A Reality Check to Better Understand Worst Case Scenarios for Owners
SOURCE - The Hyde Opinion
Worst Case Scenarios are Misunderstood
Those of us who make a living in the printing and graphic communication industry hardly need reminders of how hard it is for businesses to survive and grow. Even the owners, senior managers and investors in successful establishments recognize that fortunes can change for the worst case in an instant.
The path from “healthy company” to “treading water” company can happen in a myriad of ways. It may start with a large customer downsizing its print marketing budget or with the departure of a key salesperson or with the news that a good customer has sold its business to a company that has its own supplier base to feed. The downward spiral can be set off by paper procurement challenges, as many companies struggle with this current dilemma [See, “Four Extreme Measures” below]. I sometimes remind myself that the owners of “treading water” companies who become my clients for non-bankruptcy debt restructuring or orderly wind-down of their business never thought they would ever need this kind of expertise.
Perhaps you are reading this while enjoying success and just want to feel a little safer in pondering “what if” scenarios. Maybe your spouse is seeking reassurance about the future. Or maybe you and your partners are not on the same page about the direction forward and want to hear what is being said about others experiencing “worst case” outcomes. It could be that your company is seeking to grow by acquisition, and you are looking to learn valuable insights for connecting with owners of struggling companies.
Whatever your reason for checking in, there is one—and only one—takeaway from this article: Worst case scenarios are misunderstood.
