EP # 232 - 2026 Predictions: How Service Businesses Scale with AI + Human Connection

Marketing is louder, clients are pickier, and AI is making it easier to create content—but harder to build trust. In this episode, Maggie shares the key shifts she sees for 2026: scaling won’t be about doing more. It’ll be about building a business that runs better and feels more human.

In This Episode

• Why your personality/personal brand becomes the differentiator in a world of AI content
• Why customer loyalty + lifetime value beats constantly chasing new clients
• Why short-form video still wins—and how series content builds depth and trust
• How personal touch becomes a premium advantage again
• How to use AI as operational leverage (SOPs, proposals, follow-ups, meeting notes) without sounding robotic
• Why community + strategic partnerships become your most reliable pipeline

Quick Action Steps

1. Pick 3 words you want to be known for (check testimonials for clues).
2. Ask: “What’s the next problem my best clients have after I solve the first one?”
3. Create a 3-4-part content series addressing a single core client problem.
4. Add 1–2 personal touchpoints to your customer journey—and systemize them.
5. Identify 10–15 strategic partners and activate one relationship per month.

Connect With Maggie

Website: https://stairwaytoleadership.com/

Transcript

EP 232 - 2026 Predictions -How Service Businesses Scale with AI + Human Connection

[00:00:00] 

If you've been feeling like marketing is louder, clients are pickier, and everyone suddenly sounds the same online, you are not imagining it. AI is making easier to create content, but harder to build trust. So in 2026, scaling won't be about doing more of the same. It will be about building a business that runs better. And feels more human because there's two forces that are happening at once. There is automation through the help of AI that's rising, and so is the hunger of people for real human connection. So if at five figures or early six figures, and you're scaling to multi six or seven figures in 2026.

This episode is for you.

And what am I gonna talk about? [00:01:00] Aren't just trendy tips. These are the real shifts that I'm seeing in consumer buyer behavior, content, what actually scales. I also took into considerations, the predictions from the economists that specialize in small business. What's gonna happen in the economy in 2026 plus, of course, I looked at the buyer trends from reputable sources, so I will give you a quick backstory. Before we dive into the seven predictions that I have for you today, now when I was doing my executive MBA, we had one of the projects to look at, publicly traded companies and how they were doing, what was our prediction for their future and how the company would grow, whether they would stay relevant or not.

And one of those projects that I did was on Pinterest.

[00:02:00] And you might think Pinterest is social media company, but Pinterest is also a tech company that is publicly traded in the US so it discloses its financial information, certain parts of its strategy and so on. And what I realize is that Pinterest is really good at predicting consumer buyer behavior because there is.

From their users, people who go and research and search for stuff, they have truly the audience of Pinterest really ready to buy buyers. Those are people who already have an idea for certain things. They're looking for inspirations, they're ready to take action, so they have very valuable data from the users.

Of their platform. So every year at the end of the year, they release their predictions for 2026, and I always like to [00:03:00] look at them and even though sometimes they feel like just consumer shallow predictions, I actually. Came to appreciate them because every year I look at the predictions and I look at how your goals, and they're very often right, they can predict pretty well the consumer behavior.

So all those things, my own experience. Me looking at the market and working with my clients, listening to some reputable sources, economist sources, and people who know the market and some Pinterest prediction. I compiled for you today, seven predictions that I think will matter in 2026 that will help you scale your business if that's what you're planning for the new year.

Prediction number one in 2026. Your [00:04:00] personality as the business owner, the CEO, will be the differentiator. And even if you're scaling and you're thinking of building a brand, you still need your. Your personal brand will still be a bigger driver, let's say, of audience and trust building and sowan than a brand.

And that comes from the fact that with the, a lot of AI generated con content and online scam, since one people are mistrustful of. Non-human or faceless images or faceless content. So you do need As A CEO still represent your brand and it doesn't mean that you have to become somebody you're not, that there's this trend that you have to fall into [00:05:00] and be one way, even if it is against. Your values are against who you are, but you can't be generic anymore, right? Your business cannot show as generic, and the easiest way to showcase the difference is by using your personal brand.

Because you are unique, the way you serve your clients, the way you think about your customers, the way you think about the business, you as the human and the leader are unique. Your story is unique. Nobody can copy it and be like you.

Now if you are extroverted and if you're a person who likes bold and flashy and big, definitely 2026 is your year. There is a lot of trends out there that will showcase just being bold and flashy, right? [00:06:00] But if you are more introverted like myself, that doesn't mean you have to go bold and flashy road.

The goal isn't to perform or be somebody else. It's just to be distinct different, right? So your job is to really get clear on what do you value, what do you believe, what do you love about what you do, what makes you different? Drive that. Into your brand and into the company and how you serve your clients and their experience, but then also showcase it in your way and showcase it.

