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Tradeoffs That Move America
26 Plays56 minutes ago
Host Doug Farren of the National Center for the Middle Market sits down with Jerry Grisko, CEO, and Brad Lakhia, CFO of CBIZ, to unpack new research on how middle market leaders make the hard calls that shape performance.
Drawing on NCMM's recent survey of 400 middle market businesses, they break down the four decision-making mindsets that emerged from the results and what leaders protect (or sacrifice) when pressure hits.
You’ll hear where ROI is showing up (especially in technology), understand why clarity and reliable data drive decision-making, and why “growth matters most” even as profitability often wins when tradeoffs get real.
You can read the full report here: Middlemarketcenter.org
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcast
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Market that Moves America, a podcast from the National Center for the Middle Market. The center is the leading source of knowledge, leadership and innovative research on the middle market economy. Throughout our podcast, we will feature middle market leaders and stakeholders to hear their real world perspectives on trends and emerging issues.
00:00:24
Speaker
Welcome to the Market That
Meet the Hosts and Mission
00:00:25
Speaker
Moves America. My name is Doug Farron, Executive Director of the National Center for the Middle Market, located at The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business.
00:00:35
Speaker
For our 14 plus years of existence, we've been studying middle market companies and we often collect data on their performance, but very rarely have we had the chance to look at how that performance is achieved and the way that leaders think about making trade-offs in their decision-making,
00:00:53
Speaker
and the process upon which they go about making
Research Partnership with CBiz
00:00:57
Speaker
them. very excited about today's episode because we recently partnered with CBiz, who is one of the nation's largest professional service advisors, on a recently released research report on this exact topic.
00:01:12
Speaker
Joining me today is the Chief Executive Officer of CBiz, Jerry Grisco, and their Chief Financial Officer, Brad Lakia. Jerry, Brad, welcome. morning, Doug.
00:01:23
Speaker
Hi, Doug. Good morning. So, Jerry, as a starting point, for those who may not be familiar with CBiz, can you just give us a little bit of background on on the business? Sure, Doug, about 30 years in existence. And we, with offices coast to coast, so across the country, CBIS is a leading provider of professional services to the middle market, the the very clients that you survey in in your good work. um We help clients ah discover new ways of growth.
00:01:53
Speaker
um As you can imagine, with that much that number of clients and in a broad array of of services, we have deep knowledge into those client base and we have a lot of data.
00:02:04
Speaker
So we provide to our clients data-driven insights that help them grow in ways that that they may not always see on their own.
Importance of the Middle Market
00:02:11
Speaker
And ah just as a follow-up, Jerry, why do you see the middle market as such a critical segment for CBiz? What's the kind of the unique aspect of these companies?
00:02:20
Speaker
Yeah, well, first of all, it's a very large total addressable market, as you know, over 400 billion kind of measured in the in the in the middle market. um The characteristics of those businesses are that they are really good at what they do, um but they're oftentimes underserved by their advisors. So, you know, if you're Fortune 500, Fortune 1000, there's a lot of advisors that will serve you. Many of the smaller businesses tend to be more DIY, but that middle market business has resources. They choose to invest those resources in their core business. And they turn to to advisors like CBIS to help them with their most important decisions.
00:02:55
Speaker
Things like plant expansion, large capital projects, acquisitions, ah navigating complex regulatory environments. And and and eventually, ah when succession comes, and oftentimes they're're they're transferring these businesses to the next generation, we help them with their most important decisions there as well. So we we are with these businesses over a long period of time.
00:03:16
Speaker
um They rely on us and um and we can bring great value to the relationship. Yeah, that's a great point. We've seen time and again how how valuable trusted advisors can be to these companies. So the three of us had a chance to meet last year with our dean, AC.
00:03:32
Speaker
We talked about you know ways that we could possibly work together. So Brad, I just wanted to ask you, what was the interest for CBiz in collaborating with the the National Center for the Middle Market? Yeah, thanks, Doug. the ah is It was it kind of, I guess, a great coincidence is the way I would characterize it.
