When a business is struggling, growth does not start with expansion. It starts with survival, clarity, and control. The CEOs who make it through hard seasons are not the most optimistic—they are the most disciplined.
This guide focuses on what actually works when money is tight.
1. Stabilize Cash Flow First (Before Any Growth Talk)
If cash flow is unstable, growth will kill the business faster.
Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)
- Weekly cash flow tracking (not monthly)
- List every inflow and outflow
- Identify:
- Cash you must spend
- Cash you can delay
- Cash you should stop spending entirely
👉🏽 Rule: If it doesn’t directly protect revenue or customers, pause it.
Practical Fixes
- Renegotiate rent, supplier terms, and loan repayments
- Move customers to faster payment cycles
- Offer discounts for upfront or early payments
- Kill “nice-to-have” subscriptions
Cash flow buys you time. Time buys you options.
2. Ruthlessly Focus on Profitable Customers & Products
Most struggling businesses are not unprofitable—they are unfocused.
Do This Exercise:
List your:
- Top 20% customers → revenue + payment speed
- Top 20% products/services → margin + repeat demand
Then ask:
- Who pays fast?
- Who costs the least to serve?
- Who complains the least?
👉🏽 Double down on these.
👉🏽 Reduce or exit the rest.
Growth comes from doing fewer things better, not more things poorly.
3. Cut Costs Without Destroying the Business
Cost-cutting done badly creates long-term damage.
What to Cut First
- Vanity marketing
- Underperforming staff or roles with no revenue link
- Complex product lines
- Offices you don’t need
- Ego expenses (cars, travel, prestige branding)
What NOT to Cut
- Sales capability
- Customer experience
- Core talent that drives revenue
- Systems that improve efficiency
Protect revenue engines. Cut friction, not fuel.
4. Fix Pricing Before Chasing New Customers
Many struggling businesses are underpriced, not under-demanded.
Smart Pricing Moves
- Increase prices quietly for new customers
- Bundle services to raise average transaction value
- Introduce tiered pricing
- Charge for things you previously gave away
Even a 5–10% price adjustment can transform cash flow faster than doubling sales.
5. Simplify Operations to Free Hidden Cash
Complexity is expensive.
Operational Discipline
- Standardize offers
- Reduce approval layers
- Automate invoicing and collections
- Eliminate manual work that doesn’t add value
Simplification reduces:
- Errors
- Staff burnout
- Cash leakage
👉🏽 Lean businesses survive storms. Bloated ones don’t.
6. Growth Strategy When You’re Weak (Not Strong)
When struggling, don’t scale. Instead:
Smart Growth Plays
- Upsell existing customers
- Cross-sell related services
- Partner instead of hiring
- License your IP instead of building new divisions
- Focus on retention before acquisition
It’s cheaper to grow who you already have than chase who you don’t.
7. Leadership Discipline: The CEO’s Personal Reset
Your mindset directly affects financial outcomes.
Non-Negotiables for CEOs in Crisis
- Separate personal emotions from business decisions
- Get one trusted financial adviser or mentor
- Stop pretending things are “fine”
- Make decisions faster with imperfect data
Indecision is more expensive than a wrong decision.
8. Build a 90-Day Survival & Growth Plan
Forget 5-year projections. Focus on 90 days.
Your 90-Day Plan Should Answer:
- How do we stay solvent?
- How do we protect revenue?
- What one change improves cash flow fastest?
- What must we stop doing immediately?
- What one bet could meaningfully improve the business?
Review weekly. Adjust fast.
9. Use Debt Carefully—Or Not at All
Debt does not fix broken models.
Only take debt if:
- Cash flow is predictable
- You know exactly how it increases revenue
- Repayment terms are realistic
Otherwise, debt becomes a delayed failure, not a solution.
10. Remember This Truth
Many great businesses did not die because they were bad.
They died because leaders waited too long to act.
Financial sustainability is not about brilliance—it is about discipline, humility, and speed.
Final Word to Struggling CEOs & Business Owners
You are not failing—you are being tested.
Cut fast. Focus hard. Execute simply.
Survival is a strategy.
Stability is growth in disguise.
References
- LinkedIn Business Pulse. “How small businesses can improve cash flow with better financial processes.” LinkedIn, 2025. LinkedIn
- Phoenix Strategy Group, “5 Cash Flow Management Strategies for Growth Companies,” 2025. Phoenix Strategy Group
- Hessons Consulting, “Reduce Costs & Improve Efficiency for Kenyan SMEs,” 2025. Hessons Consulting Group
- Business Partners, “Saving strategies for SMEs: Cutting costs without cutting corners,” 2025. Business Partners
- Talib, Rahmiyati et al., “Financial Strategy as a Key to Business Sustainability,” International Journal of Economic Literature, 2025. Injole
- TMC Blog, “Guidelines for Nigerian SMEs to Build Resilience and Thrive 2025,” 2025. TMC – Toki Mabogunje & Co.
