Is Your Ecosystem Crisis-Ready?

Business support organizations: Disruption is the new normal.

Whether it's economic downturns, regulatory shifts, climate related events, or funding instability, the question isn’t if you’ll be impacted but how prepared your business support organization is to respond.

Here are 8 key principles I share with ESOs navigating this terrain, gleaned from recent insights from the Chronicle of Philanthropy webinar, "Planning Amid Disruption: Navigating Tariffs, Recession Fears and More.”

1. Ask for help early. Bring in your board, funders, city partners, and key stakeholders before a crisis. Transparency builds trust and support. You are not alone.

2. Know your true operating costs. What does it really take to deliver impactful support to your business owner clients? Especially for those hit hardest by tariff-induced price increases and pullbacks in equity initiatives.

3. Stay proactive, not defensive. The needs of entrepreneurs have increased. Create space in your week for your team and your business clients to explore new approaches to solving for these challenges. 

4. Embrace scenario planning. Start building 3–5 year models for your programs and revenue mix. Plan for volatility, not just growth.

5. Tailor your communication. Funders and stakeholders absorb information differently. Use visual dashboards, impact stories, video and/or spreadsheets to speak in their love language.

6. Partner to survive—and thrive. Shared service models, co-branded programs, and regional collaboration reduce duplication and stretch resources.

7. Explore new revenue streams. Think fee-for-service, earned income, value-based sponsorships. Keep exploring and innovating because mission-aligned funders love fresh ideas and programs with diverse income streams.

8. Protect your people and find your community. Set new standards for productivity, team wellbeing, and leadership sustainability. Connect with peers that you trust to vent, solve problems and hold each other accountable for self-care.

You support resilient entrepreneurs. Your organization needs to be resilient too.

If you're rethinking your service model, scenario planning, or designing a more inclusive, financially sustainable support system—we should talk.