Is 2025 the Year to Eat the Entire Enchilada?
What makes 2025 such a critical year for consumer businesses?
From the uncertainty alone this could be the most challenging consumer environment since 2008. Depending on your situation this could give you a tremendous opportunity.
What are the three business situations in 2025?
Situation A:
You have new investment or ownership in the last 2 years.
Situation B:
You need to execute nearly perfectly in order to generate an outcome in the next 2 years.
Situation C:
You have insulated yourself from the current environment either by luck or good planning.
What should you do if you're in Situation B?
If you’re in Situation C: Congratulations, this post is not for you.
Situation B? Your job is to give yourself more breathing room. Don’t do anything rash. And continue to execute on your top small and medium ROI-generating priorities for the moment.
What advice is there for those in Situation A?
It’s situation A. I want to speak with. Come on down.
You likely were already considering major transformation and prior to this year might have been considering not making as major changes so soon – just try to goose performance instead of going for the whole enchilada of difficult changes.
What risks are at play even if execution is strong?
Even if you execute perfectly 2025 might be a shit show. You are likely already seeing negative comps. How long can you chase this without making the structural changes you know are needed?
What kinds of structural changes might be needed?
I am advising my clients, never waste a good crisis. It’s possible:
You need to reposition your brand majorly from a price / quality point of view.
You need to take out an order of magnitude costs compared to today.
You need to execute improvements and changes much more quickly.
Your technology platform is more limiting than you are letting on.
You must find a much sharper point to your marketing creative.
Why is new investment or ownership a unique advantage right now?
If you have new ownership or recent investment you are in an extremely fortunate position. You can afford to make the investments you truly need if you can just get the buyin.
How do you get buy-in for these bold changes?
Oh that pesky buyin. Everyone knows what needs to happen yet no one has the case made. Worse, it doesn’t seem to be even on the table. Last year’s burrito is not gonna get you to the promised land.
What’s the first step toward transformative change in 2025?
How to start? Create that burning platform. “Even if” we do all these things the same way, we are not going to get to the promised land. If you can create that perception, at least you can start thinking about that enchilada this year.
Expert Consulting: How Will You Grow Your eCommerce Company?
When growth is elusive, I am an expert at asking incisive questions to surface the real issues and then present straightforward ideas that your team can actually implement.
Mistakes are expensive. They cost money, of course. What’s worse is the opportunity cost. I work with investors and management teams worldwide to help them get a handle on their digital business plans to execute a clear path forward.
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