And then showcase it in your way, in your personal branding, whether it's through calm, confidence elegance, depth, precision, maybe simplicity, warmth, whatever it is for you, it will make you distinct. It will make you. Memorable. And [00:07:00] with that, your business, your brand will be memorable, especially for new clients or for new people who learn about you, but yet haven't gained, you haven't gained their loyalty yet.

And that's already happening. What I have noticed in my business over the last three months when I really show up as myself, whether it's an in-person event, a workshop that I run, guest speaking event, and of course with my clients. People who resonate with me, but especially on those events where people don't know me, people who resonate with me, they'll come up to me and say, Hey, I really relate to what you're saying. I wanna talk to you more. The right people will connect with you. So one action or one challenge that I have for you. To reflect on is [00:08:00] pick three words that describe how you want to be experienced, right?

And you can align those words with your values, but it could be bold, it could be direct, it could be warm or elegant, right? Sometimes a great exercise is to look at your testimonials from your best clients and see if those words are already there, or you can ask your best clients. If they could describe you with three words, what would that be?

I actually did that exercise with my clients, I believe last year, and it was a great. Eyeopening things where there were some things that are already new, but there were some things that I wasn't consciously aware. My clients experienced me a certain way, and I wasn't necessarily showing that often my marketing, but when [00:09:00] my clients mentioned certain things which were important to them and I didn't think they were, that also helped me with how I market myself.

And once you have those three words, then you can think about how would I wanna show this, right? So whether I'm an introverted or extroverted or something in between, in my personal brand, how can I showcase those words, those values? Whatever you don't be generic.

Prediction number two is just, is that customer loyalty. Is your growth strategy, right? So looking at lifetime value of your customer and maximizing this will beat, constantly chasing the new client. And I'm not saying. Don't generate new [00:10:00] leads, don't look for new clients. This is always required for growth, but it's so much harder to scale when you have to, when you're very transactional or the clients don't stay for whatever reason, and you're constantly looking to build trust with new people rather than also utilizing the love that your current clients have and their trust and just serving them.

In more expanded ways, so then they'll, they stay with you longer and spend more money, right? With your brand.

It's always easier to keep great clients longer and serve them deeper than just finding new ones because those clients you already know you have an opportunity to get to. Deeper into their challenges and see how else you can help them. And because they already know your like and trust you, it's so much easier for them to spend money with you.

And another thing, what is [00:11:00] happening is that buyers want fewer decisions.

And more trust based relationships because every time our customer needs to go out to the market and do the research on whatever services they need and people who can, provide them, it takes time and energy. So if they already know like you and trust you and you can serve them, not only. It's easier for them to say yes, but also you're saving them a lot of time and energy from making new decisions and trying to, build new relationships or even you are lowering the risk of them investing in something that doesn't work for them just because they didn't do the research or they didn't got to know the new service provider.

So for example, how you can extend your lifetime customer value. You could [00:12:00] create. Maintenance membership. So if you are into health, wellness, and beauty, how instead of one of appointments, you can create some signature membership subscription

or create certain bundles that ED or on transformation sessions or maybe priority bookings with you or certain product perks. For those clients who want to go deeper in that relationship, stay with you longer, who are really loyal, that gives you more predictable revenue. And of course you make it easy for the clients.

You give them some special perks. They feel like they belong to a inner circle community. They feel like they're treated special. It will be easier for them to say continually yes to you and stay, with your services. If you are [00:13:00] maybe in some home services. Let's say you're a professional organizer, maybe after an initial organizer project, if the client, you could see that they could benefit from a monthly or quarterly maintenance package.

Or maybe it's just a seasonal swap of clothes or maintenance, or a package of helping them decorate the house for different occasions. Be creative. Your clients the best. You will know what will benefit them the most, what they're looking for, what help.

And if you don't know that, this is definitely a hint to have those conversations with those clients, to ask them. They'll appreciate that you're interested in their lives, interested in helping them and, you care about them beyond that one transactions that they. Bought it, bought from you. [00:14:00] Because sustainable scaling isn't just about keep adding new clients and always hustling and hustling to get leads and more clients.

It's about. Understanding your customer journey with you, with understanding what else your clients wants and needs, and how can you help them with that, and therefore, how can you increase the lifetime value of the right clients? Not everybody, right? So the question you wanna ask yourself for this prediction is, what is the next problem that my best clients will have after I solve the first one?

So if I cut their hair or create a whole transformation with their hair because I'm a hairstylist, what is the next thing that they will need, right? Or if I am a therapist and I go through the standard [00:15:00] 10 sessions that are required for me to help them with the problem that they come with me, what is the next thing that I can help them with?

Prediction number three goes into online marketing and content. So all of us, all businesses out there should have. Online presence on at least one content type platform, right? So whether it's social media, whether it's YouTube or podcast. A video is really the way where you can showcase your brand, showcase your personality your personal brand, and if you have a team, your team and humans behind the brand and short form video is.

Still the most popular one with all types of consumers and people, right? People are busy. Not everybody [00:16:00] has always. Access or ability to spend two hours to listen to the content. And it's definitely content that also long form content requires more time from you, more effort, and also resources.

