Publisher's Note: Why now is the time to talk strategy, not just survival

SBJ file

Marty Goodnight, Publisher, Springfield Business Journal

Here’s a tough stat: In 2025, only 35% of local business leaders said they expect their market to improve in the coming year. Just last year that was 45%. Prepandemic? It was 69%. That’s not just a slide – it’s a shift in how people feel about the future.

Confidence in the local economy has taken a hit, too. This year, 32% of respondents for SBJ’s Economic Growth Survey say their outlook has decreased – that’s double what it was last year. That number is even higher than during COVID. Read that again.

And yet, here’s the part that gets me: Business performance hasn’t cratered. Most leaders reported revenue either held steady or improved in the last fiscal year. So, while the mood is down, the math says otherwise. Sound familiar?

Now, one place we’re seeing a real pinch is access to credit. Last year, 23% said it was harder to get credit. This year it’s 51%. That’s a jump worth talking about. Even more telling: In 2024, half of respondents felt credit access hadn’t changed. Now only 14.5% say that. So, something’s shifted – and fast.

But even with that, most businesses aren’t changing their capital plans. About 60% say they don’t plan to raise money. That’s consistent with previous years. Around 20% say they do. No major movement there.

So, what do we make of all this?

To me, it’s a clear call to get your team around the table. Look at the numbers, yes – but more importantly, talk about them. Ask your people: What are we feeling? What’s changing? What’s not? Where are we too cautious – or not cautious enough?

This data isn’t here to predict the future. It’s here to help you plan for it.

And whatever your growth plans are – expansion, pause, reinvention – what matters most right now is that you’re having the conversation.