Despite global challenges, SMEs are still looking for breakthrough points in 2025

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 03. 17. 11:42

According to economic forecasts for 2025, businesses will face a number of challenges: high interest rates, inflationary pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain disruptions will all make it difficult to achieve stable growth. In this situation, business acquisition and the development of a reliable partner-supplier network will become a key factor and a competitive advantage – especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Around 82% of companies get new customers and business opportunities through recommendations, which shows that professional networking offers much more than new business cards or direct sales channels.

The world’s largest business networking organization, BNI (Business Network International), supports its more than 335,000 members worldwide in this very thing, who generated $25.3 billion (roughly 9300 billion forints) in turnover for each other last year alone through nearly 17 million recommendations. BNI Hungary is also taking part in the success, holding its International Networking Conference in Budapest on March 20.

Forecasts expect the global economy to grow by 3.3% in 2025, but companies will continue to adapt to a high interest rate environment, inflationary pressures, fluctuating commodity prices and declining customer demand. In addition, geopolitical tensions – such as trade disputes between major markets and uncertainties in European energy supplies – also pose a major challenge for businesses. Small and medium-sized enterprises are particularly exposed to the volatile and uncertain market environment: while they strive to focus on stability and risk management, they are looking for those breakout points that will ensure sustainable growth and competitiveness in the long term. To overcome market difficulties, more and more companies are relying on long-term strategic collaborations, building partner networks, and mutually beneficial networking relationships, and according to data from the international business community BNI, about 82% of small businesses find new business opportunities through recommendations.