What Businesses told us worked and didn’t work in 2026! 

From all the research The Brand Surgeon has conducted in 2026 and from discussions with clients, we are hearing the pressure from the cost-of-living crisis! Inflation rose: South Africa went from 3.5% to 4.5%, the UK from 3% to 3.5%. Business inflation is estimated to run 7–8% above consumer inflation. 

Other global issues are weather events, global political disruption and foot-and-mouth disease. 

Consumers have changed. They are taking longer to decide and buying less often. 

• Budgets are squeezed and buyers are more cautious. 

• Business buying decisions now involve about 11.7 people, up from 5.4 before COVID. 

• Business are asking us to develop more bespoke solutions and more frequent deliveries and many owners feel their industry has become commoditised. 

The four big trends for businesses 

1. How your business is being discovered 

• Businesses are spending more on digital spend (PPC, SEO), chasing lead volume, and pitching features and benefits. 

• But digital reach now costs about 100% more than it did 4.5 years ago, with falling returns. 

• Buyers shortlist suppliers from websites before they ever speak to sales. We are not using Google search, but the Gemini AI answer! 

• When buyers feel unheard, they disengage. 

• Large corporates now use AI to find, evaluate and shortlist suppliers. To be visible to those AI searches, your website and leaders’ profiles need clear, expert content about who you serve and what problem you solve. 

2. Be focused 

• Focus on the top few best-fit segments and co-designing offers with cross-functional teams, using existing capacity. We see that less is more.  

• Repeat profitable offers through your existing system. 

• Find more clients in segments you already serve rather than entering new ones. 

• Build the four-gear revenue engine (find, sell, fulfil, retain) with your team. 

3. Hiring experienced managers may not be a  “silver bullet” because Managers waited for direction and exceptions escalated. The experience gained before the current disruption may no longer be relevant. And thirdly- smart engaged employees resist being told what to do. 

4. AI: has it actually helped grow your business? 

• Many individuals didn’t grow revenue or profit and AI-written plans didn’t change how the business runs. Because the AI can write a great strategy, but it cannot implement that for you.  

• Yes, of course we digitise or automate proven, repetitive processes and use AI as an insight tool on the data , but the best returns still come from operational efficiency, not from AI as a product. Execution still needs the team. 

So for business 

• Positioning: pick your best segments, understand the KPIs of buyers and influencers, and design the ideal engagement experience. 

• Systems: make winning, fulfilling and retaining customers repeatable and measurable. Update website content often to show focused expertise. 

• Team: co-design workflows rather than delegating instructions to keep employees engaged. Give them a purpose bigger than a salary and treat them as fellow custodians. 

• Growth: use your existing successful plans. Profit comes from productivity, not novelty. 

• Value: build management depth and keep ensuring that what you offer is still relevant to your clients! Customers changing world signals how your customer’s needs will shift. 

But mostly, leaders need to lead as a custodian. Build a business that performs beyond you, possibly with your team as future acquirers