The Hardest Decisions Made and What a New Chapter with You Looks Like.

May 2026.

This is the month that I made some of the hardest decisions in the history of our work at B1G1 and also in my entire entrepreneurship journey of 25 years.

One of those decisions was to cancel our 2026 Conference that was supposed to take place in Manchester in June.

With just over one month to go, I made the decision to call off the event. And in addition to that, I had to cancel my entire 5-week trip which was already planned and booked. I had 8 speaking engagements and many important meetings, all planned and arranged, involving many important connections.

Why and how this happened is a long story...

The March towards 1 Billion

We started 2026 with one important thing in mind.

We announced our collective goal - to work towards reaching the next major milestone of 1 Billion impacts together with all our Members and Partners.

We intentionally didn’t set a deadline for that goal. We launched this collective aim as an open invitation for every business and every person in the B1G1 Movement to add to this number.

Having that one number where every small act of kindness can become part of it signified the purpose of the B1G1 Movement. We had plans for this year too as a part of our march towards 1 Billion.

But the year had another plan for us.

A time of Radical Uncertainty

Soon after the conference was launched, the Middle East conflict erupted.

The already tough economy became even tougher for businesses, especially small businesses. We’ve heard from many of our long-term connections that they were closing their businesses or had to significantly reduce their spending.

Not only that, more and more leaders started to feel the impact of the exponentially fast AI developments and their uncertain consequences — both positive and negative.

Many called what’s been happening this year as ‘the time of Radical Uncertainty’.

And in the noise of all of that, something else got harder to see: the moral foundations that hold us together were quietly eroding. International cooperation weakened. People living in poverty receiving much less support for their dire situations. Environmental commitments fading away.

When businesses are struggling, the space for giving gets deprioritized. And we understand this totally.

Hard decisions in B1G1 - and what happened as a result.

The decision to cancel the conference was not made lightly, and it was not made in isolation.

It came at the end of a period of much harder decisions, including changes to our team structure that affected people whose contributions I hold very deeply with gratitude and admiration.

Decisions that impact people you love most are hard — really, really hard. And that’s true even when everyone around you says they understand, and that’s part of business.

Cancelling a conference with people who had already registered to come, some already booked their flights and arrangements, is so very tough to do. We even had more than 10 B1G1 Worthy Causes that were planning to send their representatives to this conference. With sponsors and activity partners who were looking to support this event, the decision to cancel this event was incredibly hard to make.

I said to myself, “when hope is the most needed thing in the world right now, I’m about to take it away from those whom I admire and love the most.”

In the 24hr period before the official email was about to be sent, I left voice messages to those who were impacted by the decision, to make sure they heard of this news directly and personally from me. Being honest was the only thing I could do at that time.

One by one, unexpected responses came in. Every single one of them was generous, warm, supportive, kind and loving.

One of the delegates even reminded me that “the lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest mud”.

I read and listened to these messages and wept. Not from sadness, but from the realisation of what we have built together. It’s the community of genuinely generous and kind leaders who understand the challenges of committing to a purpose that really matters.

What happened in these moments I will always remember showed me the hope that we already hold together.

What is growing now

I'm still processing all of this. But something has become clear.

This Movement lives beyond specific events. It lives in the connections, the conversations, the decisions that thousands of businesses make every day to give as they grow.

And in times like this, remembering the gift of the connection and also those who are dealing with greater challenges and still standing for others creates a feeling of purpose that enriches our journey and creates greater resilience in our teams and businesses.

What we didn't expect when we made some of the hardest decisions was that the very people we were worried about disappointing would be the ones to show us the way.

The Worthy Cause partners reached out. Conversations started in places we hadn't anticipated. The Movement, it turns out, doesn't wait.

Some special things are happening — more than ever, our Worthy Cause partners are willing to work as a part of the Movement. They appreciate the combination of the intent and actions of the B1G1 Businesses that have continued to drive support for their work long-term. As a result, we are going to host many more Virtual Study Tours this year to invite our Members to understand the impact their giving has.

We are also soon launching a new initiative that opens doors to everyday individuals and families to join the impact we all get to make together.

And next month, we celebrate the 19 years of our collective work and very very nearly 400 million impacts that this community has already created together.

Thank you: and the chapter ahead

Yes, together we’ve created almost 400 million smiles in these 19 years.

Together we’ve faced great challenges: the market crash in 2008, a year after the founding of B1G1. Then all of us faced the 2020 pandemic;one of the most unprecedented times in modern history.

And yet, beyond those challenges, micro acts of kindness globally have continued to grow.

A Movement built on the belief that giving and doing business are not separate things. Nearly two decades of showing that it's possible.

None of that has changed.

What's changing is how we move forward.

We do it with more agility, deeper sense of connection, more willingness to adapt to what the world needs now and then.

The 1 Billion milestone is still ahead of us. And we will reach it together.

To every Member who responded with such grace when I shared the hardest news. To every Worthy Cause partner who understood. To every person who has ever embedded giving into the way they work: thank you.

You are not just supporting a giving program. You are proof that a different kind of business is possible.

Yes, the lotus does bloom from the mud.

So do we.

Together with you.