Strategy – Planning for a strong 2026.

The 1st July, 2005 at 6:00 AM. I landed in Melbourne.

A passport official said, “Welcome to Melbourne”.
And I cried.  Not because I was sad, but because I was happy.

I had achieved my goal of migrating from the UK to Australia.

I needed a break, so I had six months off work – exploring and learning about Melbourne.  Then I became bored. I needed a new goal.

I started job hunting… that was painful! Everything was new.  New country, new language, new everything.  My skills and experience along with my previous wins appeared to be irrelevant in the Melbourne marketplace.

So I changed tack.  I started networking.  Well actually, a buddy of mine came from Sydney.  He called me and invited himself to stay at our rented house in Richmond, not far from the Epworth Hospital.

He invited me to a networking meeting.  “Should I wear a suit?” I asked.  “Probably a good idea”, he said.

That meeting turned out to be the introduction to my first assignment.  It was unpaid for six months.  I helped that person to get $50,000 of government grant funding and helped him write a business plan to get to the point where other people were very interested in what he was doing. Thus, my consulting business started.

Fast forward 20 years.

The economy is shocking.  The cost of living is eye-watering.
Clients are picky and choosing not to spend.
And it is across the board. We see challenges everywhere.
The world is changing.

You are a business leader. That’s why you’re reading this email.

My question to you is what’s your plan for 2026?
• What do you really want to achieve?  It’s not your budget – that comes later.
• What’s your goal?  Why are you working so hard?
• What will good look like at the end of 2026?

Only you can answer those questions. Then you’ll need to implement the plan and make it happen.

There’s nothing new in business. “Help the customer to achieve what they want. In return you will be paid handsomely”, said Zig Ziglar.

Alternatively, you can dig into “The Four Aces”.  Maybe take a look at Ace 1: “Customers – I know how to find, attract and win them”, pp. 23-59.

Enjoy.