We're deep into the new year now, and the energy is electric!
2026 is already feeling like the year everything accelerates—the whole world is moving, taking action, and making big things happen. Here in Chiang Mai, that post-holiday reset has kicked in hard: teams are fired up, systems are optimizing, and we're pushing boundaries in AI, e-commerce, and community building.
Let's dive into what's happening across the board this week.
🛍️ New York Bar Store: Unboxing & Fresh Products
Katrina McKay is leading the charge on our e-commerce content production:
- New Product Drops: We're adding fresh items to the lineup—metal pourers, bar tools, and premium essentials hitting the store.
- Unboxing Video Series: Cranking out unboxing videos for all the new products to give customers that full, immersive experience.
- Hands-On Vibe: Seeing products unpacked in real-time is pulling people in and boosting engagement like crazy.
Mike's Take: Let's make 2026 our year! The unboxing content is giving customers that hands-on feel before they buy, and it's working.
🤖 Shadstone Team: AI-Driven Empowerment
Janice Jung and the leadership team are leveling up how we operate:
- Removing Redundant Tasks: Using AI to eliminate busywork so the team can focus on what matters.
- True Leadership: Making the ninjas real project leaders with full accountability.
- Strategic Focus: Humans shine when they think strategically, analyze data, and make bold decisions—that's where we're pushing everyone.
- Management Alignment: Recent calls with Shadstone leaders established clear delegation frameworks and real authority.
The world is AI-driven now, and we're giving the team more autonomy to run with it.
🌏 Global From Asia: Site Upgrades Complete
After months of heavy lifting, Lisa Yuson and the team have modernized our legacy authority sites:
- Event Calendar Front & Center: The new globalfromasia.com homepage now prominently features our event lineup:
- Samui Mastermind - March 2026
- Cross Border Summit - Early November 2026
- Tuesday Meetups & additional community sessions
- Fresh Tech Stack: Both Mikesblog.com and GlobalFromAsia.com are now running on modern infrastructure.
- AI-Powered Migration: Thousands of posts migrated using AI-powered tools—cleaner, faster, ready for the next era.
- Community Training: The Shadstone team is hungry for training on these new systems, and we're prepping community-wide sessions now that the foundation is rebuilt.
Mike's Take: Foundation locked, now it's time to equip the community. Engage more, share the tools, and arm everyone for this exponential world.
🎙️ Podcast & Community Growth
Quick shoutout: This week we dropped an episode with Jane on the creator incubation program.
- Free Webinar Available: Catch the details at club.gfavip.com—perfect for connecting, learning, and collaborating.
- Creator Focus: Building frameworks for creators to grow together in the GFAVIP ecosystem.
💼 Business Acquisitions: Expanding the Portfolio
Billy Beard shared some acquisition updates via dealmaker.space:
DailySchools.com (rebranded from Interschools.co)
- International school directory platform
- Major upgrades already live
- Integrating deeper into the GFAVIP ecosystem
EZdomains.io
- Handshake domain registry for the .ez TLD on HNS
- Still finalizing, but upgrades incoming
- More extensions planned, plus GFAVIP login perks and bonuses for members
Mike's Take: Streamlining deals like this keeps us agile and expanding. Not Billy's core project, but worth calling out.
What's Your Big Move This Week?
The world is going full exponential—AI efficiencies, site rebuilds, new products, acquisitions, events stacking up.
I'm grateful for the momentum and this crew pushing it forward.
Buckle up, enjoy the ride, and let's make 2026 legendary.
Drop your big move this week in the comments below!
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