RSVP for my next free workshop: From corporate to creator: how to launch your first offer & safely make the leap on Wednesday, January 21.
I’ve been keeping my eyes open this year, and while I definitely can’t predict the future, I’m noticing a few trends that you might want to keep an eye on, too.
As a former product marketer who used to conduct market research and even was focused on the future of work, these were fun to brainstorm.
Enjoy and let me know what you think!
My 7 predictions for 2026
1. AI will be your competitive advantage.
How can I mention a prediction without including AI?
In 2025, many people and organizations (myself included) have been experimenting with AI.
In 2026, the ones who scale faster and accomplish more won’t be the people using AI occasionally—they’ll be the ones embedding it into their daily workflows.
Think less of AI copywriting for you and AI doing a first-pass on your content strategy, then executing it in your voice and tone.
What I’m doing:
I have a database created in Notion that lists out tasks and categorizes them into things I can delegate or automate. This backlog will be the first step in helping me build out an AI workflow that can help do some of the work for me.
What this means for you:
AI becomes less about novelty and more about capacity.
Where can you leverage AI to free up your time?
How can you invest in implementing AI in your daily workflow? This might look like spending more time on YouTube, paying for a Maven course, or hiring someone to help.
2. More people will move to portfolio careers.
Of course this is one of my predictions, but it is backed by data—it’s projected that by 2027, freelancing will make up 50.9% of the total U.S. workforce. As macro uncertainty remains constant, more people will look at how they can diversify their income sources.
This doesn’t mean they’ll quit entirely, but we’ll start to see more people experimenting with side hustles and offering services outside of their job. Once they build the confidence in their offers, they’ll build out the next layer to their portfolio career.
What I’m doing:
I already have a portfolio career, but it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped working on new “side hustles”. My side hustles are now just new offerings for all of you. In February, I’m launching the 2nd iteration of my cohort, Just Start. I’m also thinking about some other offer related to marketing/brand building this year.
What this means for you:
Now is the time to start experimenting with new income streams.
How can you leverage your skills and experience to help others?
What would be meaningful and fun for you to do in your free time?
3. Hybrid will still win over purely IRL.
In the workplace, hybrid will still be preferred by employees who want flexibility in their lives. Depending on the company, they may honor that choice or they may start to push for more days in office.
Outside of the workplace, communities that were purely offering digital events will start to offer more in-person meetups. Communities that focused on IRL experiences will start to evolve their technology to facilitate seamless virtual connection between events.
What I’m doing:
I can work from anywhere, but I still love a hybrid model. I have lots of travel planned for the first half of the year, so while I may host a few IRL events when I’m in town, I still need the flexibility to run my business from anywhere and will be doing more virtual events/workshops. Depending on demand from you all, I’d love to eventually create a space where we can connect with each other on a more regular basis.
What this means for you:
If you’re working in corporate, think about what you really want in your life when it comes to flexibility. Is your current working environment providing that? Is leadership willing to listen?
If you’re in a community, think about which events will be the most valuable use of your time.
4. Authenticity and authority will drive personal brand growth.
In the age of AI, consumers like you and me want connection, authenticity, and trust. People who are able to share more of their authentic selves online will see an increase in growth but this alone isn’t enough. Personal storytelling coupled with a strong POV will drive the most value to the people who want to connect (and possibly buy) from you.
What I’m doing:
In 2025, I focused on authenticity not on purpose but because it was the easiest type of content for me to share. I was just telling my story, like I would tell it to the version of myself a few years ago.
In 2026, I want to create more “authority-driven” content (example below) to establish myself as a thought leader in the career pivot / portfolio career space. I also want to do more “talking head” video content to help build connection.
What this means for you:
Audit the content you’re sharing for both type and format.
Type: What types of content am I sharing right now? Is there a healthy mix of authenticity and authority? How can I be more authentic in the topics I share? How can I express my POV more?
Format: What formats do I like that help build trust with the people I follow? Are they podcasts, newsletters, short videos?
5. More people will gravitate to micro-creators
People are tired of being spammed and sold to. Rather than buy from the influencer with 100K+ followers, we’ll start to see people connecting with micro-creators (and micro-communities).
These creators are small enough where they are able to actively engage and connect with their community, likely in the DMs and email exchanges.
What I’m doing:
I constantly subscribe and unsubscribe to newsletters. The ones that resonate with me I open up immediately and many of the creators I’ve talked to 1:1—those are the people whose communities I’m excited to join.
What this means for you:
Respond to your DMs and think about how to provide value, even in a short exchange. This could be a voice note with a thoughtful response to their question, a connection to someone in your network, a coffee chat, or an invite to an event they might be the perfect person for.
6. Everyone will have a Substack.
Substack is the more creative, personal, and real-time version of LinkedIn. Not everyone wants their coworkers following them on LinkedIn but on Substack, you can talk about your creative project without the fear of your entire team asking questions about it in the office.
But while everyone will have a Substack, it doesn’t mean everyone will use it to build their brand. We’ll see a mix of “lurkers” and those who engage regularly but only with their fave creators.
What I’m doing:
I created a Substack (give me a follow if you’d like), and I’m repurposing LinkedIn content for Substack notes and using Substack as an acquisition lever. I created a Zap (affiliate link) to add new Substack subscribers to my email list. If you subscribe to me on Substack, you’ll get the same newsletter in Substack (vs Beehiiv) but also be added to my email list.
My Zapier workflow
What this means for you:
Decide what your Substack will be for and start connecting with creators who you resonate with. If you’re trying to build an audience, show up authentically, consistently, and leverage content for use on other platforms.
7. Collaborations will be tablestakes.
Lastly, I believe we’ll see more partnerships and collaborations between everyone, including brands and creators but also between creators or even between company and employee.
What I’m doing:
I want to lean into more collaborations this year, starting with low-lift newsletter collabs and joining podcasts. In the future, this could build into a shared course with another person—who knows!
What this means for you:
Focus on building relationships with potential collaborators first before saying yes to the first collaboration that comes your way. This means thinking about your common goals, shared audience, and how you want to collaborate.
Final thoughts
2026 is going to be a breakthrough year, but it’s easy to get distracted. Listen to these trends if they’re helpful but listen to your own intuition, too.
I’m excited to take advantage of these predictions for my own business goals for 2026 and plan to share these next week!
Your turn
Do you agree or disagree with any of these? What are your predictions for 2026?
P.S. If we haven’t met yet or it’s been awhile, book a free career strategy call with me in the new year. You can also RSVP for my next free workshop, From corporate to creator: how to launch your first offer & safely make the leap, happening virtually on Wednesday, January 21.
✨ Weekly Feels
Feeling snowy!
I’m in Lake Tahoe this week, one of my fave places on earth! I didn’t ski last season, so it felt really good to put on my skis yesterday ⛷
I’m still easing back into work from the holidays, and I’ll likely ski Tuesday and one more day this week. Grateful to have a flexible work schedule where I can ski on the weekdays!
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From corporate to creator: How to launch your first offer & safely make the leap | Wed. Jan 21
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Unblock Strategy Sprint
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A 7-week cohort starting in February for the curious soul who wants to make a career pivot, without walking away from the stability they’ve worked hard to build. You’ll launch a mini career experiment alongside others exploring their next step.
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