The Mid-Year CEO Checklist: How David-Sized Firms Stay Ahead of Goliaths in 2025

As we approach the July 4th midpoint, CEOs of B2B growth firms face a critical window.

Markets are shifting. Buyers are changing. And strategies built in January may already be stale.

The most agile firms—David-sized companies operating with insight and precision—are using this mid-year checkpoint to adjust before Q3. And they’re doing it faster and smarter than their Goliath competitors.

At Lucrum Partners, we’ve synthesized the latest thinking from Gartner, Forrester, Corporate Visions, and SBI Growth into one essential checklist for B2B CEOs ready to challenge the status quo.

The 5-Point Mid-Year CEO Checklist

1. Are You Operating a Signal-Based GTM Strategy?

Source: Forrester & SBI Growth. Growth firms outperform when they activate around real-time buyer signals—not static ICP models or legacy funnel stages. Ask:

• Do your teams act on intent data and research behaviors?

• Are you intercepting buyers before they raise their hands?

2. Are Your Sellers Equipped for the Executive Table?

Source: Corporate Visions. In modern B2B, the sale is won or lost at the executive level. But only 12% of buyers say sellers can link solutions to business outcomes.

• Have you trained your team to lead with insights, not intros?

• Are you closing the gap between technical and strategic fluency?

3. Are You Managing Existing Clients Like Growth Accounts?

Source: Gartner & Lucrum Client Data. Client expansion is the most underleveraged growth lever.

• Do you have formal growth plans and governance for your top accounts?

• Are account teams uncovering new value paths, or just renewing deals?

4. Are You Running a Counter-Culture Cadence?

Inspired by Lucrum Partners' David vs. Goliath Series. Annual planning is too slow. Modern buyers change direction quarterly.

• Do you empower teams to pivot in 30-60 days?

• Is your leadership cadence built to sense, decide, and act faster?

5. Are You Acting on Frontline Intelligence—Fast Enough?

Source: Gartner CSO Insights. Execution agility is a CEO’s advantage. But many still wait for lagging indicators.

• Do you have systems to bring real-time insights from frontline to boardroom?

• Can you test, iterate, and deploy commercial changes in weeks—not quarters?

David’s Advantage: Mid-Year is Make or Break

In the race against Goliath, mid-year is your chance to course correct and double down.

Speed. Insight. Precision. These are the weapons of David-sized firms—and they win when leaders lead boldly into uncertainty.

Before the fireworks fly, pull your executive team together and ask: Are we equipped to win the second half of 2025—or just hoping to hold on?

Ready to stress-test your strategy with our team of growth strategists?

Let’s schedule a 1:1 Mid-Year Growth Session. info@LucrumPartners.co