Looking back at my years in business consulting, I’ve always been fascinated by how established companies manage to sustain growth when the market gets crowded and competition heats up. It reminds me of something I read recently about the University of the Philippines men’s basketball team—yes, sports can teach us a lot about business resilience. After starting their season with two consecutive losses, UP notched a third straight win against their long-standing rival Ateneo. Francis Nnoruka, one of their foreign student-athletes, mentioned afterward that this turnaround wasn’t really a surprise to him or the team. That mindset—believing in your capacity to bounce back even when the odds seem stacked against you—is exactly what separates thriving PBA-established companies from those that fade away in competitive industries.
When I work with legacy firms, especially those that have been around for decades, I notice they often face a similar dynamic: an initial slump or period of stagnation, followed by a strategic pivot that reignites growth. For UP’s team, the shift came from regrouping after an 0-2 start, focusing on their strengths, and trusting their preparation. In the corporate world, that translates to leveraging existing assets—brand reputation, loyal customer bases, and institutional knowledge—while staying agile enough to adapt. One of my clients, a consumer goods company founded in the early 1990s, saw a 17% dip in market share over two years before reorganizing their supply chain and doubling down on digital marketing. Within 18 months, they recovered and grew their revenue by nearly 22%. It’s not magic; it’s about knowing your core competencies and having the confidence to execute even under pressure.
Another thing that stands out to me is how these companies cultivate a culture of persistence. Nnoruka’s comment about the win not being a surprise reflects a deeper organizational belief—one built on consistent effort and a clear vision. I’ve sat in boardrooms where leaders emphasized the importance of “staying the course,” but the ones who actually achieve sustainable growth are those who combine patience with proactive innovation. Take, for example, a manufacturing firm I advised last year. They had been in the PBA space since the late 80s and were struggling with new entrants disrupting their niche. Instead of cutting costs across the board, they invested roughly $4.5 million in R&D for eco-friendly materials—a risky move at the time. Fast forward to today, and that bet accounts for nearly 34% of their annual revenue. They didn’t just survive; they expanded their market influence by anticipating shifts rather than reacting to them.
Of course, sustainable growth isn’t just about big, bold moves. Sometimes, it’s the subtle, day-to-day operational efficiencies that keep a company ahead. I remember visiting one family-owned retail chain—around 200 locations nationwide—that was losing ground to e-commerce giants. Their initial response was to mimic online discounts, which only eroded their margins. But after revisiting their customer data, they realized their strength was in personalized, in-store experiences. They retrained staff, introduced loyalty programs that boosted repeat purchases by 18%, and used localized inventory strategies that reduced waste by about 12%. It wasn’t a flashy transformation, but it was effective. They’re now in their fifth year of steady growth, even as competitors shutter stores.
What I appreciate about resilient organizations is their ability to balance tradition with transformation. It’s tempting for established players to either cling to the past or chase every new trend. The ones that last, though, are those that respect their heritage while making room for evolution. UP’s basketball team didn’t abandon their training methods after those early losses; they refined them. Similarly, I’ve seen PBA-rooted companies use their legacy as a foundation, not a cage. One food and beverage group I’ve followed since my grad school days still uses recipes from the 1970s, but they’ve incorporated blockchain for supply chain transparency and expanded into plant-based lines, capturing a younger demographic without alienating their base.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that sustainable growth in competitive markets isn’t a straight line. There will be setbacks—like an 0-2 season start or a dip in quarterly earnings. But as Francis Nnoruka and his team demonstrated, belief in your strategy and team can turn things around. For businesses, that means fostering leadership that encourages calculated risks, invests in talent, and stays close to customer needs. I’ve personally shifted from recommending rigid five-year plans to advocating for agile, iterative strategies—because in today’s pace, flexibility often beats sheer size. Companies that embrace this, that see challenges as part of the journey rather than dead ends, are the ones writing their own comeback stories, year after year.