Understanding the growth opportunity presented by volatile times

The fate of a business—for better or worse—is often sealed in a downturn. This can be when companies lose their way—yet the evidence is that there is a clear path to better, sustainable growth even in the midst of the most challenging times

Today, many companies are experiencing a global economy that feels different to anything they have ever encountered before. It is not just that firms are cutting forecasts, cutting headcount and beset with uncertainty. It is that uncertainty has become the default.

“Businesses are facing all sorts of volatility,” says Brad Soper, Partner and Head of Industrials at the commercial growth specialist Simon-Kucher. “There is geopolitical uncertainty, there is banking volatility, there is demand volatility. This is systemically different to what has gone on before, in terms of the frequency and the amplitude of the ups and downs. And there is no doubt that makes it very difficult to sit down and just run a business.”