Let’s say the quiet part out loud: “We can’t afford it now” is code for “we don’t want to be accountable for a bet.” ...
Let’s say the quiet part out loud: “We can’t afford it now” is code for “we don’t want to be accountable for a bet.” Meanwhile, your growth is flat, your top customer sneezes and you catch pneumonia, and your flagship product is two releases behind the market. If you’re a mid-market software, services, tech, or complex industrial firm, here’s the uncomfortable truth: timidity is more expensive than investment.
Want the receipts and playbooks? Grab the white paper (linked below). Want the blunt version? Read on.
1) Downturns Are Discount Seasons for Market Share
Straight talk: If your paid media CPC is falling and your pipeline still isn’t rising, the problem isn’t the economy. It’s your conviction (and maybe your product—see #3).
2) The Best Fix Is Prevention: Invest Before You Need To
Blunt rule: If your top 5 customers account for more than a third of revenue and you’re “waiting for next year” to fund new logos or new offerings, you’re not conservative—you’re gambling.
3) Don’t Try to Out-Sell a Mediocre Product
No-fluff test: If you wouldn’t buy your own product at your current price and roadmap, why should anyone else?
4) Half Measures Are Whole Failures
Reality check: If the real bet needs $3M and 12 months, stop kidding yourself with $300K and two quarters. Save. Then swing.
One More Thing Boards Shouldn’t Ignore
Choose Your Hard
- Hard now: Invest with discipline, take heat for a few quarters, align incentives, and build a real growth engine.
- Hard forever: Explain to employees, customers, and investors why you “prudently” starved the future.
If you’re serious about getting unstuck—and not just looking busy—read the full white paper for data, case studies, and a step-by-step on how mid-market winners actually do this: investing during downturns, avoiding the trap in good times, pressure-testing the offer, funding the whole system, and aligning leadership to long-term value.