January is tricky. New Year’s resolutions? That first week back at work, you tell yourself you are the kind of person who has nailed their five-year strategy and drinks water out of a motivational (giant baby) bottle.
Reality usually hits about the middle of the month, but I still love that brief window where anything feels possible.
This year, though, I’m trying something different. No big proclamations or dramatic reinventions for MAGIC AI, we need focus. Not the glam kind you read about in productivity books, but the boring, gritty, everyday version where you don’t chase ten shiny ideas but wrestle with the one that matters.
MAGIC AI is at a point where distractions are expensive. Not just financially, but mentally. This means refining what already works, making our AI coaching feel even more personal, more intuitive, more… human.
The tech behind MAGIC AI has come a long way from the seven-foot sci-fi panel we wheeled around in the early days. But there is still space to close the gaps. If we do that well, we are building something that sticks through the fads.
I’m also looking forward to cleaning up the invisible parts of the business. No one ever gives a TED Talk about logistics, but they should. Last year taught me that growth without structure is basically organised chaos with better stationery. This year, I want our internal systems to feel like they are doing their job behind the scenes without demanding applause.
Another thing I’m bringing into 2026 is a healthier respect for pacing. The past twelve months were incredible, but they also reminded me that urgency is not a personality trait. I have spent years acting like everything needs to be solved yesterday. Well, it doesn’t! I want MAGIC AI to grow with intention, not on adrenaline.
So what is 2026 going to bring? Probably a familiar cocktail of breakthroughs, frustrations, unexpected wins and the kind of challenges that make you question your life choices for about ten minutes before you get on with it. And that’s just at home!
But for the first time in a long time, I feel calm about the uncertainty. Not because I know exactly what’s coming, but because we have built a foundation that can handle surprises.
Varun Bhanot is Co-founder and CEO of MAGIC AI, the cutting-edge AI mirror that makes high-quality fitness coaching more accessible. Under his leadership, MAGIC AI has raised $5 million in venture funding and earned multiple industry accolades — including being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. As a new father as well as founder, Varun shares candid insights on balancing parenting and entrepreneurship in his bi-monthly guest column, Startup Daddy.
