Discover the seven toughest questions businesses are facing and how financial leaders are helping clients survive and thrive in today’s uncertainty.

When the headlines are filled with phrases like "consumer confidence hits a 12-year low" and "tariff turmoil rattles markets," it’s clear we’re not in a normal cycle of business anymore. Across the globe sentiment is sliding, caution is rising, and the path forward feels foggy.

For financial professionals like Virtual CFOs, advisors, and accounting firm principals, the pressure is intense. Your clients are scared — not just about missing growth targets, but about business survival. They’re asking hard questions. They’re expecting fast, confident answers. And more than ever, they’re leaning on you to make sense of the chaos.

"Uncertainty is the only certainty. It’s causing clients to be cautious, delay hiring, and hold back investment."

Today, finance leaders aren't just reporting on the numbers. They're helping businesses fight for survival. And that shift is happening faster than many realise.

The state of business confidence: What the data tells us

Our latest global survey of VCFOs and advisors revealed a tough reality:

• 49.5% said their clients are less confident today compared to six months ago.
• Only 21.3% reported any increase in confidence. ‍
• ‍Cash flow and liquidity planning emerged as the most urgent area of support for 59.4% of clients.
• Other top needs included cost management (13.9%) and scenario planning and risk management (11.9%).
  

Clients are shifting their focus away from growth targets toward survival strategies. They're facing critical, emotional decisions: protect staff or preserve cash? Fight for funding or hunker down?

As one survey respondent put it:

"Clients are asking how to survive the next 12 months, not how to scale."

And in this environment, financial professionals are stepping into a new, unofficial job title: Business Lifeline.

The new role of financial leaders

Your job title might still say CFO, VCFO, or Advisor. But right now, your clients see you as:

• Crisis navigators
• Decision accelerators
• Confidence builders
  

You’re not just preparing reports. You're helping answer survival questions. The kinds of questions we asked in our survey:

• How confident are clients about their financial stability?
• What are the biggest financial questions they’re asking?
• Where do they urgently need support?

And the answers led us to seven survival priorities you need to be ready for.

The 7 survival questions clients are asking (and how financial leaders are answering them)

1. How long is our runway, really?

With cash flow planning cited by nearly 60% of advisors as the top client need, runway clarity is non-negotiable.

How to answer it:

• Model different expense-reduction scenarios.
• Forecast cash flow monthly, not quarterly.
• Visually show how decisions today extend or shorten runway.
  

"Everything revolves around cash flow and liquidity now. It’s survival mode."

2. Should we lay people off now or wait?

Cost management ranked second in urgent support needs. Staffing decisions are no longer theoretical, they're immediate.

How to answer it:

• Use scenario planning to show headcount reduction impacts.
• Factor in severance costs and morale impacts.
• Give leadership a clear financial picture to guide tough decisions.

3. How do we manage our burn rate without killing momentum?

Clients need to save cash without killing their future.

How to answer it:

• Break down fixed vs. variable expenses.
• Identify "nice to haves" vs. "must haves."
• Model the impacts of strategic, surgical cuts.

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4. What scenarios should we be preparing for?

11.9% of advisors said scenario planning is a growing client priority; a clear signal that leaders know uncertainty isn’t going away.

How to answer it:

• Create at least three scenarios: optimistic, realistic, pessimistic.
• Stress-test assumptions (sales velocity, margin pressure, cost hikes).
• Visually present different outcomes to drive faster decision-making.
  

"Conversations have become a lot more detailed. Clients care a lot more about forecasting and having multiple plans."

5. Can we still raise funding this year?

Investor caution is surging. Clients want to know whether to fight for capital now or weather the storm.

How to answer it:

• Help clients prepare clean, confident financials.
• Show strong cash flow and burn rate management.
• Position resilience as a key selling point.

6. Should we freeze hiring, or double down?

Opportunity still exists, but it’s risky. Clients need frameworks, not gut instincts.

How to answer it:

• Map out cash flow and runway impacts of hiring vs. freezing
• Tie hiring decisions to realistic revenue assumptions
• Model both conservative and aggressive paths
  

7. How do we hit our targets when everything’s slowing down?

Growth targets set six months ago may no longer make sense. Clients need credibility, not just ambition.

How to answer it:

• Reforecast based on real-time sales and market conditions.
• Shift focus toward profit resilience.
• Develop clear, visual scorecards to track adjusted goals.
  

The tools that make survival possible

In our survey, nearly half of financial professionals said they are already using Fathom to answer these tough questions. Another third want to start.

Why? Because in a crisis, slow and static reporting isn’t enough. Clients need:

• Fast, flexible scenario planning
• Clear cash flow forecasts
• Visual, confident communication tools
  

Tools like Fathom don’t just track the past, they help financial leaders shape the future.

"Until y’all can predict what the government can do, we’re stuck planning for everything."

The hardest questions facing businesses today are solvable. Financial professionals who embrace tools that deliver clarity, flexibility, and confidence are leading the way forward.