Someone commented on one of my posts recently, and it really resonated with me and the way we do business:
“The best transactions happen when business feels less transactional, more partnership-driven and collaborative.”
That line stuck with me because it is exactly what we see in real time, every day.
If you look around, buyers are more cautious. Capital is not as free-flowing. Franchisors are watching their numbers more closely. Everyone is more aware of what can go wrong. So the old approach of pushing deals just to get them done does not hold up anymore. It never really did, but now the cracks are obvious.
What actually works is simple. People want to deal with people they can talk to. People who are not hiding anything. People who treat the conversation like the start of a working relationship, not a sales moment. When both sides show up honestly, the whole dynamic shifts. You get better questions, better decisions, and fewer surprises later.
Partnership is not a buzzword. It is simply the reality that franchising, real estate, and business deals become long-term commitments. If the tone feels transactional before the ink is dry, it usually only gets worse after. Most of the breakdowns you see in this industry start right at the beginning, when expectations were not aligned and everyone pretended things were simpler than they really were.
Walking into 2026, the brands that will grow are the ones that stop selling and start building real relationships. The buyers who will succeed are the ones willing to slow down, ask harder questions, and look past the pitch. And the brokers and consultants who will stay relevant are the ones who treat every deal like something that has to work for everyone sitting at the table.
At Southbrook, the strongest deals we see are not always the biggest ones. They are the ones where nobody needs to force anything. The ones where the conversation stays open and the goals are clear to everyone. Each side feels like they are entering something they genuinely want to build, not something they were pushed into.
We stand by the saying: “A good deal is a good deal when everyone is happy.”
So if there is a theme for 2026, it is this. Stop trying to make deals happen. Start trying to build partnerships that last.
Because when the work feels collaborative from day one, everything that follows tends to go a lot smoother.
Happy, healthy and prosperous 2026 everyone.
