I’ve seen enough economic cycles to know this: if you're waiting for the market to improve before making bold moves, you’re not running the business, you’re reacting to it. The leaders who thrive, regardless of market conditions, build resilience within their own internal economy. 

Every time the market shifts, businesses react. Some adapt and thrive. Others scramble, cut costs and hope things settle before it’s too late. The pattern rarely changes. Rising costs, whether through tariffs, inflation, wage pressure or currency shifts, lead to: 

Price pressures, which force businesses to either absorb the cost (hurting margins) or pass it on to consumers (slowing sales).

Operational instability, as companies scramble to find new suppliers, markets or pricing models.

And, ultimately, exposed weaknesses. Especially for those too dependent on a single supplier, customer or geography.

These pressure points don’t create the cracks; they highlight what was already fragile beneath the surface. The businesses that come out stronger are the ones that anticipate this. Growth alone isn’t enough, what matters is building durability into the system.

Over the last 15 years, I’ve scaled businesses through booms, recessions, pandemics and Brexit. The ones I see that truly scale aren’t just growth-focused, they see and run their business as its own economy. They use data to drive decision-making, not sentiment or guesswork. Here’s how that looks in practice:

Diversify your supply chain

Keeping things simple can be tempting, one preferred supplier, price that works, strong relationship. But that simplicity becomes a liability the moment conditions change.

In my construction business, we would always put forward alternative products and manufacturers to be pre-approved by the design teams, well before we needed them. It wasn’t because we expected problems, but because we knew how easily they could happen.

Whether a material became unavailable or suddenly rose in price, having those alternatives ready meant we didn’t fall short operationally. Getting approval takes time, and when you wait until it becomes urgent, it’s often too late. 

Expand beyond a single market

It’s easy to say you want to grow into new regions, but the reality is more complex. Expansion without research and local insight is risky and expensive. It has to be deliberate.

The smartest way to begin isn’t with something completely unfamiliar, it’s by exploring complementary markets to what you already know. Start with what’s adjacent to your current client base, geography or sector. That familiarity gives you a foundation to build from, rather than starting from scratch.

If you are moving into a completely new region or vertical, consider this: can you collaborate with another business that already serves the same client but offers a different service?

If there’s a way to team up with a non-competing partner, you not only reduce your own risk, but you immediately create access, trust and traction. That collaboration can generate the level of demand you need to give your move some predictability, even in unfamiliar territory.

Expansion done well gives you something critical: revenue resilience. When one market slows down, another may be just getting started. But you don’t get there by rushing in. You get there by strategic placement, shared expertise and, sometimes, by aligning with those already embedded in the space.

The goal isn't just more revenue, it’s to build a model that can flex, pivot and withstand shocks. 

Build in direct-to-consumer channels

Having at least part of your go-to-market strategy set up as direct-to-consumer gives you more control over pricing, communication and responsiveness. You can access real-time data on buying behaviour, test offers quickly and respond directly to shifts in demand.

At the same time, keeping other distribution channels active, through wholesale, retail or B2B partnerships, helps you stay agile and reach customers you may not otherwise connect with.

A hybrid approach gives you the best of both worlds: agility and stability. You’re not overexposed in one channel, and you can adjust your approach based on market conditions.

Direct access to your customer base also strengthens your brand. It builds loyalty. It helps you stay ahead of the curve when the economy turns.

Optimise for profitability through value and demand

When businesses talk about profitability, they often go straight to cutting costs. But true profitability comes from maintaining demand, and that means delivering and communicating value.

The previous points are ultimately about ensuring you have consistent, reliable demand, even when external conditions shift. But it’s not just operational. It’s emotional. The perceived value of what you offer, how your customer experiences it, trusts it and feels about it, is what keeps them coming back. That’s what gives you pricing power, margin and growth that doesn’t rely on favourable conditions.

Customers today are looking for more than just a product or service. They want to buy from businesses that stand for something. Whether it’s sustainability, social impact, local investment or simply doing things differently. If you can clearly communicate your values and the impact your business is having in the wider community, you give people something meaningful to connect to.

If you only compete on price, you’re always at the mercy of someone cheaper. But if you build something worth paying more for, something your customers believe in, you protect your profitability through every cycle.

What’s next for your business?

The Spring Statement reminds us that there’s always something, slow growth, geopolitical tension, rising costs. But that shouldn’t stall you. The strongest businesses don’t just survive uncertainty. They build their own conditions for growth, through smart preparation, clear decision-making and a resilient operating model.

Start by identifying where you’re over-reliant. Where’s the single point of failure? Is your supply chain too narrow? Is all your revenue coming from one customer type or one region? Are you guessing at demand or tracking it? 

Because the businesses that control their inputs, their margins and their markets don’t wait for ideal conditions. They create them.

John Mackin is a business scaling strategist.

Image credit: Galeanu Mihai via Getty Images