If you asked a group of agency founders to sum up 2025 in three words, you’d hear everything from “best year yet” to “really bloody tough”. Wherever you sit on that scale, you’re certainly not alone. It’s been a year of unpredictability, challenges and mixed fortunes across the industry.
In our recent webinar, The Golden Rules for 2026, Peter Czapp shared six principles designed to help agencies and consultancies enter the new year with clarity, direction and renewed motivation. Here’s a summary of the key ideas.
1. Focus only on what you can control
There is plenty happening in the world that none of us can influence: economic shifts, political decisions, global events, emerging technologies. Peter explains this through the idea of three circles. The outer circle contains everything you may worry about but cannot affect. The middle circle captures the things you can influence, but not guarantee. The smallest circle is the one that matters. It contains only the things you can directly control.
Your messaging, your positioning, your content, your campaigns, the clarity you bring to your value proposition and the consistency with which you show up all sit firmly in that circle. When you concentrate here, the noise around you starts to fade. You become clearer on what truly matters and you feel more energised, because you’re acting on things that directly impact your progress.
A simple grounding exercise helps. When things feel overwhelming, write down only the things you can control and what action you can take. Everything else gets parked. That shift alone can change how you feel about the entire year ahead.
Key takeaway: Direct your energy towards what is firmly in your control. This is where 2026 becomes easier and more productive.
2. Get excited about the year ahead
Excitement is infectious. If you are not energised about the future, no one else will be. This is an opportunity to reimagine your business from a fresh perspective.
Think back to the early days of starting out. There was something that motivated you: a vision, an idea, a desire to do things your way. Reconnecting with that spark is incredibly powerful. Ask yourself what would need to be true for 2026 to be your best year yet. Consider everything from the type of clients you want to work with to the role you want to play in the business and the kind of work that inspires you.
The more you explore these questions, the clearer your vision becomes and the more naturally excitement follows.
3. Bring your team on the journey
Once you feel excited about where you’re heading, the next step is bringing your team with you. Progress happens faster when everyone understands the destination and feels part of the journey.
Rather than presenting a completed vision, involve your team in shaping it. When people contribute to the future, they feel connected to it. Help them understand what this journey means for them personally, whether that’s more variety in the work they do, greater development opportunities, or being part of something that feels meaningful.
Create a clear and simple goal for everyone to rally behind. Share progress openly and regularly. And make space to celebrate the wins along the way. At Wow, our “wall of noise” has become a powerful way to highlight daily successes and keep motivation high. Consider how you can create something similar within your own team.
Key takeaway: When people feel involved, informed and appreciated, alignment happens naturally.
4. Make a bold move
If you want next year to look different, you will need to change something meaningful. Peter refers to this as your bold move. It is the action that shifts momentum.
Your bold move might be hiring someone senior to strengthen your leadership. It might be letting go of someone who is no longer the right fit. It might be stepping away from an unprofitable client. It could involve reshaping your business model, repositioning your brand, or addressing misalignment with a partner.
Whatever it is, the bold move should feel significant enough to stretch you but exciting enough to move you towards your vision. It is often the decision you have been avoiding but know deep down needs to happen.
Key takeaway: A bold move creates the space, clarity or confidence required to make 2026 your strongest year yet.
5. Check your habits
Your daily habits shape your long-term results. As your business evolves, your role should evolve too. Set aside time every few months to review what you need to stop doing, what you should start doing and what deserves more focus.
Perhaps you are still carrying tasks you’ve outgrown. Perhaps you want to spend more time on strategy, culture or new business but never seem to get to it. Or perhaps there are things you already do that, with more attention, could transform your results. Reviewing your habits is a simple practice that creates long-lasting impact.
6. Know your numbers
Strong financial foundations underpin everything you want to achieve in 2026. Clear, timely information and the right level of financial expertise are essential.
This means understanding your profitability in real detail. You should know which projects perform well, which clients create margin, which services drive profit and how each team or individual contributes. When you have this level of clarity, decision-making becomes far easier. You can spot issues early, double down on what works and confidently change what doesn’t.
Forecasting is another important component. It’s not something you complete once and ignore. It should guide monthly conversations about performance, helping you stay on track and adjust quickly when needed. Alongside this, identify the one weekly metric that will drive your longer-term goals. For many agencies, this is the number of sales conversations. For others, it may be new opportunities or proposals. Whatever it is, make sure it is something you can influence directly and review consistently.
Key takeaway: Financial clarity gives you control. The more you understand your numbers, the stronger your decisions and results will be.
Ready to make 2026 your best year yet?
A successful year starts with clarity. By focusing on what you can control, reconnecting with what excites you, bringing your team with you, making a bold move, strengthening your habits and understanding your numbers, you set yourself up for meaningful and sustainable success.
At Wow, we specialise in helping agencies and consultancies build profitable, purposeful and resilient businesses. If you’d like support applying these principles or shaping your financial strategy for the year ahead, we’d love to talk.
