JANUARY 2025 INDUSTRY NEWS AND TRENDS
Preparing for the tariffs and trade battles ahead
With the new administration focused on enacting various trade restrictions, businesses in the U.S. and abroad are facing significant changes in their supply lines. An HBR survey recently found that 82% of executives are adjusting their strategy based on the anticipation of new tariffs.
This article explores some of the short-term strategies businesses can implement to enhance their resilience in the face of an uncertain trade environment.
7 Small Business Trends for 2025
What will the year ahead bring to small business owners? This Forbes article consults seven business experts to identify the trends to watch for in 2025, including a rising demand for access to working capital, a frothy business-for-sale market, and big changes in government policies that affect small businesses.
New data quantifies the cost of company financial management
New cross-industry benchmarking data from the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) reveals that companies spend as much as 1.5% of total revenue on their finance-related functions. However, top-performing companies spent as little as .66%.
Smaller organizations making $100M or less in annual revenue can expect to spend more than global enterprises that benefit from greater economies of scale, but this metric should still be tracked and used to guide decision-making around human capital management, technology, and processes for the finance function.
U.S. Chamber predicts productivity-driven growth for 2025
The U.S. Chamber predicts that the economy will enjoy a growth rate above 3%, spurred by falling inflation, strong labor market conditions, and productivity gains. That figure is higher than the economic growth for 2023 and 2024. The Chamber also predicts that the sustained growth in 2025 will create opportunities for increased investment, wages, and opportunities for American businesses and workers.
