Growth plans come and go. The experience your customers have is what actually lasts.
As business owners, they're thinking about what they want next: more growth, more balance, more stability, fewer firefights.
But far fewer are clear on the experience they want their customers to have as they grow.
And that matters more than most people realise.
A vision isn’t just a statement for a strategy day. Done well, it becomes a shared direction, a north star; something that helps people make better decisions when things are busy and messy (which they usually are). If you've read my book ('You've Got The Power. Six Principles for Business Success) you'll know there's a whole chapter dedicated to purpose and vision.
Growth plans come and go. The experience your customers have is what actually lasts.
As business owners, they're thinking about what they want next: more growth, more balance, more stability, fewer firefights.
But far fewer are clear on the experience they want their customers to have as they grow.
And that matters more than most people realise.
A vision isn’t just a statement for a strategy day. Done well, it becomes a shared direction, a north star; something that helps people make better decisions when things are busy and messy (which they usually are). If you've read my book ('You've Got The Power. Six Principles for Business Success) you'll know there's a whole chapter dedicated to purpose and vision.
Here are five things to consider when creating a vision for 2026 (or if you've created your vision, revisiting), especially if you want it to be customer-led and genuinely useful.
1. Start with the customer, not the numbers
Of course growth, revenue, and efficiency matter. But they shouldn’t be the starting point.
Begin with a simple question: How do we want customers to feel when they deal with us in 2026?
Clear. Confident. Looked after. Relieved. Valued.
When you anchor your vision in the customer experience, the commercial outcomes tend to follow; not the other way around.
2. Involve employees early (not after it’s “finished”)
One of the biggest mistakes I see is leadership teams creating a vision for employees instead of with them.
Your people are the ones delivering the experience every day. They know where things work well, and where reality doesn’t match intention.
Involving employees:
Makes the vision more realistic
Surfaces friction early
And builds ownership, not resistance
If people don’t see themselves in the vision, they won’t deliver it.
3. Be clear about what experience you are choosing to create
A strong vision makes choices.
You can’t be everything to everyone, so be clear about:
What you will prioritise for customers
What you will always do well
And what you are consciously not trying to be
Clarity here helps teams make better day-to-day decisions without needing permission for everything.
4. Create clear vision pillars (including a customer pillar)
Visions stick when they’re simple and structured.
I often recommend 3–5 vision pillars, one of which should be explicitly customer-focused.
For example:
Customer experience
Employee experience
Systems/processes
Growth or sustainability
Each pillar should answer: “What does good look like for us?”
These pillars become anchors - not just words, but reference points for behaviour, priorities, and change.
5. Align the vision to how work actually gets done
A vision only works if it’s supported by:
Systems
Processes
Ways of working
If you promise a great customer experience but your people are battling clunky tools, unclear handovers, or constant workarounds, the vision won’t land.
Alignment matters. The experience you promise externally has to be possible internally.
A personal vision gives you direction. A customer-led business vision gives everyone clarity.
As you think about 2026, it might be worth asking:
Do we have a clear, shared picture of the experience we’re trying to create?
Are our people part of shaping it?
And would our customers actually recognise it?
If not, that’s a powerful place to start.
As always, if you’d like a sounding board or support shaping a customer-led vision that works in the real world, I’m very happy to help.
Clare
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you'd prefer to have do it yourself with some practical tools and templates that will help with structuring your vision, I've created The PowerHub, a platform for business owners and leaders that may be stuck, need inspiration or guidance.
It brings together strategy, practical tools and guided support specifically for small business owners / leaders that perhaps don't have the budget to enlist the help of a consultant.
I'm offering a 'sneak peek' (try before you buy) for 48 hours, so you can take a look around The PowerHub (desktop or mobile) and see what you think.
Visit https://Powerhub.world and enter the promo code 'SNEAKPEEK26'.
Share this post: