Taking action in turbulent times: how entrepreneurs turn crises into opportunities in 2025

“Never before has the Mittelstand faced so many challenges at once,” says Dirk Kreuter, lead speaker at the Jetstream events and one of the most widely read sales experts in Europe.

Inflation, supply chain problems, rising wages, gaps in digitalisation and a noticeable reluctance to buy all come together at once.

Dirk Kreuter treats this situation as an opening rather than an excuse.

He identifies seven levers that companies can use to win market share right now.

1. Inflation as a pricing turbo

Price increases have never been easier to push through than they are today.

Supermarket, petrol station or tradesman’s invoice: wherever customers look, the numbers are rising.

Anyone who ignores the situation gives away contribution margin and puts future investments at risk.

Why increases are mandatory

Even if your margin looks solid today, tomorrow it will be eaten up by higher purchase prices, energy costs and wages. Kreuter’s advice is therefore:

This is about the maximum market price, not about neediness.

In practice for 2025: communicate price increases early and transparently. Tie them to added value such as faster delivery, better service or higher quality. Customers accept surcharges more readily when they can see where the extra money goes.

2. Rethinking supply chains: variety instead of dependency

Containers are missing, chips are scarce, spare parts delay projects.

The problem gets worse when companies rely on a single house supplier.

Dirk Kreuter describes a plumbing business that faced two years of lead time because of one single heat pump manufacturer, with revenue at zero.

The strategy

Build an international pool of suppliers.

Anyone who validates ten to twenty producers across different currency and customs zones today can react flexibly tomorrow.

At the same time it pays to put cash into stock. Inventory values grow with inflation, while balances in the bank account shrink in real terms.

Build several international suppliers now and become independent.

3. Rising wages? Raise prices instead of capping salaries

Wage increases are an expression of fair participation. Employees have lost up to 40 % of their purchasing power within twelve months. Anyone who squeezes salaries now drives their best people to the competition.

The solution

Refinance higher wages through smart pricing (see lever 1) and process optimisation.

At the same time, expose the narrative that skilled workers are scarce as a limiting belief.

Hundreds of thousands of skilled workers match your requirement profiles. They simply happen to work somewhere else right now.

Employer branding and systematic recruiting make you visible and attractive.

4. Digitalisation: process before software

Many companies believe that digitalisation means introducing the best software.

Dirk Kreuter disagrees.

The real gain appears when digitalising makes you question your own workflows: do we need this step at all? Is this approval still necessary?

Digital processes stay healthy, make no mistakes and ask for no pay rise. They save wage costs or free the people on your team for higher value work. At the same time, every automation forces you to be clear about your business model.

5. Reluctance to buy, part I: a sales offensive instead of a holding pattern

Reluctance in B2B and B2C has not been this pronounced since the Second World War.

Companies without a strong sales force are losing their orders.

Dirk Kreuter’s definition of selling is:

Motivating people to make decisions.

Top salespeople are gaining market share right now because uncertain customers need orientation.

For 2025 that means: build a sales arm that combines trained salespeople with online marketing.

The wheat separates from the chaff, and the companies with their own selling expertise are the ones that come through the lull.

6. Reluctance to buy, part II: trust through branding

Money is plentiful. The global money supply has never been larger.

What customers lack is trust.

Branding therefore becomes the highest discipline. A brand stands for something and against something. It delivers proof through references, content and community, and it reduces the sense of risk for the buyer.

Invest in clear brand positioning in 2025: what do you want to be known for? How do you prove that expertise visibly?

Building trust shortens buying cycles and achieves better prices.

7. The meta lever: speed

All of these measures only work when they are implemented quickly.

Raise prices, qualify new suppliers, launch the recruiting campaign, digitalise processes, start sales training, roll out branding: today rather than tomorrow.

Companies that push decisions through committees for weeks or months lose their speed advantage.

Dirk Kreuter sums it up:

In a crisis it comes down to days, sometimes hours, rather than months.

Conclusion: the opportunities behind the chaos

Inflation, supply chain pressure, more expensive wages, the digital gap, reluctance to buy: Dirk Kreuter answers every risk with an opportunity.

Higher prices strengthen margins; diversified suppliers secure revenue; better paid specialists deliver quality; digitalisation lifts efficiency; active sales and strong branding bring customers back, and speed connects all of it.

Anyone who pulls these levers in parallel leaves 2025 as a winner.