00:03:50
Speaker
um I joined CBiz about a year ago as CFO. Jerry ah brought me in as the CFO. And um obviously, ah you know as I came into CBiz, understood our focus on that ah that ah you know core, real critical middle market, that underserved middle market.
00:04:07
Speaker
I'm also a Buckeye. I'm also a Fisher alumni. um And so as I've been quite active or more active, I would say, over last five to 10 years and ah as an alumni of the Fisher College of Business, I made this connection of you know the National Center for the Mid-Market, which you've led for ah you know really since its inception, ah back to CBiz and our focus on the middle market, that underserved middle market, And a really fast, rapid growing middle market that's so core to not only the global value change, but so core to the U.S. economy. So that's really the connection, Doug. And so, yeah, you know, our discussion with you and AC is a big part of why we're here today. So really appreciate the partnership.
00:04:52
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think it's a great fit. I mean, for all the things that Jerry described and then, of course, our focus, I'm very excited about
Exploring 'The Trade-Off Economy' Study
00:04:59
Speaker
this project. So let's dive in a little bit into the research study.
00:05:03
Speaker
ah The name of the study is The Trade-Off Economy, How Decision-Making Mindsets Shape Middle-Market Performance. We had a great working team assembled late in the fall.
00:05:15
Speaker
We surveyed 400 middle market businesses across a number of industries. And and I'm very excited about ah some of the insights that emerged because, again, you know, it's it's not often that we've had a chance to kind of peel back what is in the thought process of a lot of these middle market owners and leaders as they go about growing and managing their companies. So, Jerry, I'll just go back to you. When you think about the high level research insights, what are some of the things that stood out to you?
00:05:43
Speaker
Yeah, well, first of all, the work itself. Oftentimes you see reports on outcomes, but it's really what's underlying those outcomes. How were those decisions made that produce resulted in those outcomes? And I really was excited about the just the research, and we learned a lot through the research. And so what we learned is that there are really predominantly four mindsets that business owners and business executives use.
00:06:06
Speaker
Of course, we're all always striving for growth. So I think the the number one factor and the one that raged it the highest was and as to how they make decisions is a desire for growth. So what do I need to be doing? Where do I need to be making investments to continue to grow?
00:06:20
Speaker
But there are some macro and micro um indicators as well. and And it starts with really confidence. So before they grow and the extent of their growth, they also have to measure how confident they are to do that in a particular environment.
00:06:35
Speaker
um Obviously, is the business climate favorable, less favorable? Are there macro conditions that might impact that? um And then they have investment priorities, right? Do I invest in people? Do I invest in processes? Do invest in technology? So it's kind of force ranking where those priorities are. And then the last one, of course, always comes into it is their kind of tolerance for risk, right? So with every investment decision or every kind of key shift in a priority, there's risk connected with that. And every organization has different risk tolerance, right? So so it's really those four kind of decision mindsets that that was insightful for us.
00:07:10
Speaker
Yeah, and this forces leaders to make certain trade-offs. I mean, the center has been talking for years about the fact that a lot of middle market companies can be resource constrained and they're forced to make decisions um that affect their business. why Why is it so important to understand these trade-off decisions?
00:07:29
Speaker
Well, it it tells you at its core um what they value most, right? So they might say, look, we're we're we're we're committed to growth growing our top line and, of course, margin expansion and everybody's committed to their people.
00:07:42
Speaker
But under pressure, you see where those decisions are really made, right? So what are they willing to protect? Like when they have to make those choices, what are they most committed to protecting? What are they willing to sacrifice? Right. um Because if if they have to make force rank things, and they're going to sacrifice some things in order to protect others. And then it's really kind of how those things play out under pressure. And and we're seeing a little bit that. We saw a little bit that in 25 as the economy was a little tighter than it had been over the prior couple of years. We saw some shift in those priorities. From C business perspective, what that tells us is where we can focus our advice and our assistance and our support to those businesses. Because oftentimes those decisions are impacted by you know their financials. um Do they have the capital to invest?
