What Thriving Looks Like for HubSpot Partners in 2026

The HubSpot ecosystem has changed dramatically. Growth today no longer comes from scaling headcount; it comes from smarter structures, sharper focus, and strategic use of AI and fractional talent.

Watch the video below where Brian Garvey, Jason Azocar, and Rikki Lear discussed what it really takes for HubSpot Solutions Partners to thrive in 2026...

Below, we unpack the key takeaways.

1. The shift from “big teams” to “smart structures”

For years, building a large, full-time delivery team was the goal. Bigger meant stronger. But in 2026, that model is losing relevance.

Brian Garvey summarised it simply:

“We’re moving from big full-time teams with a few contractors, to small full-time cores supported by high-level consultants and AI.”

Established Elite partners—those already at critical mass—can sustain a 40-person team. But for growing or mid-tier partners, the economics don’t make sense. The modern delivery model looks different:

• A lean core team focused on leadership, client relationships, and operational continuity.

• Specialist contractors and consultants brought in for project spikes or niche work.

• AI and agents integrated into delivery processes to multiply output and accuracy.

This hybrid structure keeps teams agile while expanding capability. It’s how partners can take on more without adding overhead.

2. The “core vs edge” mindset

At a recent Diamond Partner roundtable, Jason Azocar noticed a clear trend: nobody wanted to scale back to the old model.

“Not one partner said they wanted a 50-person team. Everyone was asking how to keep a strong core, when to bring in project support, and how to leverage AI.”

The scope of HubSpot work today—covering Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, CMS, Commerce, RevOps, integrations, and reporting—is too broad for one fixed team. The solution is to define what belongs in your core versus your edge:

With this structure, partners can say yes to more opportunities without bloating payroll.

3. How AI changes everything

The discussion also explored how AI is quietly transforming delivery economics. What used to take a full-time team can now be achieved by a smaller group empowered by automation.

Brian explained:

“The real opportunity is to make each group of talent five or ten times more efficient with AI.”

From content operations and CRM cleanup to workflow generation and QA, AI isn’t replacing people—it’s amplifying them. Partners that train their teams to use AI deeply will outpace competitors still managing delivery manually.

4. Focus beats scale

Rikki Lear pointed out another defining trend—specialisation. The partners thriving this year are narrowing focus, not widening it.

“There’s huge opportunity in knowing what you’re great at and going deep—by product line, by industry, or by customer type.”

The HubSpot ecosystem is now large enough that no single agency can do it all. The ones growing fastest are:

• Focusing on one vertical (e.g., SaaS, finance, manufacturing).

• Owning one functional lane (e.g., CMS builds, CRM optimization, AI automation).

• Becoming known for deep expertise instead of general delivery.

This focus reduces operational noise, improves sales win rates, and builds authority that drives inbound referrals.

5. The new playbook for thriving in 2026

Across the conversation, four principles stood out:

1. Stay lean. Keep a small, high-trust internal team.

2. Expand smart. Add fractional specialists when needed, not permanent hires.

3. Adopt AI. Train every team member to use AI for productivity and precision.

4. Specialise. Double down on what you’re best at and go deep.

The partners that master these principles are growing revenue and profit faster—with less overhead and more flexibility.

About the Authors

Brian Garvey previous led the HubSpot Partner Programme so knows the ecosystem inside and out. As CEO of Profoundly he supports partners through transparent conversations on growth, enablement, and scalability.

Jason Azocar founded HubSearch, a HubSpot specific recruitment agency, so has key insight into recruitment, HR and modernise operations in this space.

Rikki Lear is CGO at Profoundly. He previously ran Digital 22, later Avidly, where he helped the agency become the world’s largest HubSpot Solutions Partner and win five Global Partner of the Year awards before joining Profoundly.

About Profoundly

Profoundly helps HubSpot Solutions Partners grow faster without over-hiring.
The platform connects partners with certified, on-demand HubSpot experts to fill skill gaps, extend capacity, and take on complex projects confidently.

Through Profoundly, HubSpot Solutions Partners can:

• Add certified specialists to delivery teams in hours.

• Say yes to more work without adding payroll risk.

• Access vetted experts across all HubSpot Hubs and integrations.

Post your first HubSpot project on Profoundly today!

FAQs

Should I replace my team with contractors?
No. Keep your core team for culture and consistency. Use contractors and Pros for edge work or overflow.

What roles belong in-house?
Client strategy, account management, and QA should remain internal. Everything else can flex.

