Across the UK, CEOs are navigating a market defined by uncertainty and instability. Conversations in boardrooms and with Private Equity operating partners increasingly revolve around a single question: where does growth come from next?
In this environment, businesses instinctively return to fundamentals. Overly complex playbooks are being set aside. The focus sharpens on the core questions: what is the product? what is value? who is the customer? where is the price point?
The price-value equation sits at the heart of this shift. Inflation-driven momentum has passed and with it the ‘easy’ pricing increases. Now, maintaining profitable growth is an active challenge - not a passive trend. Leaders must move beyond simply waiting and responding to market forces. They must make deliberate decisions and execute with discipline.
This mindset applies far beyond pricing alone. In every lever of revenue growth - from offer design and sales to growth investments- success right now depends on getting the basics right.
Here are four fundamentals every CEO should focus on to build a growth strategy that works in today’s volatile market.
Focus on pounds, not percentages
It is easy to be drawn into conversations about margin percentages. But in today’s market, what truly matters is absolute profit.
The companies that outperform consistently ask: will this initiative drive incremental profit? Every pricing decision, sales move, and investment is evaluated through this lens. Ultimately this may require a new way of thinking about the margin vs volume balancing act and the trade-offs that are now acceptable.
This shift in focus is essential. Maintaining growth now requires significantly more effort to balance margin and volume than in previous years. Focusing leadership attention - and organizational energy - on absolute profit outcomes helps ensure that effort delivers tangible value.
Move decisively - even without perfect information
In a market defined by shifting customer behavior, volatile politics and evolving demand patterns, perfect clarity on the path to growth is rare.
Leading CEOs recognize this. They understand that when it comes to growth, progress beats perfection. Rather than waiting in limbo for clear and aligned market signals, they form a point-of-view, make a decision, and move forward. It is far better to have an imperfect growth plan than no growth plan at all.
Action creates momentum. In today’s environment, that momentum is critical.
Build a trusted growth team - and use them
The volatility of today’s operating environment demands focus. CEOs need to prioritize where they personally add the greatest value - and empower trusted teams to deliver across the rest of the business.
That means building strong teams that can execute the growth agenda – and trusting them to do it. It also means bringing clarity around where leadership attention is required - and where it is not. The single biggest bottle neck for high growth companies in times of volatility is top management bandwidth. The organizations that scale successfully in this kind of environment are those where CEOs empower their senior teams to own and execute what matters most - growth.
Build a compelling exit story - and live it daily
In today’s environment, a successful exit is not a given. Buyers are scrutinizing businesses more carefully than ever.
That makes it critical to define a clear, credible equity story - and to live it daily. From KPIs to board conversations to frontline initiatives, every element of the business should align with that narrative.
When an organization is consistently aligned around the equity and exit story, it provides a rare thing: a goal that everyone can relate to and deliver against.
The bottom line: back to basics, brilliantly executed
There is no single solution for driving revenue growth in today’s market. It’s the fundamentals that matter, more than ever.
The mindset of back to basics, brilliantly executed - is essential: measure the right thing; form a view and make a decision; assemble and use a team; align on a company-wide end game.
Are your portfolio companies set up to execute the fundamentals brilliantly? Let’s explore how we can help you drive profitable growth - and lasting value - across your investments.
About Simon-Kucher
At Simon-Kucher, we bring 40 years of expertise across financial services to help organizations thrive in the rapidly changing payments landscape. As the world’s leading consultancy for commercial growth, our dedicated payments practice helps organizations across the ecosystem—Alternate Payment Methods (including A2A), PSPs/acquirers, card schemes, banks, and infrastructure/software providers, merchants—develop and implement strategies to realize their growth ambitions.