relax and talk shop. It works.

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The Mentorship That Wasn’t Enough

At the start of 2025, I signed up for six months of mentorship with a successful founder in our space.

It was good. We talked a lot. I learned things.

But there was a problem: it was all theoretical.

We’d discuss strategies, but when it came to implementing them in my business, I struggled. Some things worked, some didn’t. And I realized — I didn’t just need advice. I needed to see how someone else actually runs a business.

That’s when I decided to take a different approach.

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Selling 51% of Masteriyo — Not for Money, But for Learning

I met Ionut from Themeisle at WordCamp Europe in 2024. We had some discussions about Masteriyo, our LMS plugin, but nothing came of it right away.

In early 2025, we started talking again.

And I made a decision that surprised even me: I sold 51% of Masteriyo to Themeisle.

Not because I needed the money.
But because I wanted to learn.

At first, I thought about selling just 25–30%. But I realized — if I did that, their involvement would be passive. I wanted them fully in. I wanted to see how they think, how they develop products, how they manage resources.

So I pushed for 51%.

And it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made.

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What I Learned from Themeisle (Last Six Months)

The last six months of working with Themeisle team have been incredible.

Here’s what changed:

1. Profit & Loss Per Product
Before, we tracked overall P&L. But we didn’t break it down by product.
Now, we do. And it’s a game-changer.

In the initial days, maintaining product-wise P&L was kind of difficult. But now it’s structured and simple as well.

We can see exactly which products are profitable, where we’re wasting money, and where we should invest more.

2. Smarter Resource Allocation
Our total expenses stayed roughly the same. But we cut unnecessary spending and reallocated to the right areas.

The last three months? We’ve been using our resources way more efficiently.

3. Team Restructuring
At the start of 2025, we had 40+ people.
Now, we’re at 25+.

And no, I didn’t just randomly let people go. I focused on teammates who genuinely want to grow in WordPress and in their careers. I’m doubling down on them — pushing them, mentoring them, helping them get better.

For the others who weren’t doing well? After proper communication, I let them go. Not because they’re not good people, but because they might do better elsewhere.

My goal isn’t to shrink the team forever. It’s to build an efficient engine first. Once we’re running smoothly, then we can scale.

This approach — focusing on the right people — is also something I learned from Themeisle.

4. Better Results Across Other Products
The systems and mindset I learned from this partnership didn’t just help Masteriyo.
In the last three months, we’ve seen relatively better results in our other products too.

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I’m grateful to Ionut. The partnership has been one of the highlights of my year. He’s been helping not just with Masteriyo, but also with other questions I might have. I’m looking forward to what we can build together in 2026.

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Looking Ahead: 15% Growth in 2026

I’m genuinely hopeful about 2026.

The foundation is there. The systems are in place. The team is stronger.

My goal? 15% revenue growth.

But beyond revenue, we’ll also focus on a few new products in 2026. Not necessarily to increase revenue, but to experiment. To try to be creative. To learn — both for me and for the team.

In the next 2–3 weeks, we’re running a hackathon within the company to try to be creative and come up with some new simple products. We’d also like to explore beyond WordPress as well.

Maybe in the process, we’ll end up with genuine products. That’s my hope.

But even if we’re not able to create any new revenue-generating products, if we’re able to learn, I think that would be a big win for me and my team.

Let’s see how it goes.

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Side Hustles: The Reality Check

Remember in my Life Equation post when I rated side hustles at -2?

Yeah. Let me explain why.

About three years ago — back when I was still the “let’s go” version of myself — I started four side ventures:

1. Restaurant
I had a vacant ground floor in my house. I’m an IT person with zero restaurant experience, but I thought, why not?

So I started a restaurant. Built a team of 10 people. Managed it for the first month or two, then handed it over to a manager.

It’s been going slowly. Making a small profit, not losing money. Sometimes I wonder why I even did this, but I also think — it’s a learning experience. And I created 10 jobs. That counts for something.

2. Commercial Building
I also started building a commercial property on my family land around the same time.

It’s almost complete now. I’ve been meeting tenants, and about 40% of the space is close to being rented. But 60% is still vacant.

Oh, and I took a $350,000 loan to build it.

The installment payments have been challenging, but manageable. I’m a math person — I planned for this.

