Planning for Continued Uncertainty in 2023

BRG experts share the approach they are using to help clients best prepare for 2023 and its inevitable volatilities

No one could have predicted the last three years. The world has not only endured a global pandemic, but also seen record stimulus and an extraordinary shift in employee expectations, coupled with the highest inflation in decades and continuing global supply chain uncertainties.

The financial news is full of examples of companies that experienced a wave of demand during the pandemic only to realize that months, if not years, of demand have been pulled forward, and the receding tide left little in terms of predictable consumer demand.

In contrast, companies that saw demand disappear during COVID then return post-COVID are trying to gauge the new floor and ceiling of their business—particularly if that demand has returned in a very different way (e.g., revenues driven by lower unit sales at higher prices, digital versus direct sales).

As a result, in 2023, companies will find it difficult to forge effective plans while navigating the ambiguity around customer and consumer demand, reliability of the supply chain, and increasing cost of capital. But BRG’s corporate finance experts believe that there is a way forward.