This summer's reading wasn't consumed at the coast nor did it take me to some exotic location - instead it kept me grounded in Main Street. Esha Chhabra's advice to independent small and family businesses is to not necessarily go big but to go deep - leaning into local relationships, establishing real connections with customers and celebrating how business is a part of and adds vitality to local community. That's her formula for building a profitable small business in 2026.

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I paired that with Fortune's round-up of founders across wildly different sectors who converge on a simple playbook: serve a clearly defined customer, build shock-resistant operations, and make meaning - not just margins - the organising principle.

And because trust is the decisive currency in commerce right now, Scott Baradell's conversation with America's Small Business Network on "trust signals" really spoke to me. He urges small businesses to tap into the tangible cues such as genuine reviews, earned media and transparent websites that they have worked hard for, that can help sceptical customers decide who is the real deal. The "trust signals" are meaningful anecdotes to contrived/fake reviews, empty AI-powered "user generated content", online "faux" local businesses (none worse than the bogus 'Bondi' retailer offering 'closing down' sales claiming they can't go on after being wounded), and the too often non-existent customer service of digital platforms.

Even with these leading insights, the pragmatic Canadians at the Durham Post reminded enterprising women and men that getting the "business of running the business" right is still fundamental and the best foundation for success. Setting up right, being attuned to and meeting the big responsibilities of business ownership, and having reliable everyday systems that work, remain key. Delivering what customers are paying for, time tracking, project discipline, thoughtful use of AI are also part of the trust equation - they reduce errors, improve reliability, and make promises more credible.

Here are the top takeaways of my summer reading and what I believe Australia's small businesses can do to thrive amid changing conditions,........

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