Seven Things That Every Executive, Owner, or Founder Needs to Rethink Before 2027
By Heather A. Kollar ·
The short answer
Expertise alone no longer guarantees growth. As AI reshapes how buyers decide, executives and founders who intentionally build their visibility, reputation, and relationships today will win the opportunities of 2027.
What got you here may not be enough to take you where you want to go next. That's a hard reality for successful people to confront.
You've spent years building your business, developing your expertise, earning your reputation, and nurturing relationships. But here's the gut punch. You can be exceptional at what you do and still be invisible to the people who could change your business.
And while you're busy running the business you've built, someone with less experience may be building the visibility, relationships, and trust that win tomorrow's opportunities.
As we head toward 2027, that's worth thinking about. PwC's 2026 Global CEO Survey found that only 30% of CEOs are confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, AI is changing how businesses operate, how buyers make decisions, and how professionals demonstrate their value.
The rules are changing. So what should executives and founders be paying attention to?
1. Where Will Your Next Stage of Growth Come From?
Your next stage of growth will likely come from new relationships, new markets, and new positioning - not from repeating what built your business.
The clients, relationships, and strategies that built your business may not be the ones that take it to the next level. Growth requires more than working harder. It requires recognizing where new opportunities are emerging and positioning yourself to capture them.
Are you building for tomorrow's opportunities or relying on yesterday's success?
2. When Everyone Has AI, What Makes You Different?
When everyone has AI, your experience, judgment, and point of view become your real differentiators.
Technology is making information, content, and capabilities accessible to nearly everyone. But access to information isn't the same as wisdom, experience, or sound judgment. Your competitive advantage increasingly depends on what makes your expertise valuable and distinct.
If your competitors have access to the same tools, why should someone choose you?
3. Your Reputation Is an Asset. Are You Leveraging It?
Your reputation only creates opportunities when the right people can see it, so it needs to be visible online before anyone meets you.
You've spent years earning credibility. But your experience can only influence opportunities when people know about it. Your reputation should be working for you long before you enter a meeting, answer a proposal, or make a sales call.
Does your digital presence reflect the authority you've earned?
4. Your Next Opportunity May Come From Someone You Haven't Met.
Many of your best future opportunities will come through introductions and referrals from people outside your current circle.
Business growth is driven by relationships.
Not just the people who can buy from you today, but the people who can introduce you, recommend you, advocate for you, and open doors tomorrow.
The strength of your professional network can determine which opportunities ever reach you.
Are you building the relationships your future business will need?
5. Being Great at What You Do Doesn't Mean People Can Find You.
Expertise alone doesn't make you discoverable - you need to show up and earn trust on LinkedIn, in search, and on AI platforms.
Today, prospective clients are researching businesses and leaders across LinkedIn, search engines, and AI-powered platforms.
If you're not showing up where they're looking, your competitors may be.
And being visible isn't enough. You must give people a reason to trust what they find.
6. The Leader Who Built Your Business May Not Be the Leader Who Scales It.
Scaling a business requires leaders to evolve their thinking, skills, and approach as fast as the market changes.
Experience is valuable. But so is the willingness to evolve. New markets, emerging technologies, and changing client expectations demand new thinking. What worked five years ago may be holding you back today.
Are you growing as quickly as the business you want to lead?
7. Your 2027 Strategy Starts With What You Decide Today.
The opportunities you have in 2027 will be shaped by where you invest your attention, relationships, and positioning today.
Another year of being busy isn't necessarily another year of moving forward. Where you invest your attention, which relationships you develop, and how you position your expertise today will influence the opportunities available to you tomorrow.
Are you intentionally building your future, or simply managing your present?
Here's What I Want You to Remember.
You don't need another year of doing more. You need to become more intentional about what matters. Your expertise. Your reputation. Your relationships. Your visibility. Your growth.
These aren't separate activities. They're interconnected business assets. And when they're working together, they can create opportunities that expertise alone may never unlock.
The question isn't whether you've earned your authority. It's whether you're putting it to work.
That's the thinking behind the Executive Growth L.A.B.. Because knowing what needs to change is one thing. Knowing how to make it happen is where the real work begins.
If you want a partner to build your visibility, authority, and relationships year-round, explore how we work with leaders.