Anna Karaulova, founder of the Digital Sfera club, conducted 105 in-depth interviews with Russian IT and digital agency executives. The sample included companies with 10 to over 300 employees. The study aimed to identify differences in management strategies between growing and declining businesses.
The data shows that 82% of respondents reported a decline in revenue in 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Only 12% of participants experienced growth, while 6% maintained revenue at the previous year's level. These figures are based on self-reported management data.
A key distinction lies in specialization: growing companies typically focus on both a specific service and a target industry, whereas declining companies often lack such niche focus. This dual specialization allows growing firms to optimize their marketing budgets and build deeper expertise.
Management of cash flow also differs significantly. Growing companies implement proactive, aggressive cost-cutting measures to maintain reserves. In contrast, declining companies react slowly, often exhausting their financial buffers before making necessary staff reductions.
Marketing strategies vary as well. Growing companies have increased their marketing budgets by 30–50%, focusing on data-driven hypotheses. Conversely, declining companies often cut marketing spend to near zero, relying on ad-hoc, unverified tactics.
Finally, leadership styles diverge. Leaders of growing companies have adopted more assertive, results-oriented management styles to ensure organizational changes are executed. Meanwhile, declining companies tend to maintain a softer, more democratic approach to team management.
