Situation: A CEO notes that the national debt has nearly doubled over the last 8 years and the Fed is talking about raising interest rates. It’s not clear what impact the debt, or rising interest rates will have. Has this impacted your business and how are you coping? What impact will rising interest rates have on business?
Advice from the CEOs:
- Impact on business and customers.
- The prospect of either rising interest rates or taxes increases uncertainty – customers are taking longer to make purchase, expansion and other decisions.
- Companies are not spending the cash that they have out of concern over possible future expenses or the possibility of a downturn. Large companies have trillions of dollars of cash on hand. Some of this is held off-shore because of the tax consequences of repatriating the funds.
- Lack of consumer demand holds back investment in production expansion.
- Feeling of loss of control.
- More concentration of wealth in fewer hands.
- Other impacts
- More people, old and young, are opting out of the business economy.
- What are you doing to cope?
- More involved in collections to keep this under control.
- Delayed payments from big customers are part of the problem – conservative financial management.
- Manage liquidity and cash – cash is king!
- Adjust lifestyle and delay purchases – for example buy smaller cars.
- Scrutinize contract terms – especially AR.
- Scrutinize our business model. For example look at subscription models or Great Game of Business models.
- Utilize those who are normally unemployable but trainable for repetitive task jobs. They work hard and produce good work.
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