4 Formulas for 2026 Entrepreneurs: N.E.X.T – Building an AI-Era Business When the World Will Never Be the Same

If we went back 10 years and AI was as smart as it is today, would you still run your business the same way? This is the question Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, Co-founder and CEO of Techsauce, left hanging in the air at the Techsauce Next Entrepreneur Summit in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) — an event focused on building an AI-era business — before the answer slowly unfolded over the next hour.

Korat isn't just a venue; it's a symbol. Oranuch noted that Techsauce's decision to host their first event here was no coincidence. Korat is the "gateway" to the Northeast (Isan), a region brimming with talent, business potential, and untapped opportunities. Techsauce's goal that day wasn't merely to host an event, but to plant new seeds of thinking for the region's entrepreneurs.

When the World at Davos Says, "Nothing Will Ever Be the Same"

Earlier this year, Oranuch attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, representing Techsauce. It’s a global stage where government leaders, business executives, and thinkers worldwide sit at the same table. What she brought back wasn't just insights, but a profound sense that the world is spinning faster than we think.

Roughly 70% of the discussions revolved around volatile geopolitics and the global economy—geopolitical conflicts, climbing energy prices, and fragile supply chains. But the more interesting part was the remaining 30%. When distilled down, only one technology was discussed so heavily that it became the sole trend in the room: AI.

They didn't talk about anything else. It was primarily about AI and its impact on society, business, and humanity as a whole.

Every era has its own crises. We missed the Great Depression of 1929, and the next generation might not feel the weight of what we are facing right now. But one certainty is that in every business lifecycle, entrepreneurs will face volatility to some degree—and today, we are right in the middle of it.

Three Things Changing the Structure of Business

Oranuch didn't speak of AI merely as a tool to work faster; she pointed out that it is changing three things simultaneously.

Change 1: AI Doesn't Just Increase Speed; It Changes Business Structures. From ChatGPT's launch in 2023 to where we are in 2026, we've seen the evolution from Generative AI — which helps summarize emails, write captions, or edit photos — to Claude, Copilot, and countless other tools that do far more. More importantly, we are stepping into the era of Agentic AI, which operates autonomously like an actual human employee. When an order comes in, the system checks stock, issues invoices, and preps shipping automatically — without waiting for a human to approve every step. This isn't just working faster; it's redesigning the business structure from the ground up.

Change 2: Capital and Teams Are No Longer Obstacles. In the past, building a business required deep pockets, a sufficient team, and clear financial backing. But that equation is changing, and the clearest example comes from an unexpected place.

Look at small entrepreneurs from China. They don't have more capital than us, but they use AI to localize content and understand the deep insights of consumers in the Thai, Indonesian, or Malaysian markets without having a single local team member.

That picture is already a reality on our social media feeds every day. Products and content that seem tailor-made for Thais are actually being designed from offices in Shenzhen. This is a challenge Thai entrepreneurs are facing without even realizing it.

Change 3: Market Boundaries No Longer Exist. Provincial entrepreneurs were once limited to their local markets. Today, that equation has collapsed entirely. Oranuch pointed out that if entrepreneurs from Shenzhen can understand and penetrate the Thai market without having a team here, then entrepreneurs from Korat can do the exact same thing with other markets — nationally, across Southeast Asia, and globally. What has changed isn't just the tools; it's the very mindset of "what is my market" that needs to be completely redefined.

The Solopreneur: A Megatrend That's Already Here

A term Oranuch suggests searching for is "Solopreneur"—a portmanteau of Solo and Entrepreneur. It refers to a business owner who starts and drives a business entirely on their own, using technology as a force multiplier.

This trend isn't just happening in the West; it's being actively supported by local government policies in China. For instance, Shenzhen has specific support programs for one-person businesses. A key condition is that these companies must use AI and technology as their foundation and clearly measure their efficiency to receive tax incentives and funding.

This means the world is no longer waiting for large corporations to lead the change. Small, smart teams that know how to use the right tools can become regional players from day one.

NEXT: A Framework Built for Today's Entrepreneurs

To make these concepts actionable, Oranuch introduced a conceptual framework called N.E.X.T. These aren't just buzzwords, but a practical guide for starting and scaling a business in this era.

N is for Navigate Technology: The starting point of NEXT isn't directly about AI, but about data. For a business to truly leverage AI, it must start with good data—systematic data collection, data cleansing for quality, and building an actionable customer database.

Oranuch emphasized that you don't need to be a programmer or a high-level technology expert. What's more important is understanding the technology's potential and having enough domain expertise in your own business to know exactly where AI should be applied to solve pain points or bottlenecks.

Today's technology helps businesses become faster, smarter, and more scalable. If "faster" used to mean AI summarizing emails, today it means AI agents working 24/7 without needing sleep. When an order comes in, the system will check stock, issue invoices, and prep shipping automatically without waiting for a human to approve every step.

"Smarter" means predictive capabilities, like AI predicting which customers are likely to churn in the next three months so your team can intervene before they go to a competitor.

E is for Experiment Fast: The speed here means running through the entire business cycle rapidly: launch products fast, test the market fast, gather feedback fast, and iterate fast.

If we say we launch fast but don't learn, that's a flop too. The perfect product doesn't exist on day one. Perfection only happens when we learn and keep incorporating customer feedback to improve.

X is for Exponential Thinking: This is where many are still stuck in the old mindset. Instead of asking, "How can we grow another 10%?", exponential thinking forces us to ask, "How can we grow 10x?"

The difference isn't working 10 times harder; it's redesigning the entire system. Ten years ago, scaling a sales team 10x meant hiring 10 more people. Today, you can build an AI chatbot that handles a hundred thousand or a million customers simultaneously, scaling globally without proportionally increasing costs. This is why 10x growth is no longer impossible.

T is for Trust and Tribe: The final pillar is often overlooked. In an era where ads are scrolled past and algorithms change daily, customers no longer buy based on one-way promotion. They buy based on trust built through word-of-mouth, real experiences, and the community a brand builds around itself. Building a brand tribe has become the hardest asset for competitors to replicate.

Clear Goals First, Technology Follows

Before leaving the stage, Oranuch left the most important reminder: don't jump into technology immediately if your business goals aren't clear. Technology is no longer just a tool, but a core driver. However, it will only work well with a clear direction.

Entrepreneurs must first answer: What is the business goal? What percentage of new revenue streams do you want to create? Which processes in the organization need automation to reduce human error and improve efficiency? Those answers must be clear and communicated so the entire team sees the same picture. Otherwise, even if you adopt AI, it will just become a haphazard use of tools disconnected from real objectives.

The remaining two points are simple but important: move fast in a relentlessly changing world, and expand your mindset beyond the local market. In the digital age, a business from Korat can grow across Thailand, Southeast Asia, and the world—if you understand the opportunity in front of you.

The Future Isn't 10 Years Away

Oranuch concluded by emphasizing that Techsauce doesn't see itself as just a business company, but as a platform aiming to build a new economy, new industries, and new opportunities for Thailand.

For every entrepreneur sitting in that room, the question isn't whether they are ready, but how they will start — from right here, and starting today.

Modern entrepreneurs aren't just building companies; they are building new industries, new opportunities, and a new future for Thailand. The future of entrepreneurs isn't 10 years away. It starts now, today.

Source: Session "The Next Entrepreneur: สร้างธุรกิจให้แข็งแกร่ง ฉบับผู้ประกอบการยุคใหม่" (The Next Entrepreneur: Building a Resilient Business for Modern Entrepreneurs)" at the Techsauce Next Entrepreneur Summit.