00:08:28
Speaker
um access to capital, um their operations, are they operationally ready? Because you have to have the foundation under you in order to to scale on top of that. um Included in that is technology. Are their systems and processes mature enough for them to make those investments? And then again, their tolerance for
Growth and Decision-Making Influences
00:08:46
Speaker
risk. So it's it it helps us shape how we can really bring greater value to the client relationship as well.
00:08:51
Speaker
Right. So, ah Brad, one of the key findings of this work was that growth opportunities have such an outsized influence on the decisions that these leaders are making, especially when you compar compare it to everything else.
00:09:06
Speaker
Take things like you know geopolitical ah issues, seeing that right now in the world, ah regulatory risks. you policies and and other things that might impact the business, for example.
00:09:20
Speaker
ah Do you think this optimism around growth is is well-placed for middle market businesses? Well, I think yeah the research showed that growth is really a number one factor for, you know, I think, believe 30% of the companies that responded. So 30% of the 400 respondents. And it stayed in even those where it wasn't they top the top factor,
00:09:42
Speaker
all four of the other mindset categories had it as a top three, right? um So I don't think it's well placed. And I think if you you think about business and you think about value creation, um you know, growth is core, right? You know, like Jack Walsh said, you know, you can't you can't grow long term unless you can eat short term. So I think this comes back to the trade offs, right? So the short term trade offs, when you're in environments where there might be uncertainty or where an industry might be getting disrupted by technology or other competitors who are new entrants.
00:10:15
Speaker
um I don't think it's misplaced. I think it really comes down to discipline. Right. And it comes down to, you know, you know, not should we grow, but how do we grow and how do we do it responsibly? How do we you know stay focused on the core of where we are where our strategy is a company and then do it effectively right allocate the right resources and have a quite and what i would characterize as an integrated approach to growing and planning right integrating from from a financial planning perspective from a capital allocation perspective from an operations perspective and really harnessing the resources that you know you already have and kind of expanding from there
00:10:56
Speaker
and So that does that pursuit of growth create maybe new risks or exposures that these companies have to manage? And and if so, how does that integration help address those risks?
00:11:09
Speaker
Yeah, so I think an integrated approach ah drives that discipline, right, Doug? So to the extent that you're you're really disciplined around what you're doing, you have the right project mindset around growing, making investments, um starting with talent, making sure that you have the right people leading those projects with the right level of subject matter expertise.
00:11:31
Speaker
And then to the extent you don't, you're going out and seeking those partnerships where you need to. So you're seeking an advisor like CBiz to come in and say, listen, there's a piece to this project that we may not feel like we have covered well.
00:11:45
Speaker
It could be a compliance piece. It could be a funding piece. And making sure that you have the right partners and the right minds there at the table to really help you navigate that growth project and that transformation you're trying to drive. Yeah, exactly.
00:12:01
Speaker
I'm stick with you, Brad, because I think this is a really good CFO-focused question. But, you know, and in our time studying midsize companies, we've seen, you know, there's a real struggle around thinking about these tradeoffs.
00:12:14
Speaker
And as companies are looking to grow, they're also looking to do that in the most efficient way possible. And so in a situation where access to capital may be constrained, which we see that time and again as well, it ah it often is for for a lot of these businesses.
00:12:29
Speaker
Where are you seeing some of the highest return on investment right now for the middle market?
Technology's Role and ROI
00:12:34
Speaker
Yeah, no, that's a great question, Doug. I think we're, you know, across all industries, all spaces, you know, technology is really the area where I think we're going to continue to see the most highest highest level of ah ROI.
00:12:49
Speaker
um And so I think not only for CBiz, we see it the same way, our clients see it the same way. We see it as an opportunity for CBiz to serve those clients. um But I also would say comes back to discipline, right? um Technology and the return on technology investments um is critical.
