The new year is always a time for change and new strategies, but many business owners aren’t simply tweaking tactics for the new year – they are thinking about what significant changes will have the most impact on their business success in 2026. From sustainable selling to owning your specialism, seven business owners share the one big change they’re making this year and why.
Clarity and Visibility
Heather Hannaby, audio visual fairy godmother, helping make magical events www.ellievisionav.co.uk
“Clarity and visibility. Two words and two goals for 2026. Why the change of focus after eight years in business? The landscape has changed. But perhaps more importantly, I’ve changed. I’ve always hidden my light under a bushel. Actually putting myself and my business out there on socials has been my biggest challenge. With a changing audience in the events space, budget cuts and reduced exhibitions since COVID, it’s now a priority. I’ve finally got the clarity I need on what I need to do and decide to feel the fear, but do it anyway.”
Owning My Specialism
Camilla Young- Career Change Coach, Rebel Spark www.rebelspark.co.uk
“This year, I’m changing the way I talk about my business. When I launched a couple of years ago, I was crystal clear on my values and the impact I wanted to have – but I was still finding my footing when it came to who I was really here to help. Two years on, I’ve seen the patterns in the people who come to me, the challenges they’re facing, and the moments where I make the biggest difference. It’s become clear that my real strength is in helping people navigate career change – not just dreaming about a different path, but actually making it happen. So 2026 is about owning that specialism, speaking directly to the people who need it most, and building a business that’s focused, intentional, and unmistakably mine.”
Sustainable Selling
Lisa York || Sell More Stuff™ || Lisa-York.com
“After 3 solo businesses and 30 years of trial, error, and buying far too many expensive online courses, 2026 is the year of teaching my audience what actually works. I’m currently developing the M·A·G·N·E·T· Motherboard – an interactive project management tool that guides solopreneurs to build a sales system that fits their lifestyle. Seeing the whole sales picture lets them make smarter decisions before diving into tactics that waste time or resources. It’s shifted my work from selling isolated courses to guiding one-woman businesses through a clearer, more sustainable way of selling. They no longer rely on social media, chase shiny objects, or become slaves to the constant content treadmill.”
Visibility at the Centre
Dr Sara Schamborg, HCPC-registered Psychologist and trauma therapist specialising in workplace trauma. www.youmatterpsychology.co.uk @dr.sara.schamborg
<a href”I launched You Matter Psychology in 2025 with a focus on supporting people who’ve experienced workplace trauma—something more common than most realise, but rarely talked about and often misunderstood. However, like many psychologists, my training taught me how to help people therapeutically, but not how to reach them in the first place. So last year, I invested in learning about the business and marketing skills needed to connect with those who may benefit from this support. In 2026, I’m putting that learning into practice. At the centre of this is visibility: making workplace trauma a conversation we can actually have, and ensuring that people who are silently struggling know that they are not alone and that help exists. Dr Sara Schamborg, HCPC-registered Psychologist and trauma therapist with a special interest in working with those who have experienced workplace trauma.”
Franchising
Sarah Morgan, Little Story Shapers: Reading Expert Lead Baby and Toddler Classes Little Story Shapers https://littlestoryshapers.co.uk)
“In 2026, I’m taking Little Story Shapers into an exciting new phase as I move from running it as an independent business to launching it as a franchise. After years of developing and refining a model that genuinely works—and seeing the huge, lasting impact it has had on children’s early reading and learning—I’m ready to share it with others. My goal is to help more communities benefit from a tried-and-tested approach that supports children from the very start, especially at a time when 1 in 3 children are not school-ready. By franchising Little Story Shapers, I’m creating a way for passionate educators and entrepreneurs to deliver the same high-quality experience, so together we can bridge the gap and give more children the strong foundations they deserve.”
Scaling up
Harsimrat Kaur | Punjabi language online Tutor and creator of Punjabi Toys | https://punjabi.nirmolakheera.com
“In 2026, I’m shifting from one-to-one work to scalable group programmes and courses so more families can access Punjabi language education. The goal isn’t just growth, it’s impact, reaching children who might otherwise lose their mother tongue.
2025 was a lot of “trying new things”, so I’m taking all my learnings and expanding my group programmes because I saw that students needed somewhere to practice with others at the same level. One of the biggest barriers to learning Punjabi is the fear of getting laughed at, so by providing a safe place, it allows my students to actually practice!
2026 is also going to be a year where I lean into my Punjabi Toys. I have created and manufactured some Montessori Punjabi learning toys but I haven’t always shouted about them. So this year is about learning to market them, show them to more people and get more UK-born Punjabi children playing with Punjabi products from a young age. I’ve just launched on Amazon and am looking to redesign my Shopify website, shop.NirmolakHeera.com”
Change the lived experience
Karla Auker of Neurodiversity Parent Guide. A Neurodiversity specialist, teacher & Mum @neurodiversityparentguide says:
“In 2026, I’m changing how my business shows up in the world. The Neurodiversity Parent Guide is deeply personal to me — as a former primary school teacher, neurodiversity specialist, and Mum, I’m incredibly passionate about helping mums recognise neurodiversity and confidently advocate for the support their child needs to thrive in education. This business lived in my head for four years before finally coming to life at the end of last year, and now it’s ready to rise. In 2026, The Neurodiversity Parent Guide becomes a phoenix from my professional and personal experience, supporting mums of primary school children across the country who are noticing traits in their child and need clarity, understanding, and practical knowledge. My mission is to change the lived experience of thousands of children across the UK — and to reaffirm to mums that they are the experts on their child.”
