2026: The Year of the Fire Horse

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

19 Feb 2026 • 2 min read

The Author on his Loyal Mount "Bert" in Pristine Washington State

February 17 , 2026 begins the Year of the Fire Horse. It only shows up once every sixty years or so I am told. In Chinese astrology the "Horse" represents independence, movement, and forward momentum. Add "Fire" and everything accelerates. Passion rises. Change speeds up. Stability gives way to motion.

Even if you don’t follow Chinese astrology (and I don't either), the metaphor fits 2026 perfectly.

This Horse does not walk. Or trot. It gallops like the wind. Better get on the horse or get out of the way.

We are in a time where speed is overtaking scale. Small teams can now build in weeks what once required serious capital and long timelines. AI has compressed research, coding, marketing, design, and even financial modeling. What used to take days now takes minutes.

AI is the fire. The fire that amplifies whatever it touches.

If you are clever, it multiplies your productivity. If you are careless, it multiplies your mistakes. AI only knows what it has been told. The advantage goes to those who move with clarity and second guess AI recommendations.

For small businesses and startups, this may be the most asymmetric opportunity in decades (Okay, I dug up this phrase; it means the potential for gain is significantly higher than the potential for loss). Barriers to entry are lower. Testing ideas is cheaper. Independence is real. A focused founder with the right tools can compete with much larger players.

But speed without direction is just motion. Wasted time.

I see founders chasing tools instead of solving problems. The Fire Horse rewards bold action, not random action. The winners in 2026 will move quickly toward real customer needs and adjust just as quickly.

Fire also burns away what is outdated. Business models built on friction and inefficiency are vulnerable. Large organizations will struggle to move at this pace.

So the question is simple.

Are you riding the Fire Horse, or standing in front of it?

This is a year for intelligent motion. Short cycles. Fast feedback. Courage paired with discipline.

Entrepreneurs were built for years like this.

Saddle up.

P.S. Wrapping AI around an idea for a new business can be folly. Your competitive advantage or moat may be dry by succumbing to the quick path that AI teases.

P.S.S. Special thanks to my longtime friend Curtis Chan who educated me about the Fire Horse.