This is how companies avoid the "fumigated ant syndrome" in the time of Trump.

BarcelonaThe torrential rain made the presenter's metaphor easy to grasp. The downpours that accompanied the first day of the Círculo de Economía Annual Meeting this Monday afternoon were a clear example of the geopolitical disasters that Catalan companies must navigate at the present time. To answer the question of how they do it, the event brought together the top executives of three globalized companies based in Barcelona—Mango, Fluidra, and Penguin Random House—to understand how they manage their operations at a time when US President Donald Trump can shake up global trade with just a post on his social media.

"In extreme situations, we must avoid the fumigated ant syndrome," he said. Eloi Planes, president of the Catalan swimming pool group FluidraThis business pathology is what drives companies to flee like insects when they detect the presence of poison, instead of looking for possible solutions to a sudden crisis. The most obvious and recent example is the tariffs imposed by the United States government, which have forced many companies to navigate Trump's errant decisions. Fluidra has this country as its primary market, but Planes emphasized that from day one, his "great obsession" was anticipation. "We didn't get any of the scenarios right," he admitted. But after changing some circuits in their supply chain, renegotiating with suppliers, and passing on a nearly 10% price increase, he believes they have fared better than the competition so far.

Penguin Random House CEO Núria Cabutí also acknowledges that her books and other types of content will not be exempt from this global shock. This Monday, Trump announced his intention to impose 100% tariffs on foreign audiovisual productions that aim to compete with Hollywood. Therefore, the publishing group has already been moving forward with some measures, such as producing shorter, on-demand print runs, also to adapt to the flexibility required by operators like Amazon to be more agile in their service. The adaptation continues in the volatile tastes of consumers, who, in this context of uncertainty, are demanding more essay books to understand what is happening. "Sales of all dystopian fictions are taking off in a world that is self-destructing," said the executive of the group that publishes titles like 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. They've also noticed an increase in demand for self-help books on how to overcome critical situations.

Understanding the risks and opportunities

The third vertex of this triangle of tension relievers is Toni Ruiz, executive president and CEO of Mango, who this year has had to recover the sudden death of its founder, Isak AndicThe Barcelona native had already begun his term in a complex situation: the first decision he signed at the helm of the fashion firm was the temporary employment regulation file (ERTO) due to the pandemic.

Managing a company that sells in 120 markets and produces in 40, he has come to understand that his professional career will continue to be linked to wars, supply chain disruptions, and tariff announcements. However, in the immediate future, the recipe also involves considering raising prices on his clothing. "We must interpret geopolitics to understand the risks and opportunities in these situations," he emphasized at the audience of the Círculo de Economía Annual Meeting. To cope with this, he explains that it has helped him to surround himself with people who know more than he does or who have the same problems and with whom he can reflect on how to act better.