The wonderful thing about advice is it’s free. As in, you’re free to heed it or free to ignore it. Unsolicited input generally falls on deaf ears. But in our case, we’ve asked and some of the biggest names in our industry have delivered some absolute gems of advice. That, however, is for you to decide.
As part of our State of the Industry report on 2026 trends and predictions, we offer the first installment on the best practices to ensure you’re starting off the year armed with the knowledge and insights that can help you navigate through the challenges encountered. Hopefully, you’ll find a nugget that can help make a difference. Read on:
Kimberlie Sutterfield, Brother International: Lean into transformation rather than waiting for market pressure to force it. Modernize workflows, migrate to cloud-based fleet tools, and embrace automation across service, billing, and dispatch. Expand beyond print by offering integrated IT and security services that meet evolving customer expectations. Dealers that invest early in operational efficiency and holistic technology capabilities will protect margins and become indispensable long-term partners.
Mike Hannon, FP Mailing Solutions: Focus on what works and don’t over-complicate it. Our industry is full of new tools, new pressures and new opportunities, but the foundations of good leadership remain the same. Set clear priorities, keep your teams aligned and stay close to your customers. When we remove unnecessary complexity and concentrate on the actions that consistently drive results, we create a stronger path forward for our businesses and our people.
Mitch Leahy, GreatAmerica Financial Services: Seize opportunities decisively instead of waiting for perfect conditions. Strengthen recurring revenue streams, invest in your workforce, and adopt automation to sharpen operations. Prepare for succession or consolidation by documenting processes and building leadership depth. Intentional planning today ensures resilience and positions your business to thrive in 2026 and beyond.
Anthony Sci, Keypoint Intelligence: Are you changing and adopting your organization to accept AI and become more efficient? It is really important to streamline operations and deliver the best client experience. Tariffs are the big question mark. Will they be allowed to continue as the Supreme Court is reviewing this?
Manufacturers can’t absorb the full cost and dealers pass them to customers. Are they going to get fed up with the rising costs? Since I have been in the industry, there have always been challenges, such as real estate crisis, the pandemic, tariffs, etc. We are resilient and will continue to be. You can still be very successful in this industry and embracing innovation is the way to succeed.
Paul McKinney, Eakes Office Solutions: Work hard and stay true to your company’s mission and core values. In times of great change, treating our businesses as “lifestyle” businesses is not a strategy likely to lead to success. Our businesses need engaged and active thought leaders now more than ever.
Jose Estebanez, Kyocera Document Solutions America: Stay close to your channel and help them translate today’s trends (cloud, AI, security, declining office print volumes, growth in production print and specialty print) into realistic, tangible growth plans. Help them invest in enablement and support that goes well beyond product launches. We all have to focus on building resilient, future-ready dealers for the sake of the channel and the long-term health of the industry.
Josh Salkin, EDGE Business Systems: Now is the time to dominate your competition. Customers don’t care about feeds and speeds anymore and can do that research on their own. What else are your reps talking about to deliver value? We keep asking ourselves and fine tuning our value proposition to stay ahead of the pack.
Steven Sauer, Toshiba America Business Solutions: The pace of innovation is relentless, but success lies in methodical, secure adoption of new technologies. Whether it’s AI, cloud platforms or subscription pricing, align every move with customer needs and long-term strategy. Stay agile, stay curious, and never lose sight of the human side of the business. Technology will drive efficiency, but culture and talent will define who thrives in this new era.
Melissa Confalone, Fraser Advanced Information Systems: Stay focused on selling. No matter how complex the industry gets or how fast technology evolves, revenue still solves problems. Have a written plan with clear, aggressive growth goals, and hold your team accountable to it. Too many organizations get caught up in reactive mode or internal distractions. The dealers who win in 2026 will be the ones obsessed with growth, relentless about execution and laser-focused on capturing new business. There’s a lot of opportunity out there for those who are disciplined enough to chase it every day.
Dawn Abbuhl, Repeat Business Systems: Make sure you have diversified and relevant offerings. Go to trade shows, evaluate what you could do better and create great processes.
