In the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and the northern California wildfires, the National Center for the Middle Market surveyed these areas to gain perspective from middle market business leaders recovering from recent natural disasters as well as other categories of risk—strategic, digital, and other operational risk to gauge their risk and resilience.
Business consultants almost never use the word "problem"; instead, they talk about opportunities to enhance value. Ask any consultant what they do, and they'll likely say "I'm in the solutions business." Despite criticism that's sometimes leveled at business consultants, they truly can add value to your middle market company, but you need to know when and why to use them. There is a huge range of business issues that consultants can provide solutions for, and different types of consultants bring different ideas to the table.
Cause marketing is a temptation for many companies. You tie your brand to something bigger than your firm that you hope will resonate with customers and gain some name recognition while you do some good in the world at the same time. It can certainly work, but cause-marketing initiatives can also plummet to the ground like a coyote tied to an anvil in a Warner Brothers cartoon.