2026: The Year Business Brokerage Actually Changes

What will 2026 bring?

This will be the year of AI.

Yes, I know AI is already in place and the hot topic of everyone. And I do mean everyone.

But this will be the year when it actually becomes valuable at helping people with real business needs.

If you are a broker, it will be a valuable tool you must utilize to manage your tasks, your potential buyers, your content at scale.

If you are a service provider, it will be a valuable tool that will help you take care of the things that it can do at scale.

The AI era is here.

There is a war raging among the top AI companies, looking to be the dominant platform that people adopt and use.

Think of the Microsoft race to Windows domination.

Think of the Apple race to dominate smartphones.

It will happen this year.

Why does this matter? Two big reasons.

First – embrace, use, or get way left behind.

It’s a tool, like anything else – there is no good or bad in AI (yet!). It’s how you use it.

Like a chainsaw – build a log cabin, go on a massacre in Texas. That is up the one who holds the chainsaw.

Same with AI. But fundamentally – use it or lose.

Second – and the most important part…by using AI and any tech tool or service that can handle tasks that you would normally do, it will leave you with more time and energy to focus on the one task that you should be doing.

Being a human that builds relationships with other humans with the goal of helping them accomplish their goals.

That’s it – that is all that should be left when you leverage everything that takes tasks off your plate.

Not that long ago – in the realm of human history – some people resisted the automobile. They liked horses. They understood horses. They could (semi) control horses. Car? What is that magical machine? How does it even work? What if it breaks?

But the car was a huge leap in human relationships.

Instead of spending a large amount of time ‘getting somewhere’ – you could get there quicker and spend time doing what you wanted to do. And probably, back then with no internet, phones, or television, it was to spend time with other humans, building relationships.

We are in that same era right now.

My goal for you – in 2026 – is that you embrace anything, everything tech and service related that will help you get to the core need the world has for you – to be a human that is of service to others.

Let the AI robots and outsourced teams handle spreadsheets, email, content editing, and tracking. You take care of the rest!

What Actually Changed for Business Brokers in 2025

Despite all the noise, a few meaningful patterns emerged:

1. Owners became quieter — and more selective Fewer impulse calls. More research. More lurking. More filtering before contact.

Owners didn’t stop wanting to sell. They just stopped announcing it.

2. Authority overtook activity Cold outreach still “worked,” but it worked harder for less return.

Brokers with visible authority saw:

• warmer conversations
• shorter explanation cycles
• fewer credibility objections

The market began rewarding clarity over hustle.

3. Digital presence became a trust gate, not a bonus LinkedIn, BizBuySell, websites, content, and referrals all merged into a single evaluation system.

Owners stopped separating them. So did referral partners.

Your signage either aligned… or eliminated you.

BBG in 2025: From Concept to Infrastructure

2025 was a launch year for Business Broker Growth.

Not a “big splash” launch. A build it right launch.

BBG was created around a simple truth:

Most brokers don’t need more tactics.

They need their value to be visible.

This year, BBG:

• Launched it’s first book: The Trusted Authority Shift: How to position yourself so owners and partners come to you first – before your competitors
• Recorded and launched the podcast: Business Broker Grow Show
• Filled the (free, for now) Trusted Authority Portal with valuable content to help brokers
• Went full speed in the Done-For-You content, authority agency mode
• Started working with brokers who wanted systems that generate valuable content, not gimmicks

Early results weren’t about volume.

They were about traction.

We saw:

• brokers getting clearer inbound conversations
• referral partners engaging with confidence
• owners arriving more educated and aligned
• less explaining, more guiding

Those are leading indicators.

And they matter.

What We’re Carrying Into 2026

2026 won’t reward louder brokers. It will reward clearer ones.

Here’s what’s coming next:

• Deeper authority infrastructure for brokers
• Expanded referral enablement
• Stronger use of AI as a thinking and leverage tool
• More focus on compounding, not chasing

The brokers who win next year won’t feel frantic.

They’ll feel inevitable.

One Final Thought

If 2025 taught us anything, it’s this:

Owners decide who they trust long before they reach out. Your job is not to convince them. It’s to make the decision easier.

That’s what BBG exists to build.

Thank you for being part of this year’s journey.

Given what we created, launched this year in just a few short months, and the clients we are working with, 2026 will be an amazing year for us and the business brokers we serve.

2026 is about to get interesting!

Until next time,
Jason

PS. Take the Digital Impact Assessment (free)
→ https://get.businessbrokergrowth.com/assessmentNL