Still, if I could go back three years, I probably wouldn’t do it. But it’s a long-term investment. The building will last 50–100 years. It’ll be a good income source eventually. And it helps develop my local area.

So… mixed feelings.

3. Failed Investment
I invested in a business. It didn’t work out. We had to exit, dealt with legal issues, and it’s almost wrapped up now. Lesson learned.

4. The House I Built But Don’t Live In
I built a house for myself. Then realized I didn’t want to move from my current locality.

So now I rent that house out… and I live in a rental five minutes away.

Yeah. It’s as weird as it sounds.

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All four of these happened around the same time — when I was still making quick decisions without overthinking.

And honestly? They’ve been a hassle. Not all great, but definitely draining.

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The Health Wake-Up Call

One of my goals for 2025 was to be very fit.

I failed.

I went to the gym for a month. Then stopped. I didn’t take care of my health, and I ended up getting sick multiple times.

And here’s the thing — I used to play futsal every week for 14–15 years straight.

But I stopped about 1.5 years ago.

Looking back, I think that’s when my mental health started to dip.

Futsal wasn’t just exercise. It was my escape. The one time where I didn’t have to think about my personal life or business life. I could just focus on hitting some goals, burn some calories, have some sweets after the game. It was enjoyable.

Without it, I lost that outlet.

So for 2026, I’m getting back to it. Futsal, badminton, exercise — whatever it takes to be physically and mentally healthier.

Because I’ve realized: if I take care of my body, my mind will follow.

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Family: The Good Parts

My son is almost five years old now.

Since I work from home, I get to see him grow every single day. And honestly? Watching him is one of the happiest parts of my life.

Whenever I scroll through my phone, I end up watching his funny videos. They always make me smile.

He’s a smart kid. “Cleverly smart,” as I like to say. He reminds me of myself in a lot of ways. And that makes me happy.

My mother picks him up from school every day and brings him to my place, watching over him until I finish work. Then the three of us spend 30–60 minutes together. I’ve always been close to my mother, and this daily time means a lot to me.

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My wife got a new job this year as a senior consultant at a hospital. That’s a big win for her.

She also runs her own clinic, so she’s busy from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days.

Which means we get less time together.

That’s something we both need to work on in 2026. More quality time. More us.

We also did a Backyard Ultra Marathon together this year. It was a rare experience where we were both fully present, pushing ourselves, enjoying the challenge.

I want more of that in 2026.

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The Sabbatical Experiment

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about: taking a 2–3 month sabbatical in 2026.

Not because I’m burned out. But because I’m curious.

I’ve been working on ThemeGrill for 12–13 years straight. I start every day with a smile. I genuinely enjoy my work.

But what would happen if I stepped away for a few months?

What would I feel? What would I realize?

I think of it as an experiment. A reset. A way to see life from a different angle.

I’m also considering working only 5–6 hours a day — fully focused, fully productive — and then actually relaxing the rest of the time.

Let’s see if I can make that happen.

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Money: It’s a Side Product

I’m not money-oriented at this point.

Whatever I own, whatever I have saved, is enough for me. I’m comfortable.

For me, money is a side product of running a successful business. If I build something meaningful and sustainable, the money will follow.

My focus isn’t on hitting a specific number. It’s on doing good work, growing the right way, and helping my team succeed.

That said, I do look forward to passive income from the restaurant and commercial building. Once those stabilize, they’ll be nice additions.

But they’re not the goal. They’re just part of the journey.

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Final Thoughts

2025 was heavy. It was messy. It was full of tough decisions and hard realizations.

But it was also a year of learning, growth, and clarity.

I set a boundary with my brother that I should’ve set years ago.
I chose learning over revenue — and I don’t regret it.
I partnered with Themeisle and transformed how I run my business.
I restructured my team, fixed my expenses, and built better systems.

And I started to understand myself a little better.

The carefree version of me made bold moves. The overthinking version of me is more cautious.

I don’t know which one is better yet. Maybe I don’t need to choose. Maybe the best version is somewhere in the middle.

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If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading.

2025 wasn’t perfect. But it was real. And I’m sharing it here — raw and unfiltered — in case it helps even one person feel less alone in their own messy journey.

Here’s to 2026. Let’s see what happens next.

Happy New Year.