So it's a win-win in a sense where people like. Short format will still dominate in 2026, and it's easier for you to produce and be consistent with. But what you can think about is making series miniseries. So if you were talking about a topic or you are creating your point of view on something that matters to your ideal client of something that is in your industry, and you have a

distinct point of view on that and distinct way of maybe serving your clients. Doing a mini short form series will give you depth and when trust, while still being relatively low [00:17:00] lift and easy to do.

Because short video is how people discover you. That's very often how they meet you, especially online, how they can get to know you. And if they watch the short videos, then many platforms will feed. The following content. The content that's part of the series to them, whether they follow you or not, right?

That happens on TikTok, but that also happens on Instagram. Serialized content also gets that repeated engagement because people are curious, okay, what's next? I wanna learn more. So especially if you keep videos with a strong hook and a strong ending, inviting them to continue the journey with you, they will watch you and that gives you touch points with them on a regular basis.

And what serialized content allows you to do is of course, give depth. And when you show depth, when you [00:18:00] show, how uniquely you solve your client problems, how uniquely you understand them, that makes them think, okay, this person is for me. That's my person.

So here is my challenge for you for 2026. If you're not doing it short form content and videos. That is the year to start. And if you are, but you haven't done much series or at all, this is a challenge for you to start, this is where you can show your personality, but also. Show depth where your authority gets billed in your client's minds.

Prediction number four is personal touch, and that's something I talked about. During this week's Maggie's moment on Monday, so we can check out that quick video from there. But it really can become your competitive advantage, especially if you [00:19:00] strategically put those personal touches across the entire customer journey.

So not just for your paying clients, but how can you add that for people who are just discovering you? They might be checking you out and thinking about. Working with you, people are becoming immune to bots. There's a lot of bots, AI assistance. Helping business owners reach out to people, send messages, whether it's through prospecting called Reach Out, whether it's in customer support.

Lately you can't even talk to a human if you need help. You have to go through some AI and a bunch of questions. So in 2026, that human personal touch will feel premium again. And that creates loyalty, because that creates deeper and faster connection. And in service business, really, people don't just buy the [00:20:00] service.

They do want an experience. And the more of that you can create. The more you will stand out from others. And when you think about your customer journey, you can start that experience before a client actually pays you. And I've been seeing that firsthand with my own event.

I am running my complimentary design, your Success 2026 strategic planning events, and I've already run two. I'm about to run another one in January, last one for the year, and I'm really excited to see how people enjoy those events, even though. They are two day, three hour events. Yes, they're complimentary, but still people who attend have to carve out six hours in a week to attend them.

And because I've [00:21:00] curated them to be the experience, so not only the participants of that event or coming out with a clear plan for 2026, that's very actionable, very simple for them to do. It's not just high level. Strategy that they don't understand, but they come out of it with some insights from other fellow business owners.

With some of my coaching, some new ideas, they get super clear and excited about their business. I can see how

that event alone positions me.

So differently and uniquely from my competition, I had participants tell me that they couldn't believe this event was complimentary. There were people who were asking me even like just to. Trying to attend event, and just knowing from the agenda, they were like, oh, I don't see the [00:22:00] price. Where do I pay for this?

But after they attended, they were blown away by the quality, the value that they got, and then the experience that they got while. Participating in the event, and that was all intentional. I want my participants, my clients who are non-paid clients, but clients to come and give me their valuable attention, carve time out of their schedule to spend that time with me.

I wanted them to feel, what would it be like if they were coached by me? What would be their experience to now dive deeper and really focus on execution of those plans and focus on creating faster and easier results.

So how you can apply the personal touch points on your customer journey. First, you wanna break your [00:23:00] customer journey into certain. Milestones, right? Or certain points. So when they first discover you, then how you nurture them. Then when you start having a conversation and sales conversation. Then when you onboard them and then how you deliver service and retention referral, and you wanna think about and get creative, how can I make it special, whether it's through.

Handwritten thank you cards after certain events or after they give you business, right? Or welcome cards for new clients, or some celebration cards after a milestone. And I'm talking about the cards and handwritten things because that's definitely something that's coming back a hundred letters. People are looking for that.

It's becoming.

It is definitely a trend for 2026, so if you are a person that likes to do that or appreciates that figure out a way [00:24:00] how you can bring that, because that's a low cost personal touch, but it's very valuable.

And then important operational note on those touch points, so it doesn't become a chaos. Once you figure out what kind of touch points you wanna introduce, you wanna systemize them, right? You wanna create a process out of it, and whether you delegate it to your team member or you do that, you wanna make it a system so that it doesn't become a chaos, or it's not random, right?

Prediction number five, as AI expands and grows, and yes, it can be scary and at the same time as a small business, there is benefits to adopting it and really thinking how it can help you. Run your business and streamline things in your business so that you have time and you have mental capacity to [00:25:00] focus on human connection and the personal touch.