00:13:08
Speaker
The success is critical when you have the right foundation for it, the right data infrastructure, the right digital literacy am i among the people who are actually utilizing it, having to operate it.
00:13:19
Speaker
um So I would say technology remains, I would say, at the forefront. um But there are some of the old, more tried and true things you know, things around operational efficiency or operational kind of quality um and go to market, right?
00:13:33
Speaker
Don't ever lose focus on who your customer is, you know, how you want to serve those customers, the products and services they need. um So stay true to that kind of go to market customer or client mindset and work market back from there.
00:13:48
Speaker
Are there other areas that you might see companies maybe over-investing or under-investing in that, that again, you know may may raise challenges for them down the road? Yeah, I think, Doug, it's probably not a question of like over-investing or under-investing. It's the right spend, right? um It's the right spend focused, again, in a disciplined manner around you know what is your core? What is your core go-to-market strategy?
00:14:12
Speaker
Who are you serving? What's that total total addressable market? Where are the ah market opportunities? opportunities and the segmentation within those that total addressable market and really staying kind of core true and core to the to that that part of that part of your business and your strategy. So I think it's not so much underinvestment, overinvestment, it's the real targeted discipline, a right spend, durable spend and staying fairly consistent to what your strategy is and where that investment needs to take place.
00:14:42
Speaker
Yeah, that makes sense. So, Jerry, back to you. We talked you know a little bit about these four decision-making types. the The two that were the fastest growing in terms of year-over-year revenue, the centralized and decentralized accelerators, really had a few things in common. i mean, we saw that They clearly invest in their talent and their workforce.
00:15:04
Speaker
But second, that they're they're pretty nimble when it comes to their decision making. And I want to talk to you a little bit about that that second component, because as we know, middle market companies are really at that sweet spot where they're well positioned to pivot and take advantage of opportunities. So can you tell us a little bit about what enables that speed for middle market companies? And then maybe what are some of the challenges that might slow things down?
00:15:29
Speaker
Yeah, I would say speed is really a byproduct of clarity. So where they have clarity in their priorities, so they've they've worked on the business, not only in the business, and and worked as a team to set clear priorities, that's that's kind of a table stake. um Decision rights, right? so So the delegation of decisions and the the accountability for those decisions is a critical component there.
00:15:54
Speaker
um Brad mentioned data. um You have to have good information to make the good decisions, right? So having having reliable data. And then I think is just kind of trust in what we would call the operating model or the or the infrastructure, right? are you to Do you have enough confidence in what you've built to be able to build on top of it, right? So I think those are the things that if you have clarity in those areas, priorities, decision rights, data, and your operating model,
00:16:19
Speaker
I think you you then can make quicker decisions and and be more right than wrong in making those decisions. You know, the opposite side of that you asked about, um I would say too many decisions get escalated. So where there isn't clear kind of hierarchy and and and accountability for where decisions lie and and comfort in the people making those decisions that they can make them and own them.
00:16:41
Speaker
um And then I would say outdated systems where we talk about some underinvestments. When you see businesses that have kind of have deferred maintenance, I would say, and underinvested in some of their systems, that that slows their ability to to scale and grow and make decisions.
00:16:56
Speaker
And and Kind of the opposite of what i' said before, um for data, unreliable data will get you in trouble every time, right? So just you just can't it prevent you from making an informed decision. Sure.
00:17:08
Speaker
Well, let's um let's talk a little bit about industries. I think one of the you know fascinating things about this project was we had a chance to really focus in on three key industries in the middle market and those who were real estate, construction and in consumer and in industrial products. And we saw you know particularly a third of the of of all the respondents fell into this category that we called performance protectors. So they're really sensitive to risk when they're making a lot of these decisions. And construction companies, for example, were one that that tended to
00:17:40
Speaker
over index and into that group. So, ah Jerry, I'll just stay with you here for a second. um Any he companies that might fall into that type of mindset when they really are more sensitive to risk and not maybe overly aggressive in their pursuit of growth, um is that kind of caution helping them right now or or potentially holding them back?
