Every year I try to end with one question. What did I learn this year that will make me a better leader next year?

This time, the answer came from a week in China. I went there to meet partners, visit expos, and explore opportunities for X2. I came home with something deeper. A fresh way of thinking that challenged how I operate, how I lead, and how I want our community to grow.

China has a certain force to it. You feel it the moment you land. A pace that pushes you to rethink your limits. An environment where people move with intention and hunger. And somewhere in that energy, I saw five lessons that I am carrying into 2026 for myself and for X2.

1. Scale first, qualify later

At the expos I watched something unusual. People walked around handing out name cards without much conversation. They scanned QR codes. They collected contacts. They moved fast. At first, it felt cold. Then it made perfect sense. When a market operates at massive scale, you cannot afford to get stuck in one long conversation. You gather data first, qualify interest later, then dive deep with the right people. It was efficiency at its purest form.

It made me rethink how we approach networking as forwarders. Sometimes we judge too early. Sometimes we slow ourselves down. In reality, scale is the filter. Exposure is the first step. And conversation is the reward of good qualification. I am bringing this approach into how I meet partners and how I will guide X2 members to maximize events.

2. The winners are defined by lanes, not slogans

China’s freight market is mature. This maturity creates clear category winners. I met companies who built powerful consolidations like Shanghai to Istanbul, Shanghai to South Africa, Shanghai to Miami. They dominate by building scale so strong that new entrants cannot easily participate. They are not trying to be everything. They are trying to win very specific trade lanes and win them with financial strength and operational depth.

This reminded me of something important. Forwarders often try to market “everything everywhere”. But real advantage comes from knowing exactly where you can dominate and building that lane with discipline. This is a mindset I want to bring deeper into X2. Help members identify their sharpest lanes, build their reputations around them, and grow not by being louder, but by being more focused.

3. You don’t enter China from the outside. You enter from within.

One of the biggest surprises of my trip was the number of foreigners who now live in China full time. People from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America. All relocated. All building their presence on the ground.

When I asked for their best advice, everyone said the same thing. Find a strong local partner. A partner who gives you the basic structure. A partner who guides you through carrier relationships, compliance, culture, and negotiation. A partner who shortens your learning curve.

China is a place where presence matters. You cannot tap into this market by flying in twice a year. You need proximity, relationships, and everyday exposure to what is happening on the ground. This shifted how I think about expansion for our networks. Proximity is power. Presence is strategy. And partnership is the key that opens difficult markets.

4. If you want to talk to China, you talk through their channels

You cannot reach the Chinese market through the communication tools we normally use. Email is weak. LinkedIn is not their daily environment. Even phone calls do not create the same traction. Everything flows through WeChat. Business cards. Logistics groups. Rates. Payments. Communities. Offers. Deals. This tells me something about the future. Marketing must become more localized. Platforms will shape how trust is built. And as leaders, we must speak the digital language of the markets we want to enter. For 2026, I am looking at deeper WeChat strategies and also at how this principle applies to every region. If we want to grow globally, we cannot rely on one communication culture. We need to adapt to each market’s home ground.

5. A culture built for growth creates people built for growth

China has a unique business culture. Everyone wants to move forward. Everyone wants to earn more. Everyone is building something. Everyone wants momentum.

I mentioned this to a friend and he said something that stuck with me. “My friends go to China when they want to feel motivated again.” I finally understood why. It is a place where curiosity is normal. Ambition is normal. Fast movement is normal. Closing big deals is normal. Experimentation is normal. When an entire environment is wired for progress, you cannot help but feel pushed to become the best version of yourself.

This is what I am bringing into my own leadership. Create an environment inside X2 where motivation is contagious. Where members feel pulled to grow because everyone around them is growing too. Where our community becomes the place people go to reignite their ambition.

What This Means for X2 in 2026:

This year reminded me that growth starts inside you before it shows up in your business. You cannot expect fresh results with old thinking. You cannot expect momentum without new perspectives. My trip to China sharpened my mindset about scale, focus, cultural adaptation, partnerships, and the energy we operate in. And these lessons will influence how I build the next chapter of X2.

As we move into 2026, my commitment is simple.

I want X2 to be a community that: 

- helps members grow with clarity

- ⁠gives practical strategies built from global experience

- ⁠creates the energy of progress that forwarders can feel

- ⁠brings out the better version of every member

Thank you for being part of this journey. I am proud of the year we had. I am excited for the year we are about to build. The world is changing fast.

And at X2, we will not just keep up. We will lead.