I have always been big into team sports like Football, Rugby and NFL I’ve often been fascinated with how the parallels in elite sports apply to business.
In this article I am going to focus on one of the key parts of American Football and the one area that ultimately decides if you can win or lose a game, it’s about the quarterbacks ability to play in the pocket and how this can relate to your success in todays every evolving business environment.
Business in the pocket: Navigating chaos like a quarterback under pressure
Running a business—especially as a founder or CEO—isn’t some slow, steady, spreadsheet-smoothing stroll through a park. It’s playing quarterback in a full-contact game. You’re in the pocket, and you’ve got about three seconds, if you’re lucky, before someone twice your size tries to flatten you.
You’ve got to make decisions fast. Read the field. Dodge the blitz. And launch the play—even when everything’s collapsing around you.
That pocket? That’s your moment of clarity in a storm of chaos. And over the last five years, we’ve seen some of the biggest defensive lines imaginable: global pandemics, wars, hyper inflation, and now, the rising tension of trade wars. The modern business world is not a gentle arena. It’s a high-stakes, high-speed, constantly evolving battleground.
2020: COVID and the collapsing pocket
Let’s rewind to 2020. COVID hits. The whole world shuts down almost overnight. Your supply chain? Gone. Retail partners? Doors closed. Demand? Either vanishing or spiking unpredictably depending on your sector.
That was like a zero blitz—you’re five yards behind the line, everyone’s coming at you, and the clock’s ticking. For a lot of businesses, that was the first time they truly felt what it’s like to be in the pocket when your defensive line collapses. You either stood tall, adapted quickly, and made the throw—or you got sacked.
At The Cheeky Panda, we pivoted hard. Supply chain resilience became a daily grind. Supply chains broke, retailers run out of toilet roll but we had to keep delivering. E-commerce became the route out. You didn’t have time to draw up a new play—you had to react like a quarterback reading the defence mid-snap. Move. Decide. Deliver.
2022: War and uncertainty
Just when things looked like they were settling—bang. Russia invades Ukraine. Energy prices shoot through the roof. Europe looks shaky. Geopolitical risk becomes part of your monthly board report.
This wasn’t a blitz, it was a disguised coverage—the kind where the defense shifts post-snap and suddenly your read is wrong. The routes your team was running don’t line up with the new reality. You’re exposed. What do you do?
You keep your feet moving. You scan the field again. Maybe the play you called doesn’t work anymore, but great founders do what great quarterbacks do: they improvise. Pivot strategies. Diversify energy sources. Lock in long-term contracts while others hesitate. You take a hit or two, but you stay in the game.
2023: Hyperinflation and the price pressure squeeze
Then came inflation. Not your average 2–3%. We’re talking inflation so hot your margins melted just from reading your P&L. Energy, raw materials, logistics—all spiking. And consumers suddenly more cautious with every penny.
This was like a linebacker disguised as a cornerback—sneaky, sudden, and devastating if you weren’t watching closely. Pricing strategy became critical. Too slow to react, and you bled cash. Too aggressive, and you scared off your customers. Timing became everything. Like a QB throwing into double coverage—you had to have absolute faith in your team and your timing.
We had to get leaner. More efficient. Reevaluate every vendor, every SKU, every penny spent. That’s the pressure of the pocket. Every CEO felt it.
2024–2025: The trade war era and the global realignment
Now, as we navigate 2025 and beyond, trade wars are the next defensive front. USA vs. China tensions. Europe throwing in its own tariffs and tech regulations. Globalization isn’t over, but it’s definitely been put on pause. Supply chains are being redrawn. Margins are under fire again, but this time it’s geopolitical chess, not just macroeconomics.
This isn’t a blitz—it’s a long-game defensive strategy. Death by a thousand regulatory cuts. You’re in the pocket again, but the pressure isn’t just fast and brutal—it’s intelligent. Strategic. Constant.
And here’s the truth: you can’t afford to wait it out. You’ve got to act. Maybe you nearshore. Maybe you diversify production. This is where bold leadership separates the real players from the pretenders.
Playing in the pocket: What it takes
Playing in the pocket in business means being comfortable with discomfort. It means understanding that pressure isn’t optional—it’s constant. You don’t flinch. You don’t bail. You don’t run unless there’s a clear path. You trust your preparation, your instincts, your team.
And sometimes? You still get hit. Even the best quarterbacks get sacked. But they get up, adjust the helmet, and go again.
You need vision—the ability to see the field while chaos closes in. You need resilience—knowing you’ll take hits but keep delivering. And you need trust—because your team, your suppliers, your customers, your investors—they’re all part of the formation. Without them, you’re just standing there with the ball and no one to throw to.
Summary
Look—every founder thinks they’ll build in a straight line. That they’ll call a great play, get the funding, scale nicely, and coast into the end zone. But reality’s different. You’ll be up against stacked defenses, changing conditions, injuries, and plays that don’t go to plan.
But the best? They keep calm in the pocket. They play the pocket. They thrive in the pocket.
If you’re a CEO or founder reading this and feeling the pressure—good. It means you’re in the right place. Great things aren’t built on cruise control. They’re built when the heat is on, the options are narrowing, and you’ve got milliseconds to make it happen.
That’s business. That’s leadership.
And trust me—there’s no better feeling than making the throw, watching your team win the game, and knowing how hard you hard to work for it and you deserved it.
