What will really challenge business leaders in 2026? We asked AI to analyse the landscape ahead and identify the biggest pressures facing entrepreneurs and leadership teams over the next year. In this episode, we break down the six challenges that consistently rise to the top and, more importantly, how you should respond to them.

We cover:

- Economic uncertainty and its impact on decision-making

- Skilled employee shortages and talent retention

- Resistance to AI and digital transformation

- Cybersecurity and data privacy risks

- Leadership burnout and wellbeing pressures

- Sustainability and net zero expectations

This isn’t theory. It’s a practical conversation about where businesses are most vulnerable, where opportunities are being overlooked, and how leaders can make more informed decisions heading into 2026.

If you’re a founder, business owner, or senior leader planning for the year ahead, this episode will help you think more clearly about priorities, risk, and where to focus your time and energy.

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#AI #ArtificialIntellience #BusinessPlan #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

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Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To learn more, please visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Most businesses believe growth comes from more leads, more sales activity, and more pipeline. In reality, many are leaking value long before any new customer ever needs to be found.

In this episode of the Leaders in Strategy podcast, we explore why customer management is one of the most overlooked drivers of sustainable business growth and why focusing purely on sales often creates more problems than it solves.

I’m joined by Yemi Oluseun, business leader, LinkedIn strategist and client retention expert, currently Integration and Transformation Programme Director at The Change Hive.

Yemi brings experience from organisations including Barclays and J.P. Morgan, alongside years of working with businesses on customer experience, strategy and long-term value creation.

Together, we unpack what it really means to manage customers through their eyes, not just from inside the business. We talk about why many companies do not need more leads at all, but instead need to fix the gaps in how they retain, serve and grow their existing customers.

The conversation covers the foundations of effective customer management, including the role of values, clarity, and consistency, how to think properly about the customer journey, and why strategy only works when it connects to real customer experience.

We also explore practical examples of customer management approaches that have delivered tangible results, and how leaders can build frameworks that support loyalty rather than churn.

If you are a business owner, founder, or leader trying to scale, this episode is a reminder of a simple truth that is easy to forget. Without customers, there is no business. And without the right customer management strategy, growth will always be harder than it needs to be.

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#CustomerRetention #ClientRetention #CustomerService #CustomerManagement #BusinessPlan #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #GoalSetting #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #GrowYourBusiness #Leaders #CEO

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Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To find out more, visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.

Most business plans are written once, filed away, and quietly forgotten. That’s usually where the problems begin.

Markets change. Competitors adapt. Technology moves faster than expected. And before long, the plan you’re working on no longer reflects the business you’re actually running.

In this episode of the Leaders in Strategy podcast, we explore why reviewing your business plan is not a tick-box exercise but a strategic necessity for business leaders. January is the ideal time to take stock, reflect on the past year, and assess whether your decisions are still aligned with where the business is meant to be heading.

We break down what a business plan is really for, how often it should be reviewed, and what leaders should be looking for when they do. From understanding what worked and what didn’t, to positioning performance against your numbers and testing whether you’re genuinely moving closer to your goals, this episode focuses on turning reflection into action.

If you’re a business owner, founder, or leader who wants clarity, focus, and momentum in the year ahead, this episode will help you approach your business plan in a far more practical and useful way.

👉 Subscribe to the Leaders in Strategy YouTube channel for more insightful discussions and expert advice for business leaders!

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#BusinessPlan #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #NewYearGoals #entrepreneurs #ConfidenceBuilding #BusinessStrategy #GoalSetting #GrowYourBusiness #BusinessAdvice #Business #GrowYourBusiness #Leaders #CEO

----------

Like, comment, and subscribe for more expert advice on business strategy, leadership, and scaling your business.

----------

Want to learn how to produce a winning business strategy and profitably grow your business? I teach, coach and mentor Directors, Leaders and Managers on how to run successful companies.

To find out more, visit my website https://www.strategusconsulting.co.uk/.

Follow me on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-harris-095b4775.