🏅Wiseboard achievements 

● I’ve joined the Projector Institute Mentorship platform as a mentor● 51 transformation projects launched ● New success stories in our portfolio
Let’s get to it.

📈 Market recovery…really?

Some founders say the market is finally coming back. Others say nothing has come back.

So, what is it?

The market has entered a K-shaped recovery phase.

In a K-shaped market, you either:● Rebuild your business model and move into the upper branch, or● Drift downward by inertia

By early 2026, the gap between these two branches will become very hard to close.
Who will survive 2026: my 6 predictions
After analyzing Wiseboard client results and market signals, here are my 6 predictions for 2026:
Prediction #1: AI will kill hourly business models
AI is already reducing development effort by 30–40%. Enterprise clients see this in reports and immediately expect it in pricing.
This creates a trap:● You adopt AI → deliver faster → bill fewer hours● You don’t adopt AI → you lose relevance
Either way, hour-based revenue collapses, and companies should move to outcome-based pricing or managed services.
Prediction #2: $2–5M revenue companies will die
This segment will feel the most pressure.
These companies are too small to be trusted as enterprise partners. And too weak to compete on marketing budgets or price.
This is the most dangerous size to be in.
2026 will be the year of forced consolidation. For many, M&A will be the only way out into the $20M+ league.
Prediction #3: Ukrainian IT growth will continue, but outside Ukraine
Risk policies cap how much delivery you can keep in Ukraine. 
Winning companies will build nearshore delivery hubs (LATAM, India, multiple regions) to stay competitive.
Prediction #4: Vendors who can’t add value will be replaced
Clients are cutting costs, but they still pay for efficiency, impact on revenue, and technology transformation.
Demand moves from “Help run the business” to “Help transform the business.”
Most service companies know how to code, but can’t show where the client is losing money and how to fix it. 
In 2026, vendors who can’t articulate value will be replaced by cheaper vendors or AI agents.
Prediction #5: Old-school marketing is back
Cold outreach and inbound have changed:● AI-generated sales pitches killed trust● SEO lost leverage to LLMs● PPC is expensive
Trust becomes the main distribution channel again.
Nearbound GTM (partnerships, ecosystems, referrals, warm intros) will outperform classic outbound, just like pre-COVID. Companies that rebuild their GTM stack around trust-focused activities will win.
Prediction #6: Revenue will become one function
Marketing, Sales, and Delivery can no longer operate in silos.
In 2026:● NRR matters more than new leads● Upsell, cross-sell, and expansion drive growth● Consulting + AI + automation gets sold into existing accounts
Companies that don’t merge Marketing, Sales, and Delivery into Revenue Operations will leak value at every stage.
All 6 predictions point to one conclusion: growth in 2026 depends on fixing the system, not pushing it harder.
That’s exactly what Q1 is for.

📑 The Wiseboard Q1 reset framework

This is the 4-phase Q1 reset I apply as a founder and recommend to our clients.

Phase 1: Close the past
Goal: Stop last year’s mistakes from leaking into this one.
● List all unfinished or over-scoped projects● Identify delivery debt: Unpaid or underpriced work →Stretched teams →Temporary fixes that became permanent● Close postponed decisions. Kill, renegotiate, or finish lingering projects.
Phase 2: Regain control
Goal: Make the business manageable again
● Define single-point ownership across:
→ Sales (who owns closing and expansion)
→ Delivery (who owns outcomes, not just execution)
→ Accounts (who owns retention and upsell)
● Expose key dependencies:
→ Which people would break delivery if they left?
→ Which clients would break revenue if paused?
→ Which processes only exist in someone’s head?
● Make revenue and delivery mechanics visible:
→ How deals are priced
→ How margins behave by project type
→ Where AI accelerates work and where it kills revenue
Phase 3: Stabilize the system
In a K-shaped market, predictability is a competitive advantage.
● Turn delivery from heroic to repeatable with fewer custom exceptions and more transparent engagement types● Stabilize margins by project type● Define expansion paths for existing clients:
→ What comes after the first project
→ What value you can expand into in 2026 (AI, automation, consulting)
Phase 4: Create conditions for growth
Only now does growth planning make sense.
● Allow growth only where capacity exists, not all services or all clients● Align hiring with demand, to unlock constrained revenue, but not to prepare for growth
Limit new initiatives: one priority at a time. Core execution always wins.

Wrap-up: 4 hard truths founders should accept
● It won’t get easier. If you hit a ceiling, it’s your outdated business model (not the market)● Selling hours is a losing game. Result-driven companies replace effort-driven ones.● Solo players will struggle. Consolidation will become survival for many.● There’s no time to lose. Only companies that are restructuring for the new reality will survive.

Start by regaining control in Q1.

And if you want a second opinion from the outside (no pitch, no strings attached), hop on a quick call with me. I’ll be glad to talk. 

📺 Wiseboard Online Talks

What we talked about:
● Why Deals Fail: The top people, culture, and operational risks to watch for.● Synergy Mapping & The First 30 Days: How to activate value quickly and manage expectations on both sides.● Integration Blueprint: What to centralize, what to keep autonomous, and how to build a structure that actually works.

What we talked about:
● How war and market shifts changed valuation methods● What builds (or destroys) investor confidence● Practical steps to increase your company’s value and become investment-ready

What we talked about:
● Technical presale for AI projects: How to avoid common mistakes and increase the win rate ● How proposal creation has evolved with AI coding tools● Red flags that kill AI projects before they start● Why most companies get technical scoping completely wrong● The real cost of misaligned sales and tech teams