The smart founders started planning 2026 already
If you wait for January, you’re already behind. Here’s what to fix now.
Hey there,
This week has been a bit surreal. People in Chicago shared photos of the northern lights, making it look more like Norway than the Midwest. Solar storms and purple skies were everywhere. And it’s only Wednesday.
I’m heading to San Francisco for some client meetings this week. And this got me thinking about how many founders wait until January to fix things they already know need attention. After years in this business, I can tell you: if your team needs work next year, start planning now.
Every Q4, I see the same thing happen. Leaders spot the problems: a role slowing down the team, a process that never scaled, or a product team stretched too thin. Then in January, those same leaders hurry to say they “need to hire fast.”
At that point, it’s already late.
The founders who will succeed next year are the ones who start planning before December. They look at what worked, what didn’t, where the gaps are, and where they need more support. They think carefully about resources, like what stays in the U.S., what moves nearshore, and where talent brings the best return. They involve their teams early, instead of surprising them with a finished plan in Q1.
That’s how you start strong instead of scrambling through the first quarter.
If you know something needs fixing, don’t wait for the new year. Start now. Look at your team structure, hiring plans, budget, and expectations. Clear thinking always beats January panic.
If you want help with any of this, just reach out. And if you’re in San Francisco this weekend, let’s meet for coffee.
Let’s get into it.
🌐 News Shortlist
1. How Employers Are Reacting to the $100K Visa Fee
Recap: The U.S. just raised the cost of new H-1B visa applications from around $5,000 to $100,000. The goal is to get companies to hire more people locally. But in reality, universities, hospitals, and tech companies are concerned because this makes it much harder to bring in the specialized talent they’ve relied on before.
This only matters if you absolutely need someone physically in the U.S. And even then, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth lighting $100,000 on fire before that person even starts onboarding.
If a candidate wants to move for personal or professional reasons, that’s a separate situation. But if your main reason is just to get their skills, the numbers no longer add up. For the same cost, you could hire two or three top people to work remotely. They can start next month, instead of waiting a year or more for paperwork and legal processes.
Many people say this change will “protect American jobs.” That might look true on paper. In reality, it speeds up the move to global teams. When high-skill immigration becomes too expensive, companies don’t just hire Americans—they hire teams in other countries.
Founders are focused on getting products out the door, not on economic theories from Washington.
Advice:
Before you spend $100,000 on a visa fee, call me. I’ll help you map out a global hiring plan that gets you the talent you need without waiting a year or paying a policy premium. The world is full of exceptional people who don’t need a U.S. address to deliver results.
2. Layoffs Are Rising, But Don’t Panic
Recap: In October, layoffs hit their highest level in over 20 years. More than 153,000 U.S. workers lost their jobs, with about 31,000 of those cuts linked to AI adoption. Big Tech made the biggest cuts, followed by retail and logistics. While headlines call it “the AI purge,” most layoffs happened at companies that hired too quickly during the pandemic.
If you’re seeing these stories and worrying that you’re behind because you haven’t made layoffs, take a moment to relax. Most of these companies let go of extra staff they hired during the pandemic. Many brought on thousands of people for short-term demand, then kept that extra cost for years.
There’s something the headlines often miss: these large companies have the resources to build AI systems that really can replace jobs. They have in-house research teams, platform engineers, infrastructure teams, and huge budgets to add AI to every part of their business.
If your team is just 15 or 20 people, you don’t have those resources. You don’t have a team to build those systems, and you don’t need one.
If your business is profitable and runs well, your goal isn’t to copy Google. Your job is to keep delivering and stay in business. Most startups don’t succeed by automating everything. They succeed by hiring the right people who do important work.
AI hype is everywhere, and many founders are making mistakes because they’re worried. Don’t lay people off just because Apple did. If you need to use your payroll more efficiently, try hiring better people instead. One great engineer, product manager, or operator can do more than three average ones. And if you can’t afford that person in the U.S., look for talent in other countries.
Advice:
Don’t get distracted by all the talk about AI layoffs. Focus on getting the most out of your team. You don’t need to let go of half your staff to stay competitive. You just need one or two people who can make a real difference. If your budget is tight in the U.S., you can find excellent talent in Latin America who can help without raising your costs. If you want help planning that approach, I’m available.
3. North Korean Deepfakes Are Now Targeting Latin American Companies
Recap: A new investigation found that North Korean IT operatives are using AI voice filters, deepfake videos, and automated résumés to pretend to be foreign software engineers. This has been happening in the U.S. for years, but now it’s happening in Latin American companies too. For example, a crypto firm in Mexico recently caught two “candidates” whose lips didn’t match their words during a Zoom interview and who froze when asked a surprise question in Spanish. This isn’t just a story from a thriller movie. It’s happening much closer to home than most people realize.
We discussed this a few weeks ago, but things have changed. Now, Latin American companies are being targeted as well. Without strong security protocols, your team probably won’t catch these threats. Most hiring processes are rushed, and interviewers are often distracted. Many companies still think this is only a “U.S. problem,” but it isn’t.
Many teams I work with make hiring mistakes because they move too quickly. They skip structured interviews, second screeners, and identity checks. This creates the perfect situation for deepfake candidates to get hired.
It might be interesting to read about how someone can fake a human face in real time. But it’s serious when these people get into your systems. They aren’t just looking for a paycheck. They want access to your code, infrastructure, customer data, and crypto wallets. Once they’re inside, the damage can grow quickly.
Advice:
Take your time. Train your interviewers. Include identity checks and ask unscripted questions. Try adding questions in Spanish or Portuguese to catch fakes. If someone seems “off,” trust your gut. If you want help building a strong vetting process for today’s challenges, get in touch. This isn’t just being paranoid. This is what hiring looks like today.
That’s it for this week.
If you want help planning next year’s team, or you just want to think it through with someone who does this every day, message me.
And if you are in San Francisco this weekend, let’s grab a coffee.
Until next time,
Joseph Burns
CEO & Founder, Lupa