The ongoing Brexit debate seems set to continue the uncertainty for businesses. 

The future is always unknown but this year managers and business owners will need to navigate some particularly choppy waters due to continuing market uncertainty and possible global political turmoil.

Planning is the key to your business’ success and is even more important in uncertain times.

As a manager or business owner you can always control your response, attitude, behaviour, actions and words. You can choose to be proactive and inquisitive rather than paralysed. In times of uncertainty, the best managers step up and embrace their authority. When times are uncertain, your team wants you to lead the way. Bring your team with you on the journey, ask them for their opinion, include them in your planning conversations and challenge them to come up with new solutions.

In uncertain times, the old adage that “cash is king” carries even more weight. Cash is the lifeblood of your business and poor cash flow management kills businesses during tough economic times. Market volatility also creates opportunities. If you have cash or credit available to take advantage of these opportunities when they present themselves, you may be able to move quickly and move your business forward. As such, good cash flow management can allow you to cash in.

As your particular market changes, there will be opportunities for you to adapt. For example, if your customers have less budget to spend on buying products and services in your sector, it might be an opportunity for you to introduce a lower priced “value offering.” You could even go one step further and change your pricing model. 

If you depend on one big customer to keep your business going, you should consider how to diversify your customer base. Sometimes even giant businesses fail during tough times. If your biggest client goes out of business, you don’t want to be collateral damage. Just like in investing, the key is to have a diversified portfolio. Now could be a good time to look at trying to win some new clients in order to make your business more resilient.

Contact us for all your business planning and cashflow management needs.