It's 2026. The middle is gone. And if you're still standing there, you're about to get crushed.

This is the uncomfortable truth most business owners don't want to hear: AI didn't make business harder—it exposed just how much of "work" really never mattered in the first place.

In this first episode of the new year, Kim and Hal breakdown why 2025 felt so disorienting, what the "structural break" actually means, and the two edges you need to own right now.

You'll hear Becky's real-time journey from displaced Big 4 consultant to solo operator with leverage—and why she rebuilt her entire client system in a weekend (while battling massive imposter syndrome).

If you're grinding harder but getting less traction, thisepisode will give you language for what's happening—and a clear path forward.

IN THIS EPISODE

The Diagnosis: Why the middle disappeared and what that means for your identity (3:20)

The Structural Break: How 2025 collapsed the old business model—and why "working harder" won't save you (5:30)

Two Founders, Two Different Games: The compound effect of decision speed and why learning beats planning (8:10)

The AI Orchestrator Role: What's actually left for humans (and why "inspiration without execution" is just expensiveprocrastination) (11:45)

Becky's Transformation: How a displaced consultant rebuilt her practice in a weekend—and why nobody believes her (1:45)

The Fork in the Road: The choice you're facing right now and what happens if you wait until Q2 (14:00)

The Small Step Challenge: Two questions you need to answer in under 60 seconds (16:30)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

✅ AI handles the middle. Humans own the edges. Judgment on the front end. Decisiveness on the back end. Everything else? Automated.

✅ Being busy isn't a flex anymore. It's a warning. If you're grinding on tasks AI can handle in 90 seconds, you're not being thorough—you're being slow.

✅ The future doesn't reward effort. It rewards decisiveness. Strategy is now a commodity. Execution atspeed is the premium.

✅ Waiting isn't prudent. It's a liability. The gap between those who moved and those who waited? It's widening. And by Q2, they'll be unreachable.

✅ Your technology-enabled superpower: The ability to do what used to take a team—by yourself—in a weekend.

TAKE ACTION

Join Our LinkedIn Live for the Month of January
We're walking through the exact framework Becky used to rebuild her client system in a weekend. Not theory—actual deployment. The templates. The prompts. The decision trees.

If you're realizing you've been standing in the middle, this is for you.

Just say:

“Tell me more about the BMS Licensee Model.”

✦ DM Kim Lewis Howard on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-lewis-howard/

✦ DM Hal Howard on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/halhoward/

---Music Credit: “I Am with You” by Dream Cave; EpidemicSound via iStock.com

Sound Effects: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/