How does AI fit into delivery?
Start with repetitive tasks—content ops, QA, workflow documentation, and CRM maintenance. Gradually train your team to use AI tools daily.

What if I’m not an Elite partner yet?
This model works best for small and mid-sized partners who want to scale efficiently before committing to large overhead.

How can Profoundly help?
Profoundly connects you with vetted HubSpot Pros for projects, integrations, and ongoing delivery support—so you can scale smarter, not just bigger.

Full Transcript

0:00
Welcome everybody. I'm Brian Garvey. I'm
0:02
here with Jason and Ricky from
0:04
Profoundly. In this series, we dive deep
0:06
on real questions from HubSpot solutions
0:09
partners and providers. It's fast,
0:11
honest, and unscripted. So, let's dive
0:13
in. And I've got a good one this week.
0:15
Uh came through from a partner. With so
0:19
much change in the HubSpot ecosystem,
0:21
what does it take for partners to thrive
0:23
today? Any thoughts?
0:26
Yeah, I mean I can answer this one from
0:28
a from a hiring and talent perspective.
0:30
I mean, I've I've obviously never run a
0:31
HubSpot solutions partner, but from a
0:34
from a team building perspective,
0:37
and I think this is such such the right
0:39
time for this question because I I
0:41
believe what we're seeing across the
0:42
ecosystem is this shift from I'm going
What thriving looks like for HubSpot partners in 2026
0:46
to build a big group of full-timers,
0:49
maybe with a handful of contractors and
0:50
consultants sort of in orbit, but like
0:53
main focus on large full-time team to a
0:58
team with a core group of full-timers
1:01
plus really good highle consultants and
1:04
contractors plus AI and AI agents. I I
1:08
just I think we're going to see this
1:09
incredible acceleration of that of that
1:11
shift, especially for the non elite
1:16
non-established partners. I mean, look,
1:18
if you're an elite established partner
1:20
and you've been at it for 10 years and
1:21
you've get made you've reached critical
1:23
mass, great. You got a 40 person
1:26
full-time team. Fantastic. Good for you.
1:27
No one's arguing that you need to go go
1:29
uproot your your team structure. But for
1:33
for partners that haven't maybe
1:35
established at that level and and
1:36
haven't already crafted this large
1:38
full-time team, there's another model
1:40
and it's this it's the think small model
1:43
of who do I who must be full-time, who's
1:46
got to be on my team to accomplish your
1:49
organizational goals. How do I bring in
1:51
contractors, freelancers, consultants to
1:55
help expand bandwidth and expand
1:57
capability? And then how do we lean into
1:59
all the interesting tools that are
2:00
coming coming about and becoming more
2:03
broadly available? How do we really lean
2:05
into AI to make each of those groups of
2:08
talent five 10x more efficient?
2:11
Yeah, makes a ton of sense.
2:14
I was at a HubSpot event for Diamond
2:17
Partners, I believe it was, uh, a few
2:20
weeks ago. I think it was a 20 person
2:21
round table and there wasn't one partner
2:24
there that said, "Hey, I want a 50
2:26
person full-time team." Like, everyone
2:29
was talking about this. What's my core
2:30
team going to be? Who do I bring in and
2:33
when to help support on projects? How do
2:35
I leverage AI? You're absolutely right.
2:37
I think that the fundamental shift of
2:40
bigger equals better on team has changed
2:43
and that's one of the big big drivers
2:45
for that is how varied the scope of what
2:48
is HubSpot help like if you actually
2:51
want a team today that helps with
2:53
everything HubSpot you are talking a
2:55
serious team with a serious overhead I
2:58
don't think many people are prepared to
2:59
go and do that it's how do we get the as
3:02
you always say Brian core versus edge
3:04
how do I solve for the core then How do
3:07
I bring in other people to help with the
3:08
edge services so I'm not turning revenue
Adapting to customer needs and market shifts
3:10
down?
3:11
Yeah, I think it's I I would plus one
3:14
that and I'd say it's also about
3:16
specializing and focusing. I think that
3:18
that could be a big unlock for a lot of
3:20
partners like go deep whether it's by
3:23
you know certain aspect of the product
3:25
or industry or what have you. Like
3:28
there's just a tremendous opportunity in
3:32
knowing what you're really good at,
3:34
going after those customers, being able
3:36
to sort of speak their language deeply,
3:39
have those benchmarks and and sort of
3:41
help them grow, and bringing in
3:43
expertise when you need it. I think that
3:45
that uh that's the new name of the game.