This time around, the pandemic caused domino effects that resulted in weaknesses already a part of the economy becoming much worse. From messy supply chains, to a sped up timetable for ecommerce, to talent issues, to changing customer desires, to a much less predictable world stage, what were once smaller, manageable issues got a lot bigger, changing the must-have list of what it takes to be a successful business. Navigating the new rules significantly falls to the finance team, which works with business leaders to identify and address challenges as they come.

In this report, we examine the major current challenges and how midsize businesses are addressing them. The data presented in these charts comes from an early June poll of 500 executives and managers in companies with under $250 million in annual revenue. Half of the respondents were from companies with less than $50 million in annual revenue. Half work in finance, and half are executives. The result is a 360-degree view of business challenges and solutions as well as manager reactions to executive actions.