00:18:01
Speaker
Well, I don't think there's any one right answer, right? I don't think you could ever be too cautious, but but you have to be prudent, right, in your business decisions. And the reason those businesses fall into that category, it's it's it's it's logical, is because they're typically project-based.
00:18:16
Speaker
They're oftentimes very highly dependent on a point in time as to the business conditions, access to capital, what their competitors are doing. So, you know, they, they, all those things impact their margins. So they tend to be margin sensitivity. They get those decisions wrong at a point in time. It can materially impact their margin. um They have a lot of cost volatility, think raw materials supplies um in in what they do and and there's execution risk. So I wouldn't say that they're,
00:18:45
Speaker
oh that they're that they're wrong in being kind of performance protectors. But I think you also need to always be playing the long game, right? So the businesses that are that are really kind of growing through all cycles are sensitive to all the things we talked about, but also confident enough, again, and have have those other items that we we talked about earlier, you know, good data and accountability and decision-making rights. they've They've lived through enough cycles that they're confident enough that they can still be investing forward. And and those are the ones that are going to be long-term successful. Sure.
Decision-Making Maturity and Growth
00:19:18
Speaker
And the other factor could be size, right? I mean, the the middle market is so diverse. The center defines it as businesses between 10 million and a billion in revenue. So as you think about how companies move from that lower or even emerging middle market into the upper tiers of the middle market.
00:19:35
Speaker
How does this decision making maturity evolve? i'm I'm sure it has to, right? You've got you've got more scale, you've got more resources. to ah Tell us a little bit about that, Jerry. Yeah, again, you're you're right on it. As you would expect, you know larger companies have greater access to capital.
00:19:52
Speaker
so um So their financial capacity allows them to make investments that smaller companies may not be able to make at a given point in time. They also have, as you would understandably, deeper talent pools. um They not only have larger organizations, but they understand the importance. if they've If they've been able to scale, they've been able to do it because of their talent, and they understand the importance in investing in people And I will say kind of from the underinvestment side, um you asked that question of Brad before, where we see some underinvestment from time is not necessarily in the people, the talent, but the continuous upscaling ah and in development of their of their people. and in And scale allows for that too, right? The large organizations have more mature um organizations and commitments to upskilling and continuously improving and training and developing their people. So that's a critical ah factor. And then I think all of those things,
00:20:45
Speaker
If they're larger, they've probably lived through some cycles. And so it gives them greater confidence in the long-term kind of prospects for the business if they make the right decisions and are investing in certain ways. So I think that's the that's that's what scale gives you. um And it shifts. it shifts that When you have that scale, it shifts your decision-making from kind of protecting that near-term performance, like every decision could be critical to the to the longevity or the life cycle of the business, to managing kind of more informed or making more informed decisions around long-term growth and objectives, right? So I think scale gives you that organization of maturity to allow you to do those things.
00:21:22
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, Doug, I would add too, you know, we talked about the larger scale, you gave access to more resources, more capital, um But with more capital, it also has you know your contingent on who is your investor, right? Is it your capital or is it a you know is it an investor, or an equity investor or a debt investor?
00:21:41
Speaker
So as your as you grow and scale, your your capital structure probably becomes more complex, most likely. And so the demands that your investor base have um It also has an impact on where you're making decisions and where you're allocating resources short term versus long term. So I think that's a factor.
00:22:00
Speaker
um And it's certainly a factor that, you know, at CBiz, we help our our clients navigate as they are growing. You know, what type of capital they get access to? How do they think about securing it?
00:22:11
Speaker
And then the tradeoffs between the different types of capital. Yeah, absolutely. So um Jerry, what do what do you think people get wrong about the middle market? What are the misconceptions that you often hear about this set of businesses?
