How was January for your business?
Simple one: how was January for your business? Was it a good, bad or ugly start to the year? Based on it, how confident are you about 2026 as a whole? .
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4 responses from the Newspage communityCopy all
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January proved to be a standout month for my business, marking a strong and productive start to the year. While mainstream media often portrays global turmoil as an endless stream of bad news, we view the current landscape as a double-edged sword. Where there is volatility, there is also immense opportunity for those prepared to pivot. In an era where the world is permanently online, the barriers to international trade have effectively vanished, making it easier than ever for businesses to engage with overseas clients and suppliers. We recognize that navigating cross-border finance can be daunting, but our decades of expertise ensure that complexity is a thing of the past. By leveraging our local collection accounts, we bridge the gap between markets, making international payments and receipts as seamless and straightforward as local transactions.
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January was a strong month for us, but it didn’t feel like popping champagne.
Work-wise, we’ve had a brilliant start to 2026. Busy, in demand, lots of momentum. But it’s been bittersweet because a big chunk of that work has been redundancies. And there’s nothing shiny about that. It’s real people sitting there thinking, “How am I going to tell my partner?” or “What do I do next?”
What I’m proud of is the way we’ve done it. Calm. Clear. Human. We’ve made sure people weren’t blindsided, had time to ask questions, understood the reasons, and were treated with respect right to the end. No cold scripts. No rushed decisions. No pretending it’s “just business”.
How confident am I about 2026? Pretty confident. Not because the economy’s suddenly lovely, but because businesses are facing reality and making decisions early. The ones who do it properly will come out stronger.
Work-wise, we’ve had a brilliant start to 2026. Busy, in demand, lots of momentum. But it’s been bittersweet because a big chunk of that work has been redundancies. And there’s nothing shiny about that. It’s real people sitting there thinking, “How am I going to tell my partner?” or “What do I do next?”
What I’m proud of is the way we’ve done it. Calm. Clear. Human. We’ve made sure people weren’t blindsided, had time to ask questions, understood the reasons, and were treated with respect right to the end. No cold scripts. No rushed decisions. No pretending it’s “just business”.
How confident am I about 2026? Pretty confident. Not because the economy’s suddenly lovely, but because businesses are facing reality and making decisions early. The ones who do it properly will come out stronger.
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While the suits in the City and the tech bros are busy talking about "governance" and "AI pivots," the real economy people, you know, the white van drivers, the café owners, the local builders - they all spent January fighting a war on two fronts.
First, you had customers who were absolutely skint after Christmas, tightening their belts so hard they could barely breathe. Second, you had a government that seems to think "pro-business" means taxing you until you squeak.
First, you had customers who were absolutely skint after Christmas, tightening their belts so hard they could barely breathe. Second, you had a government that seems to think "pro-business" means taxing you until you squeak.
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Let's be honest: January was slow. But for us, it was the 'calm before the correction.' While the AI hype machine is still churning out press releases, we spent the month quietly building relationships with leaders who are finally waking up to the hangover of bad tech decisions.
We’re seeing a shift. The 'move fast and break things' era is ending; 2026 is becoming the year of governance. In our recent AI Audits, we’ve found professional services firms paralysed not by a lack of technology, but by a lack of trust in what they’ve already built. They don't need more tools; they need the 'voice of reason' to explain how to use them safely.
I’m confident for the rest of 2026 because the market is maturing. Firms are realising that an AI strategy without governance is just a liability waiting to happen. January was about aligning with the grown-ups in the room. Now the real work begins.
We’re seeing a shift. The 'move fast and break things' era is ending; 2026 is becoming the year of governance. In our recent AI Audits, we’ve found professional services firms paralysed not by a lack of technology, but by a lack of trust in what they’ve already built. They don't need more tools; they need the 'voice of reason' to explain how to use them safely.
I’m confident for the rest of 2026 because the market is maturing. Firms are realising that an AI strategy without governance is just a liability waiting to happen. January was about aligning with the grown-ups in the room. Now the real work begins.