Trendsetter Barometer Business outlook report - Most private companies expect positive growth, majority plan upswing in hiring

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This PwC publication tracks the business issues and best practices of privately held US growth businesses. It incorporates the views of 250 chief executive officers (CEOs/CFOs): 143 from companies in the product sector and 107 in the service sector, averaging $323 million in enterprise revenue/sales, and including large, $300M-plus private companies.

This edition reports that most private companies expect positive growth, and the majority plan an upswing in hiring. Despite ongoing ambivalence about the economy, leading US private companies are not sitting on their hands. Planned major capital investments and increased operational spending remain solid, proving especially strong among Trendsetter companies active in emerging markets.

Survey highlights

• 78% of Trendsetter companies expect positive revenue growth, in keeping with their improved optimism about the economy.
• The expected growth rate is highest among companies selling in emerging markets. Those companies also plan greater expansion into new international markets than do their private-company peers.
• Among Trendsetter companies selling in emerging markets, 88% intend to boost operational spending (compared with 62% of domestic-only companies), and 64% plan major capital investments (vs 29% domestic-only).
• The majority of private businesses overall anticipate an upswing in hiring.
• Potential lack of demand remains the top perceived barrier to growth.