00:22:24
Speaker
I have my own point of view, but I'd love to hear what what you see from from where
Misconceptions About the Middle Market
00:22:28
Speaker
you sit. Yeah, i would say, first of all, i don't know if they get it wrong or misconceptions, but I don't know that they appreciate how resilient it is, right? That middle market. So so we, CBiz, nearly three decades in business, and and we that is our client base, right? That middle market client. And we've seen them outperform market conditions kind of almost through every cycle, right? So what allows them to do that? First of all, their level of sophistication, and and I have a a group of ah of business leaders that I meet with on a regular basis. And I always walk walk away really impressed with how well they know their business, um how studied they are in their business and their industry. So very sophisticated group, entrepreneurial, of course, oftentimes. So they're they're willing to make informed risk um and and to invest forward. They're very well steeped in their industry. Again, they know not only
00:23:20
Speaker
where they play and and where they can stake out their their space in their industry, but they know their competitors really well too, right? And they're always studying the competitive landscape. And then where they are resource constrained, they they know they have deep resources from outside advisors, companies like CBiz, um that that can fill in the gaps because they realize They know their strengths and they know where they don't have strengths and they're sophisticated enough to be able to go out into the market and identify those trusted advisors that can help them fill in the gaps that they may have on their team. So, um,
00:23:55
Speaker
Okay. So I want to pose this to both of you, kind of put your, you know, take out your crystal ball. And as we think about heading into this year and and into the future, you know, what are some of the things that, that both of you find most exciting and, or maybe most concerning as you think about middle, middle market businesses across the country, the issues, challenges they're facing, but also maybe some of the opportunities that, that they have at the at their disposal.
00:24:22
Speaker
ye Listen, I would say, Doug, um I remain tremendously impressed at the resiliency of the middle middle market, right? I mean, you have the stats, you know them better than me, but I think the middle market it continues to grow at you know a pace greater than 10%. I don't know exactly what the numbers were exiting 2025. I know your report's out, but I think it was greater than 10% once again. um and that was coming off of a year where, particularly in the front half of 2025,
00:24:52
Speaker
there was a lot of unexpected uncertainty, right? um And so the just the durable nature of the middle market. And I think there's an underappreciation for U.S. middle market and how important it is to the global value chains that it serves. It's really a B2B market, right? and Most of the the middle market is really more of a B2B type market.
00:25:15
Speaker
um i So I think the resiliency, the durability of it, um is the thing that continues to to impress me. It also you know creates an opportunity for you know for investment. So as you think about how it's think still one of the fastest growing parts of the US economy.
00:25:30
Speaker
um So again, as we we now are in the front half of 2026, In some ways, there are some similarities, different situations, albeit, where we're we're now experiencing some unexpected uncertainty.
00:25:42
Speaker
So I think the middle market will once again be able to navigate that successfully. um So that's that's that's my response to your question. I'll i'll offer Jerry this question. Yeah, listen, I see it the same way. Brad mentioned, you know, kind of the global um aspect of it. I would say from ah from a domestic standpoint, it is the backbone of our economy, right? When you think about how large that total addressable market is, it again, over $400 billion, dollars um the number of businesses that are always kind of growing from what we would consider a small business into that middle market is the kind of never ending. um I think the resilience of that of that segment of the business. um I will say that, um you know, you can't have a conversation today without talking about
AI Investments and Future Outlook
00:26:24
Speaker
A.I. i think A.I. will reshape
00:26:26
Speaker
um every business and and and and how we conduct business. And I think I'm excited to see how how the middle market embrace that, embrace this technology. I will tell you, we, CBiz, and I myself have been involved in a number of of um symposiums lately with middle market businesses. And I'm very impressed with how quickly they've come up the um the the learning curve on fundamentally what AI can do for their businesses and specifically within their industries and their businesses. So I have high hope.
00:26:58
Speaker
Yeah, we agree with that. our Our latest middle market indicator survey showed that AI was the number one investment target for these businesses. Almost 30% of the companies are focused on that for this year. So, Jerry, if there's a middle market CEO listening to this, what's one trade-off that you would suggest they go and revisit or maybe think a little bit more about for their company?
