What’s your core? The one question that clarifies every decision in 2026
As we head into a new year, it's the perfect time to consider where we want to focus our time and energy in 2026.
In an environment full of opportunities (diversification, ag-tech, expansion, off-farm investment, carbon, contracting), it's never been easier to get distracted by 'shiny objects'. Before you know it, your time is scattered, your attention is split, and your primary business ends up operating on whatever energy (and money) is left.
So this year, I want to bring us back to something simple but powerful:
What is your core business, and what does it need from you in 2026?
Once you're clear on that, the pathway forward becomes much clearer.
Why your core business matters
Your core business is the engine of everything you do. It's where your strongest capability sits, where most of your profit comes from, and where the business gets its best return.
I grew up on a mixed broadacre and sheep farm. Like many farming families in the '90s, my parents had a self-replacing merino flock. When the wool crash came, it forced diversification, but it also prompted an honest discussion about what our farm really was. Dad's primary love of broadacre cropping became our clear core business.
There's no dispute that sheep play a valuable role in a farming operation with non-arable country and income potential from a prime lamb operation. But if you asked my parents what their core business was, the answer was always broadacre cropping. Every decision (land use, machinery, timing, investment) reflected that clarity. The goal was always to grow the best crops possible, with sheep playing a supporting role in the system.
Your core business influences:
where you invest
how you allocate time
which opportunities you pursue
which skills you prioritise
how you plan for 2026 and beyond
When your core is strong and well understood, decisions become clearer. And in family or multi-enterprise businesses, simply having the conversation about what the core actually is can be game-changing.
And yes, your core business can change. Markets shift, technology evolves, seasons teach hard lessons. But when your core changes, it needs to be intentional and strategic, not something you drift into without understanding the impact across the whole business.
Use your core as a filter for 2026 decisions
Once your core business is clear, it becomes a brilliant filter for the big calls ahead.
Does this strengthen our core, or pull attention away from it?
Test every opportunity through that lens, like:
rebuilding stock numbers
expanding land area
machinery upgrades
off-farm investment
diversifying into a new revenue stream
There's a lot of noise in agriculture right now: friends who've started feedlots, neighbours trialling quinoa or hemp, advisors pushing scale. Starting a feedlot when you don't have the infrastructure, going all in on a niche crop without any trial work, or chasing more land when you're not at full production capacity on your existing property—these can all be smart moves. But they become costly distractions when the foundations of your business aren't solid first. But if you don't understand the numbers in your core business, or if your capacity is already stretched, even a good opportunity can become a costly distraction.
Diversification is smart only when your core is strong enough to support it.
Learning from others
When we look outside our own business with a mindset of curiosity, we can learn a lot.
Often we see opportunities and expansion that worked. Other times we see businesses that strayed from their core, and at times, financial losses incurred because decisions didn't align with what they do best. Sometimes these decisions were made because it sounded like a good deal, or the decision was sound but there wasn't the skill or capacity to deliver. Sometimes, as business owners and managers, we chase a quick dollar or fall into the trap of fulfilling someone else's good idea.
We all know people who have acquired land in a new area or moved their farming operations, often due to family succession or the need to grow. In an area like the Mid North of SA, where I'm from, where land has been held by the same family for 100 years, it's near impossible to expand locally. Those who have successfully grown their businesses have sought advice, studied the new conditions, been curious about the land, and most of all, made decisions aligned to their strengths. They knew their core business, and they also had an ounce of luck and a whole lot of grit.
The pattern is clear: successful growth happens when your core business is strong and well understood.
Strong core → smart decisions → sustainable growth.
When your core is unclear or under pressure, diversification drains energy.
When your core is strong, it expands possibilities.
Walking the talk
That clarity Dad had about cropping, and the inspiration I take from those who understand their core, is something I've carried into my own business.
In 2026, I'm leaning even more deeply into my core: coaching farmers to run their business more strategically. Every opportunity I consider gets the same question: Does this strengthen my core, or distract from it?
I'll be stepping back from some projects that don't align, even if they're exciting. It's not always easy, but I know it will make Cross Country Management stronger, more focused, and more sustainable.
Practical steps to get clear on your core in 2026
Here's a simple checklist to help you set your direction:
1. Define your core business in one sentence.
If you can't say it simply, it may not be clear enough.
2. Identify the top three things your core business needs from you.
Is it people? Machinery? Time? Cashflow?
3. Name your biggest constraint to strengthening your core.
It could be access to skilled labour, fertile land, technology, capital. Or maybe it's your own capacity, confidence or clarity.
4. Identify anything you need to stop doing.
Protect your core from unnecessary drains so you have resources available to tackle your constraints.
5. Say yes to the right opportunities, not all of them.
Use your core as the filter for decisions: will this action strengthen your core, or detract from it?
6. Align your 2026 plan with your 2030 direction.
Short-term actions make long-term goals possible. What does success look like this year if you really focus on strengthening your core?
When you're clear on your core business, you're not just making better decisions. You're simplifying, strengthening your foundations, and setting yourself up for success.
If you'd like support getting clear on your core business, aligning your decisions, or planning for 2026, I'd love to help.
Join me for the 2026 Strategy Masterclass.
You'll walk away with:
A shortlist of your top strategic priorities for 2026
A clearer link between your 2026 plan and your 2030 vision
A simple one-page strategic plan you can keep refining
A better way to make decisions under pressure
A stronger understanding of how cashflow, capacity and strategy fit together.
Or you can book a free 15-minute discovery call anytime.