🧠 Q1 2025 Economic Wake-Up Call (and What Founders Should Do About It)

Let's keep it real—closing U.S. B2B CEOs right now is tougher than it's been in a while.

Here's why (and what to do about it):

📉 The Market Reality (Jan–Mar 2025)

• U.S. GDP just went negative (–2.4% estimate). First contraction in years.

• Inflation is spiking again, thanks to Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports.

• Consumer spending is down, especially in services.

• B2B budgets are frozen or delayed. Execs are reviewing every line item.

• Sales cycles are longer. Even warm leads stall—because CFOs are gatekeeping hard.

• VCs are cautious, especially with non-core SaaS or marketing-heavy startups.

Full breakdown: Read the full Q1 economic analysis →

🛠 What Founders Should Do (Now)

1. Shift from "nice-to-have" to "must-have" positioning. Tie your offer directly to revenue, cost-cutting, or client retention. CEOs are only greenlighting mission-critical tools right now.

2. Target buyers still spending. Focus on:

• AI-native companies (still hiring + growing)

• Post-Series B+ (less worried about runway)

• Bootstrapped operators with cash flow

• Pain-aware segments: churn, inefficiencies, layoffs

3. Use outbound to educate, not just pitch. Drop contrarian insights from the Q1 slowdown. Make your emails/podcasts the most valuable thing they read/hear all day. Buyers remember the signal when budgets re-open.

4. Launch low-friction foot-in-the-door offers. Create entry points they can say yes to without a CFO. Think: → A paid audit → A 30-day test → A "pause anytime" retainer

5. Pre-frame the delay. "Even if you're not ready now, I want to be top of mind when you are." Build pipeline for Q3 now—because many are just "not now," not "no."

This economy is filtering out weak offers and forcing founders to lead with clarity, urgency, and real outcomes.

If you're pivoting your cold email, content, or sales motion to match today's reality—let's compare notes.

— Charles

Helping founders break through the noise when the market's playing defense.