00:27:22
Speaker
Yeah, I would always say, you know, so many of All businesses and and certainly middle market businesses are resource constrained. So you tend to work in the business and less on the business. So I would say find time, um weekly, monthly, quarterly, set time aside to work on the business.
00:27:40
Speaker
I would then say it's kind of success by design, not by chance, right? So so have a clear plan. And in that plan, you would you would always want to ask yourself, what are you protecting today?
00:27:50
Speaker
that you know that will limit your growth in the future, right? So so if you if you thought we're in this for the long game, what's it gonna take for me to be long-term successful? We can't get too focused on the the here and now.
00:28:03
Speaker
course, we have to live in the here and now, but but stay focused on what's gonna drive long-term growth. And then I would say, lastly, you know, they they do it anyway, but continue to invest in your people. And more than just the person, it's kind of the upskilling of that person and the development of that person.
00:28:20
Speaker
um Technology, obviously, is is is always front center and and operations, right? Make those investments so that you don't have deferred, you don't find yourself with deferred maintenance. Right.
00:28:30
Speaker
So, Brad, we now have this report study. We've got a little bit more intelligence around these decision making types. But what do you think will really separate the best performing companies over the next, you know certainly the balance of this year, but even in the next 12 to 18 months across the middle market?
00:28:49
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's it's a lot of what Jerry commented on around making sure that you're prioritizing the right investments in your people, your processes, your systems, um staying focused on the fundamentals, right, of your business, um making sure that you are really examining your core strengths, right?
00:29:09
Speaker
and flanging those core strengths up against the most in the addressable market that you're serving and where the growth opportunities are within that market that you serve. um And never, ever losing sight of you know your core customer, you know where you go to market, the customer and the clients you serve.
00:29:27
Speaker
I think that will continue to differentiate all great performing companies. And Jerry, if we were to revisit this study in a few years, now let's go out, collect more data, revisit it. Do you think it would look much different? do you Would you anticipate any changes or or adjustments to to the work that we did here?
00:29:48
Speaker
No, I really don't. I think that the foundation for what we've learned through the study around how how decisions are made will probably be much the same into the future.
00:29:59
Speaker
I think as each business then thinks about how they fall within those categories and how they're making decisions and therefore how they're making investments for the future growth, I think those that are, again, proactively...
00:30:14
Speaker
working on the business will look much different um three or five years from now than those who might have might have not been focused on those things. So understanding how you make decisions, understanding what's the tradeoffs are, understanding what your priorities are, having clarity around those priorities, clear accountability um and intentionality, I think will will result in a different outcome for those businesses that are focused on those things.
00:30:40
Speaker
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, this has been ah absolutely wonderful conversation. I mean, it's very clear why this was such a powerful collaboration. I mean, clearly we should share the same focus on the middle market, but I think you know, base based on what we talked about today, we we speak the same language too when it comes to the the challenges and opportunities. And I think what's so powerful is, you know, this the center really focuses on bringing issues to light. And then it's the trusted advisors like CBiz that really help deliver the solutions and and the plans that can help bring these things to life and and continue to help support these
Conclusion and Resources
00:31:18
Speaker
companies. So Jerry, Brad, I just want to thank you for your time and and really appreciate you being on the episode today.
00:31:25
Speaker
Thank you, Doug. Appreciate the partnership and appreciate participating in the program. Likewise, Doug. Thanks for the opportunity. Wonderful. Thank you. So to download the report, you can visit the center's website at middlemarketcenter.org. You can can download the study, read more information and and and get more detail and data around the survey findings and the and the research study.
00:31:47
Speaker
In addition, to learn more about CBiz, you can visit their site at cbiz.com. Thanks. And we'll talk to you again soon.
00:31:56
Speaker
Thank you for listening to The Market That Moves America. Never miss a new episode by subscribing anywhere podcasts can be found. You can also subscribe to our email newsletter at middlemarketcenter.org.