Momentum, new strategy book by Marc Emmer (PRNewsfoto/Optimize Inc.)

Los Angeles – Wild swings in the stock market provide the latest example of extreme volatility in our economy. In fact, volatility has become the norm.

2017 was a year of political instability and extreme disruption in the form of natural disasters including Harvey, Irma, and the California wildfires.

Businesses are being forced to weather the storm in ways that few could have anticipated. In his new book, Momentum: How Companies Decide What to Do Next, Marc Emmer provides a recipe for businesses to plan for the unknown.

We operate in a series of cycles: economic, monetary, political, industry and so forth. To succeed over several decades or generations, companies must constantly evaluate market dynamics, strategy and positioning.

Uncertainty has been the impetus behind new business models and management practices that require companies to be nimble. The agile movement proves we are undergoing a management revolution.

“The successful entrepreneur within a sustainable business designs the future he or she wants to create,” Emmer says. “The entrepreneur is not a victim of circumstance; he takes advantage of circumstance. Great entrepreneurs are market-focused and strategic most of the time.”

According to Emmer’s book, Momentum, there are 12 trends that will reshape the business environment in the next 25 years:

From megacities to megaregions
Shifts in monetary policy
Electric mobility
Geo tracking
Information warfare
Digital mashup
SMART robots
Labor on-demand
Digital banking
Human genome
The rise of 3D transforms construction
Wearables outsell smartphones
Emmer advocates that every business should consider these trends and develop scenario plans. According to Emmer, “Looking into the future is not like a crystal ball; scenarios consider facts already in evidence today. Those who prepare for the things they can plan are in a better position to react to the things they cannot. We look at the future so we can decide what to do today.”

Other forces at play will revolutionize how business is done. In business-to-business (B2B), customers are consolidating suppliers. Professional procurement’s future influence cannot be minimized. In business-to-consumer (B2C), any advantages offered through distribution, or even quality, have been degraded in an omnichannel world where consumers have access to every product and reduced prices in real time. Leading businesses will anticipate these changes and develop innovative new products, services and business models.

Emmer wrote this book because “many companies are struggling to remain relevant.” Momentum offers businesses practical tools that they can implement right away.

For more information, visit www.optimizeinc.net.