Author
Vlad Tudorie
When I sat down with Josh MacPherson, founder and education strategist from the US, based in Japan, I expected our conversation to orbit around product updates and content workflows. What unfolded instead was a wide-ranging and raw exploration of what it means to run a business while the world feels like it’s wobbling on its axis. From Tokyo to Bucharest to the US, we covered how business owners are making sense of the shifting ground beneath their feet and what it actually takes to build resilience when clarity is scarce.
In this article, we’ll look at how smart leaders are staying grounded in global turbulence, balancing practical operations with long-term strategy, and building flexible systems to carry their teams and customers through whatever comes next.
Thinking globally, acting personally
Josh opened with a grounded sense of place: “Spring is nice in Japan, cherry blossoms are out, so it’s a kind of nice week for the kids and hanging out.” Amidst the macro chatter, this reminded me that for most of us, global events still hit home in very personal ways.
We talked about navigating today’s world not just as business owners, but as parents, spouses, and global citizens. “It was a while it lasted, like we had a nice two generations’ worth of living in a free world.” That kind of quiet reflection hits differently when you’re also balancing product launches and content workflows.
But far from doomscrolling, these reflections shape a more human business strategy one that considers the safety of your family, the mobility of your team, and even backup plans for where to relocate if the political winds shift too sharply.
The best decisions often start at the dinner table.
Strategic calm, not reactive panic
When the world feels like it’s speeding up, the instinct is to sprint. But what Josh and I kept coming back to was the value of slowing down to plan.
“We’re doing some refinancing and trying to put a little extra to the side… just in case.”
That’s not just personal finance; it’s business strategy. Leaders today are proactively reducing exposure to risk by holding more cash, diversifying platforms, and shoring up operations before cracks widen.
I shared how I recently took out a small business loan, not for growth, but to ensure breathing room. It’s not about waiting for the worst; it’s about building a bridge to cross whatever’s next.
“You just don’t know the multiple layers of effects you create in these times.” Josh said.
Every decision has ripple effects, some we won’t notice until months down the line. That’s why it’s not about being perfect, it’s about being intentional and responsive.
Information awareness is a leadership skill
Josh and I both admitted to watching the news more than we used to, not for doom, but for pattern recognition. It’s part of our jobs now.
We explored how the speed and volume of online information today can make it harder to distinguish between well-researched insights and cleverly disguised marketing or misinformation. “It always felt like it was trying to show the truth… and now it’s harder to tell what’s genuinely informative from what’s just persuasive.”
Media literacy isn’t optional anymore. For business owners, especially those with international clients or teams, understanding information flows is mission-critical. What your team believes, what your customers fear, and what the market reacts to are shaped by stories. And not all stories are neutral.
We don’t need to become conspiracy theorists. But we do need to become curious readers and critical listeners.
The shift in consumer mindset
As the world tilts into new forms of uncertainty, it’s not just business leaders who are adapting; customers are changing, too.
Josh captured it clearly: “Most people aren’t traveling. Most people are kind of hoarding their money.”
That statement points to something deeper. Customers today are more cautious, more selective, and more skeptical. They’re rethinking what’s essential, delaying purchases, and paying closer attention to how brands behave, not just what they sell.
This shift affects everything from marketing and messaging to pricing strategies and product offers. It’s no longer just about meeting needs; it’s about showing empathy and creating real value in uncertain times.
Understanding these subtle shifts in behaviour can help business owners adjust their tone, refine their offers, and stay relevant even when wallets are tighter and timelines are fuzzy.
Keeping the long view
We ended the chat not with a five-point plan for the apocalypse, but with a sense that the long game still matters.
Josh said it best: “If things are too stable, then when they break, they break real bad… hopefully this next couple years of shock will stabilize in a different way, over time.”
That’s the kind of thinking I admire: anti-fragile, not just resilient. It’s about building systems that get stronger through stress, not just ones that survive it. That implies a deliberate baking into the system of processes that improve the systems based on new learnings.
This is very different from the lazy perspective business owners often employ, where they hope for a perfect and simple system that always works with no edge cases.
When the world is full of noise, strong signals come from quiet confidence, deep focus, and thoughtful execution.
Resilience is in the doing
If there’s one thing I took from this conversation with Josh, it’s that resilience isn’t a trait. It’s not something you either have or don’t. It’s something you practice.
Every time you update a workflow, audit a task list, check your finances, or question a headline, you’re building that muscle.
And while we can’t predict what’s coming, we can choose how we prepare.
Resilience shows up in quiet decisions: choosing clarity over chaos, staying focused on what you can control, and helping your team do the same. It shows up in your willingness to adapt your offers, stay connected to your market, and think globally while acting locally.
It doesn’t require heroic speeches or all-or-nothing bets. It just asks you to show up, pay attention, and keep building, especially when it’s hard.
