Your "Second New Year" is Here: Let's Talk 2026 Strategy!

At The Aebli Group, we celebrate Labor Day a little differently. In addition to celebrating the social and economic achievements of American workers, we like to call it the “Second New Year.” That moment when leaders are sprinting to finish 2025 strong and are starting to plan how to launch 2026 with momentum.

In this edition of TAGLine, we’re sharing practical insights and steps from our years of experience helping businesses like yours move from reactive, year-end thinking to proactive, growth-focused planning. Think of it as your roadmap to start 2026 aligned, confident, and ready to win.

These next few months aren’t just the end of the year, they’re your launchpad! 🚀

Think of these as your pillars for shifting from defense to offense:

• Get Clear on Your Vision: What does success genuinely look like for you in 2026? Make sure your entire leadership team is not just aware, but deeply aligned around that picture.
• Sharpen Your Message: With your vision aligned, now ask, “How are you communicating your value?” Let's refine that. Ensure your brand connects clearly and consistently in the market. There’s no room for ambiguity here! Being unclear costs money.
• Prioritize Growth Investments: This is HUGE. Consciously reallocate resources away from just "keeping the lights on" and towards those initiatives that genuinely fuel innovation, deepen customer engagement, and drive revenue. Cutting marketing now doesn’t affect tomorrow’s sales… it impacts what happens in 6 months. 
• Empower Your Teams: Give your people what they need. That means the right tools, the best training, and the focus required to execute with confidence.
• Measure and Adjust: Set clear metrics now and build in the discipline to track progress.  You can’t become something you have never been unless you do something you have never done. The last thing we want is 2026 catching us off guard.
  
  
  

A clear vision only works when it translates into action. So, here's how you can get started today:

1. Set 3 Non-Negotiable Goals for 2026: Write them down. And then, make it a priority to align your leadership team around them this quarter. No exceptions.

2. Reallocate 10–15% of Your Q4 Budget to Growth Projects: This is putting your money where your mouth is. Whether it's a targeted digital campaign, a new product pilot, or sales enablement, dedicate real resources to the future.

3. Refresh Your Brand Messaging: Do an audit. Look at your website, your proposals, your presentations. Do they reflect where you're going, or just where you've been?

👉 REFRESH, REJUVINATE, AND RELAUNCH WITH TAG'S JUMP-START PROGRAM!

4. Host a Cross-Team Planning Session: Bring marketing, sales, and operations together in one room. Seriously. Map out together how they'll collectively support revenue in Q1. Collaboration is key.

5. Define Success Metrics Before January: Pick 3–5 key performance indicators (KPIs) that will truly measure progress in the first half of 2026. This way, your team knows exactly what "winning" looks like from day one.

Take these steps now, and you'll step into 2026 with more than just a hopeful feeling. You'll have a clear strategy, a truly focused team, and a significant head start on growth.

Want More Insights!?

Tune Into The TAGLine Podcast!

🎙️ What started as a LinkedIn newsletter has grown into The TAGline Podcast! A space where marketing leaders, business professionals, and industry experts share actionable advice, real-world lessons, and the human stories behind the numbers. If you're refining strategy, scaling operations, or just looking for fresh ideas to tackle your toughest challenges,  The TAGline Podcast offers the tools and perspective you need to make smarter decisions and connect more effectively with your audience!

This Month's TAGLine Tips:

• Tackle the "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" Problem and solve the "Just Another Sales Pitch" Dilemma in “Solving the B2B Growth Puzzle: The Power of Consistency and Trust” with Nic Conley, founder of The Follow-Up Newsletter. 
• Bridge the Strategy-Execution Gap in Your Business
  with Mark Reich from the Lean Enterprise Institute, a business veteran with over two decades of experience at Toyota! 
• Discover why VISIBILITY fuels opportunity and how to improve yours in: “Why Partnerships and Search Visibility Are the Cornerstones of Modern B2B Growth” with Matthew Lane, VP of Sales at Straight North.

The "Second New Year" is upon us! The choices you make today are setting the stage for 2026. Take action with the framework, checklist, and TAGLine tips above to align your team, invest in growth, and sharpen that strategy!