2026 has arrived, and many people have already returned to work. Entrepreneurs who have opened their doors after a well-deserved break are already asking: What will the year hold? According to Alex de Bruyn from Let’sCreate, every entrepreneur will continue to grapple with how to design for genuine, sustainable success.
“The tools to scale are abundant and accessible, yet the challenge remains,” he notes. “That’s because the edge no longer belongs to those who build the best product, but to those who create the most compelling experience.
“Innovation today is not just about technical output, it’s about deep human connection.
Forget the product, embrace the feeling.”
Connection Trumps Features
De Bruyn explains that in nearly every market, the technical differences between competing products are rapidly becoming negligible. “A product’s features are hardly its competitive advantage, but rather it’s about the connection it creates with the user. Today, I believe that it is no longer about the product but about the feeling and experience of using the technology.”
This shift means great products exist in an ecosystem where loyalty, story and community are the key features. The loyalty you earn oversees the entire construct of the product.
“A great example of this in practice is to look at local brands that seem to defy commoditisation, like Plato Coffee and Legends Barbers. They aren’t winning on a proprietary blend or a unique scissor technique alone. Plato offers a consistent, community-driven space that feels welcome, like home. Legends Barbers has built its reputation by giving back to the community, making a haircut feel like participation in a movement. These brands win because they have built a community,” he points out.
Capability Is Essential
Yet, the biggest challenge currently facing our industry is that technology is moving faster than understanding – it’s a gap between capability and clarity. De Bruyn explains that added to that is the fundamental issue of trust in data, systems and outcomes. “This calls for a focus on transparency, interoperability, and purpose-driven design. At Let’sCreate, for example, our platforms are built not just to automate, but to explain, integrate and, ultimately, empower the user.”
He encourages SMEs to choose people over platforms. He points to how many industries inadvertently find themselves choosing the opposite, placing the technology above the understanding or needs of their customers. “This is why jargon is so irksome. Take just some Software As A Service abbreviations – CAC, LTV, ARR, MRR, NRR, ACV, TAM, SAM, SOM! It’s not that they aren’t useful, but too often they get used to gatekeeping. It makes the industry feel way more complicated than it actually is. At the end of the day, it’s about solving real problems, building something people want, and doing it in a way that scales. You shouldn’t need a glossary to be taken seriously.”
Advancement Does Not Equal Empowerment
Another important point to keep in mind in the coming year is that technological advancements don’t automatically translate into empowering the user. “Technology, no matter how advanced, means nothing if it doesn’t empower the person using it,” De Bruyn warns. Every platform [or digital tool] must be designed with one goal in mind: to make the user the hero. We don’t want to replace human creativity or decision-making; we want to amplify it.”
Furthermore, De Bruyn notes that the ultimate success in 2026 and beyond is a situation where our platforms disappear into the background, and our clients are the ones being recognised for innovation, creativity, growth and success. “The product should be the enabling force behind the progress, not the progress itself.
“It’s a balance between innovation and understanding, speed and trust. Today’s entrepreneur needs to create a compelling story, not just a better product. It’s about building a community and not just chasing a larger market share. It’s about creativity and connection – the most enduring ‘competitive advantage’ there is,” he concludes.
Remaining competitive in the coming years thus means that SMEs must acknowledge that connecting with their customers and making them the centre of their business is the best way to move forward. This allows you to start the conversations that truly drive your business and helps you solve the issues the customer faces, regardless of whether it is through a product or service.
