In 2018, recession fears were everywhere.
You probably remember that the downturn never arrived. But you might not recall that the preparation from that era saved many of us just a few years later.
Quiet work on budgets, tools, and communication kept teams upright when 2020 hit. It was not glamorous. It worked.
That playbook is useful once again. The backdrop is noisy and uneven. Some sectors are holding. Others feel soft. Forecasts shift with politics and policy. In this kind of climate, leaders benefit more from scenario planning and disciplined readiness than from trying to predict a single outcome.
What we did then
We cut experiments that were not paying off and concentrated spend on channels with clear signal. We simplified the stack so teams could work faster with fewer handoffs. We built lightweight automations to reduce manual effort. We pressure‑tested budgets at a 50 percent cut and asked what would break first. We made sure everyone knew where the data lived and how to read it. None of that made headlines. It made us faster.
What changed in 2020, and why it mattered
Higher education, one of our core markets, lost its bearings. We were selling into teams that had just lost their playbook. Because we had already built for lean operation, we could keep shipping, keep communicating, and keep trust. The lesson was simple: If you invest in resilience before the shock, you can move when others freeze. You can be nimble, not panic. And you can keep investing in, and building, relationships while others make demands or disappear.
Why it matters again in 2025
Policy shocks and tariff moves now travel faster than most planning cycles. Confidence data wobbles. Hiring cools. Supply chains feel tentative. Leaders in the US feel it first, but the effects travel to Australia, Canada, and the UK through inputs, export demand, and funding flows. Treat that reality as a systems problem, not just a finance problem. Track the early indicators inside your own business and act on them before the headlines catch up.
What to cut, and what not to cut
Cut waste. Cut tool sprawl. Cut the habit of running five half‑measures instead of one strong motion.
Do not cut your market presence to zero. The instinct to go dark is strong in uncertain markets. It feels safe, but it is rarely strategic. Across the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, the companies that stayed visible in past downturns, even on modest budgets, recovered faster and often took share from competitors who disappeared. That visibility does not have to mean bigger budgets. It means spending with precision: doubling down where you already see signal and trimming the noise. Sometimes that is a targeted outbound sequence run by a fractional CMO instead of a full in-house team. Sometimes it is leaning into owned channels where your audience already trusts you, rather than chasing every possible lead source.
Where to invest if you need to stay lean
Fractional leadership over full headcount. Bring in a fractional CMO or RevOps lead to set direction, tune the system, and prove traction before you scale a team or after layoffs. This keeps strategy and sequencing strong without locking in fixed cost.
Retention first. Strengthen service levels, build simple loyalty mechanics, and focus messaging on value delivered. In a soft market, protecting lifetime value offsets slower net‑new growth.
Consistent visibility. Keep a steady baseline of content, email, and social presence so buyers do not forget you during the lull. Modest but consistent beats bursty silence.
Smart automation. Use lightweight automation and analytics to run fewer, better motions. Automate reporting, routing, and follow‑ups. Free people for higher‑value work.
Selective technology upgrades. If capital costs have eased, there can be a window to modernize critical systems before competition heats up. Lock in talent and tools during that window.
Partnerships and co‑marketing. Pair with adjacent brands to reach audiences efficiently. Share the lift on webinars, content, or offers. It stretches budgets without going quiet.
In 2025, there is also room for scrappy, fast-cycle experiments. Pilot small campaigns you can launch and measure inside two weeks. Test message variations with narrow segments before scaling. Build direct audience assets (newsletters, private communities, subscriber lists) that are not at the mercy of shifting ad costs or algorithms. Layer in signal-based outbound that reacts to actual buyer activity rather than static lists. These are the kinds of moves that keep teams sharp and adaptive, while avoiding the sinkhole of large, slow-to-launch projects in a volatile environment.
A simple readiness plan
1. Build scenarios. Model best, middle, and worst cases. Tie each to clear triggers, budget moves, and hiring rules. Revisit frequently (some say monthly, some say quarterly; the important thing is to think about it before you need it).
2. Watch the right signals. Confidence data, pipeline health, new orders, renewals, cash flow, and DSO. Add soft signals like slower replies and extended decision cycles. Treat tariff and policy changes as near‑term operational risks, not just headlines.
3. Tighten your system. Consolidate tools where duplication exists. Improve handoffs between marketing, sales, and success. Ship smaller experiments with tight feedback loops. If you’re experimenting (and I love experimenting), keep decisions tight: no six-month leash for an experiment that is failing over and over and hard to iterate. No more shiny AI tools that aren’t performing for the company.
4. Keep the brand warm. Publish on a regular cadence. Lean into helpful, context‑aware content. In the UK especially, resist the pull toward only short‑term performance metrics.
5. Fund the work with intent. Shift spend toward retention, message clarity, and channels with proven signal. Hold back on speculative bets until your indicators turn.
Guidance by audience
US startups. Trim the stack. Pick a CRM you will actually use (but make sure you have one – this isn’t the time to go back to a spreadsheet). Forecast worst‑case and pre‑approve the moves you will make if you hit those triggers. Have three low-cost retention plays ready.
Midsize B2B teams. Automate internal processes that slow deals. Align marketing, sales, and success on the same definitions and dashboards. Get clear on the buyer’s job to be done and rebuild outbound messaging around it.
Nonprofits. Run scenario budgets and diversify donors so US concentration or government reliance does not knock you off course. Invest in mission‑specific digital channels where your community already shows up, and work to identify partners that can diversify your audience.
Australia, Canada, and the UK. Do not lean into the instinct to go dark. Maintain share of voice and keep brand work alive. There are powerful methods that make the highest impact in different regions: In Canada, lean on efficient digital channels and innovation to stay visible. In the UK, balance performance with creative that builds memory. In Australia, keep the discipline to protect brand investment even when the instinct is to cut deep.
You do not need a crystal ball. You need a bias toward readiness. If the worst never comes, you will have a tighter, smarter system. If it does, you will be one of the few still moving.