"Let's wait until the election is over"

"Let's wait until the election is over."

It is the most common sentence in owner-led companies this semester. And it looks like prudence.

The first round is on Sunday. If there is a runoff, on the 25th. Then comes the inauguration, in January. Then the first quarter, to see what the new government does. Whoever decided to wait for the election has, in practice, decided to wait until March.

Meanwhile, these stay frozen:
• the investment nobody approves;
• the renegotiation with the bank that was left for later;
• the conversation between partners about who comes in, who leaves and who decides;
• the son or daughter ready to take over a front, who keeps waiting.

None of these decisions depends on who wins on Sunday. The result changes the price of money and the mood of the market. Your company's problem still has the same name in November.

Preparing for what comes next means separating two lists: what truly depends on the result, and what the election is serving as an excuse not to resolve. The second one is usually longer.

Which decision in your company is waiting for the election?