Q1 2026 in review: momentum, mess, and march break

Joanna and I celebrated Valentine's Day at Auberge, one of our favourite restaurants in Toronto. Over a great meal, we talked about where the business was heading, what we were building, and what we wanted the year to look like. It was one of those rare dinners where work and life didn't feel like they were competing. They felt like the same thing.

That dinner ended up being a pretty good metaphor for Q1 2026. Good ingredients, the right people at the table, and a lot more on the way.

I usually do annual review of my life and business (here's my review of 2025). But I kept forgetting half of what actually happened. So starting now, I'm doing this every quarter. Life moves too fast to only look back once a year.

Q1 2026 felt like a quarter worth documenting, not because everything went perfectly, but because so much happened so fast, and I want to remember what it actually felt like to be in the middle of it.

So here it is. The real version.

Just like my reviews of past years, I'll be using James Clear's three-question template:

1. What went well?
2. What didn't go as expected?
3. What did I learn

Let's dig in!

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☀️ What went well?

1. The partnership shift that changed everything.

This was the quarter Delight Path stopped being a purely consulting business and started becoming something more. Prior to Q1, roughly 99% of my revenue came from consulting. This quarter, that changed: about 40% from consulting, 40% from partnerships, and 10% from community.

That's not a small tweak. That's a different business model. Userflow, Lyssna, Foldspace AI, and FullStory came on as sponsors and partners, companies I genuinely respect in the product space.

I also had to say no to a handful of consulting opportunities to make room for this. That was uncomfortable and completely worth it.

2. The Product Leaders Lab found its footing.

In December 2025, I made a big bet: that as the pressure to do something with AI intensifies, what VPs, Directors, and Heads of Product actually need isn't more frameworks, courses, or programs.

They need human connection. A personal sounding board from peers who are navigating the exact same pressures at the exact same level.

That's what the Product Leaders Lab is built around, and Q1 was the first real signal that the bet is paying off.

One testimonial stopped me:

"I was feeling lost as a product leader. Then I found the Product Leaders Lab. It's a focused group where you can actually learn from your peers. I've been loving it."— Joseph King, Sr. Director of Product at Crucial Learning

That one sentence is the whole mission statement.

If that resonates with you, applications are open for the next three weeks, closing April 23. You can apply now to join the Product Leaders Lab.

3. The AI Product Leaders Summit delivered.

The second-ever summit happened this quarter: 1,259 registrants, over 43% attending live, from 191 companies. For context, that's not a webinar. That's a community showing up because they trust what we're doing.

4. Joanna joined as Chief of Staff.

My wife joined Delight Path this quarter, and I cannot overstate what that change has meant. I was approaching the edge of what one person could carry. Having her in that role didn't just add capacity. It changed how decisions get made, how I show up, and how sustainable the whole thing feels. Right person, right time.

5. Kicked off my largest consulting engagement ever

I started a product-led growth sprint with a Fortune 100 company, one of the largest engagements I've had since starting Delight Path. That one carried real weight, both as a financial win and as a proof point for what this business is capable of.

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🌧 What didn't go as expected?

1. Time was the honest answer.

There were stretches in January and early February where I was genuinely close to the limit. Joanna joining helped enormously, but the quarter made it clear I'd been operating as a solo act for too long in a business that had already outgrown that model.

2. SOPs don't build themselves.

I started building standard operating processes this quarter, which sounds boring and probably is. But it's the kind of foundational work you resist until you can't anymore. Getting processes out of my head and into something repeatable is not glamorous. It's necessary.

2. Community management is its own full-time job

I knew that in theory. I learned it in practice. I think I've found someone to help carry that going into Q2, which is a real relief.

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🧠 What did I learn?

1. You can't scale what only lives in your head.

Bringing Joanna on and starting documentation weren't just business decisions. It was the moment Delight Path began to become a real company, not just a one-person shop with ambition. That shift is uncomfortable and necessary.

2. Community grows through people, not platforms.

The Product Leaders Lab traction didn't come from the tech stack. It came from choosing a relationship-first model and staying committed to it even when growth felt slow. The bet is paying off.

3. Saying yes to the right things means saying no to everything else.

Q1 had focus. Not perfect focus, but real focus. The things I committed to fully moved. The scattered stuff didn't. That's not a coincidence. I said no to more client opportunities in the past quarter than in the whole of last year.

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🚀 What's ahead for the rest of 2026

1. I'm hiring Peer Pod hosts.

I'm looking for someone to help host Peer Pods inside the Product Leaders Lab, small groups of 5 to 6 product leaders meeting monthly to share what's working and what's not. Specifically, I'm looking for facilitators who can guide conversations and have some knowledge around AI and product, design, or tech. Ideally, someone with flexible timing, a remote worker, a freelancer, or someone in between. If that sounds like you or someone you know, I'd love an introduction.

2. The Product Leaders Lab is open for new members until April 23

Applications are now open, capped at 30 members, and closing April 23. If you're a VP, Director, or Head of Product and want a personal sounding board from peers at your level, not more frameworks or courses, just real human connections with people navigating the same pressures, this is it. You can apply now to join the Product Leaders Lab.

3. The State of Product Leadership report is coming

In late May and early June, I'm launching a research survey aimed at senior PMs and product leaders across the industry. Stay tuned.

4. I'm running my first full marathon in June

On June 22, I'm running the Niagara Falls full marathon. Two races lead up to it: a 10km in Toronto on April 18 and my second half-marathon in Georgina (about an hour north of Toronto) on May 3. If you see me limping in Q3, now you know why.

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🤔 How was your Q1?

How about you?

What's one thing you're most proud of accomplishing in Q1 2026?

I'd love to know!

Thanks for being part of this journey with me. The rest of 2026 is going to be wild and fun

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