Growing up is never easy. 2026 is no exception. Companies that succeeded this year prepared on two fronts: agile and organic growth strategies. Agile companies that can execute tactics quickly are more likely to grow in 2026. Companies that have not built agility in recent years are doomed to repeat the lessons inflation taught us in 2022. Because it incurs higher costs and reduces margins if you don't act. Here are three scenarios for turning challenges into new opportunities for growth.
Lack of energy? Extra charge now
Let's start with changes in energy costs. Have you introduced special fuel surcharges yet? We are experiencing well-understood global events that create a macro environment favorable to this strategy (as was the case with the surprise tariff imposition in 2025). It may not be popular with your sales team, but history shows that your customers will understand.
In this situation, executives have only three options. Act early, act when costs occur, act late. Agility is the time lag between the desire to act and the ability to act. How agile are you?Here are three strategies worth implementing right away.
• By tying the surcharge to a specific named cost driver (in this case fuel), customers can understand the justification, not just the numbers.
• Build invoicing capabilities so you can do this in days instead of months. Agility is infrastructure, not intent.
• Establish pricing-enabled workflows that sales teams can execute without having to go back to leadership for each decision.
Onslaught of AI? Diversification of revenue
Maybe you're a SaaS executive who fears the collapse of user-based licensing due to AI. Monolithic user models are clearly at risk. De-risking revenue growth through alternative pricing models is a great strategy, and we've helped countless companies achieve this over the past 40 years. Need proof? Ask your CTO how their IT spending has shifted from seat licenses to add-ons and services.
SaaS companies that started that change a decade ago are more resilient in the face of AI because they have already created multiple revenue streams that can move between each other. But don't worry if you're not there yet. You don't need a complete transformation to start the shift. Start with one program.
• Connected service tiers or performance guarantees in a single product line.
• Pay-as-you-go model for the highest volume SKUs.
• An outcome-based contract that one major account wants to pilot.
Customer slowdown? Mining the data
Maybe you're the CEO of a field service company and the market is in a tough spot due to declining consumer confidence. It's a good time to combine strategy and tactics with a focus on your customer base.
Maintaining and growing installed base revenue has been codified by SaaS companies for the past 25 years. The important thing is to apply those learnings to your new business. Do you have customer churn risk scoring, retention offers, cross-sell/up-sell triggers, and cohort analysis? If you're a SaaS company, of course you do. But a local landscaping business? Maybe not now, but why not try adapting some?
• Score accounts by churn risk using purchase frequency, recency, and service call patterns.
• Set retention triggers – Proactive outreach or offers that start before the customer goes silent.
• Perform a simple cohort analysis. Which customer segments are growing, which are shrinking, and what are the differences between them?
At Simon Kuchar, we're excited about the opportunities for organic growth in 2026, whether it's global macro strategy, changing our revenue model, or managing our customer base. Volatility punishes those who are not prepared and rewards those who are. The question is not whether a disruptive situation is coming, but whether we are building the capacity to turn it to our advantage. If not, start now. We can help.
