Wrapping up Christmas with the family here in Chiang Mai felt simple, grounded, and genuinely fun. It was exactly what we needed after a whirlwind 2025. Low-key vibes, quality time, and zero rush.
But now? Flipping the calendar to 2026 hits different.
We are officially kicking off a fresh year, and I decided to start it with a hard reset. I just emerged from a 3-day silent temple retreat—what we’re calling temple5.
No talking. No screens. Just deep introspection in the quiet hills outside Chiang Mai.
In this hyper-digital world, unplugging like that is pure gold. It’s a proper detox for the mind. I came out of the silence with some sharp insights on where we’re headed, and honestly, the contrast is wild.
My big takeaway? While AI is exploding, physical, in-person connections are making a massive comeback. The "retro," analog vibes are rising on the feeds. Creativity reigns supreme in 2026, and these retreats reboot my creative engine like nothing else.
Katrina McKay is on the same wavelength. She called the detox a "power move" amidst the digital chaos, and she’s right. But while I was quiet, the team was loud.
The Build Continues
Katrina and the NYBS crew are locking in the foundations of our new ecommerce system—what we’re dubbing the Global From Asia community ecosystem. New York Bar Store has rolled out the core tools and integrations, priming us for a breakout year.
This syncs perfectly with Lisa Yuson and Global From Asia. We just dropped the refreshed homepage with a bold new headline: "Break Borders and Accelerate Your Global Empire."
It’s not just a tagline; it’s the mission. Lisa is prepping the Empower the Seller launch, starting strong with our kickoff webinar on January 7. If you want to crush global expansion this year, you need to be in that room.
The Strategy: 2026 is the Year of Alignment
The last few months were all about consolidation.
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Easy China Warehouse is gearing up for deeper synergies as a strategic partner.
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Hamza operations are paused short-term to recalibrate, but we are eyeing ways to rewire it as another powerful sales channel for sellers.
Bottom line: We are streamlining what works, cutting the noise, and doubling down on synergy.
Lisa put it best: "That community ecosystem you've been vibe-coding for months? It's ready to surface in a big way."
She’s right. 2026 takes everything we’ve learned—the deep dives into AI tools, systems, and frameworks over the past six months—and unleashes it. We are talking about an avalanche of new apps, automations, and resources finally hitting the public-facing Global From Asia site.
Buckle up for exponential growth.
As we charge into this new year, gratitude is high for the ride so far—the wins, the lessons, and the team holding it down.
What is your biggest reflection or goal heading into 2026? Drop a reply.
Stay tuned for the video version—script is finalized, editing is in progress. Subscribe at mikesblog.com/now for the raw behind-the-scenes and weekly drops.
Let’s make 2026 unstoppable. 🚀