Ready to begin 2026 with something good?

Happy New Year, my readers! 🎉 Welcome to the first read of the year!!

We know the start of a new year can be overwhelming, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

No fluff, no long-winded predictions, just the real insights that will shape your 2026.

In this boat, we’re diving straight into:

• The trends you need to know, right now.

• The mistakes to avoid that could cost you this year.

• A reminder from an expert to keep you ahead of the curve.

Let’s gooo…

Three headlines to start 2026:

✦  The “Godfather of SaaS” is replacing human sales teams with AI agents.

Jason Lemkin, founder of SaaStr publicly shared on podcast that he replaced most of his sales team with autonomous AI agents that now handle tasks previously done by 10 SDRs/AEs, signaling a bold experiment in agentic adoption.

✦ AI spending is crossing the trillion‑dollar mark this year.

Gartner’s latest forecast projects that global AI spending will reach over $2 trillion in 2026, officially marking AI’s transition from optional experiment to core business infrastructure.

✦ Google identifies 5 ways AI agents are reshaping work by 2026.

According to Google’s 2026 AI Agent Trends Report, agents will become integral to productivity, customer experience, operations, security, and upskilling employees a sign agentic workflows are moving into mainstream enterprise practice.

Two mistakes to avoid this new year:

Mistake #1: Focusing on vanity metrics instead of real impact

Many CX and marketing teams still chase surface metrics like page views, rather than focusing on retention, engagement, and revenue.
In 2026, leaders will design experiences based on measurable business value, not just polished numbers.

Mistake #2: Treating personalization as one‑size‑fits‑all

Personalization is evolving from generic recommendations to contextual, real-time interactions across touchpoints.
Failing to build systems that deliver real-time, meaningful personalization will cost you engagement and loyalty.

One reminder to follow in 2026: