These 3 Questions Are Plaguing Small Business Owners in 2025 — and Here Are the Answers to Them

Balancing priorities has ever been portion of entrepreneurship, but 2025 brings unsocial challenges for business owners looking to grow. According to Intuit QuickBook's caller entrepreneurship report, maturation and description are apical priorities for mini business owners successful 2025. Despite these priorities, inflation continues to measurement connected business maturation while rising request for integer and ecommerce reshapes really businesses compete.

The study of 3,000 business owners and consumers successful the U.S. unpacked the apical questions connected the minds of small business owners, revealing insights and trends that are adjuvant to entrepreneurs astatine immoderate shape of their business. Here are the apical 3 questions that surfaced pinch tips to tackle them for success.

Related: Small Business Owners Lose an Average of 7 Hours of Sleep Per Week — Here's What's Causing It

1. How tin I turn my business contempt ongoing inflation?

Inflation hits mini businesses difficult because they often deficiency the resources aliases rate reserves that larger companies have. Small business maturation has declined successful the past 12 months, pinch gross declining by an mean of $11,850 per mini business, according to the 2025 Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Index Annual Report. Between rising costs and nonaccomplishment successful revenue, entrepreneurs are facing reliable decisions this twelvemonth — 35% of business owners scheme to summation prices adjacent year, while others activity imaginative ways to trim expenses.

Inflation doesn't person to stall maturation if you person the correct strategies to get up of it:

1. Look critically astatine wherever you're spending your money: Start by thoroughly auditing your expenses. Look for costs to trim, for illustration switching to a much affordable agency abstraction aliases uncovering caller shipping resources to little transportation fees. Categorizing expenses into "essential" and "non-essential" tin thief prioritize what matters most. Consider utilizing expense-tracking package to destruct manual errors and support a real-time position of your rate flow.
2. Diversify gross streams: The study showed that 32% of business owners scheme to diversify their gross streams to enactment afloat. For example, a section fittingness workplace whitethorn statesman offering virtual workout programs aliases waste branded activewear online. Working pinch an accountant aliases financial advisor tin thief you place which gross streams make the astir consciousness for your business, analyzing rate travel statements and equilibrium sheets to springiness you the insights you request to make informed decisions.
3. Look for caller ways to partner for efficiencies: Some businesses usage partnerships and connections to trim shipping costs and amended efficiency. For example, a section java shop could discuss bulk discounts pinch a adjacent legume roaster, aliases 2 clothing designers could collaborate to stock cloth costs for their garments. According to the report, 37% of mini businesses are poised to research caller ways to root products and materials.

2. How tin I enactment competitory arsenic much customers shop online?

Online shopping has go the preferred measurement to shop, and mini businesses are racing to meet the demand. Whether a business sells products aliases offers specialized services, gathering customers online is captious to enactment competitive. In 2025, 35% scheme to put successful expanding ecommerce offerings, and 71% already run online to immoderate degree.

To turn online sales, commencement pinch the basics:

1. Create a soft checkout experience: Customers request easy acquisition options, which is why 64% of business owners for illustration online costs platforms, and 56% already usage integer systems to thrust sales. Consider investing successful shopping cart package that integrates pinch your site, supports celebrated payments via in installments card, costs apps aliases different gateways, and ensures a secure, user-friendly experience. Service-based businesses tin besides use from utilizing scheduling package that allows clients to book and salary online, ensuring a seamless, end-to-end shopping journey.
2. Invest successful analytics: To return your ecommerce shop to the adjacent level, usage analytics devices to track customer behavior, merchandise trends and marketplace demand. AI-driven platforms tin simplify analyzable data, making it actionable for mini businesses without hiring a dedicated team.
3. Meet customers wherever they are: Consider really you're staying connected pinch your assemblage digitally. Email campaigns, societal media and SMS trading are affordable options to support customers engaged and informed.

3. Should I leverage my entrepreneurial expertise to commencement a broadside hustle?

A side hustle is simply a lower-risk measurement to trial caller business ideas aliases adhd an further gross stream. For galore mini business owners, it's a smart strategy for building financial resilience during uncertain economical times. In fact, starting a caller broadside hustle has go the apical wealth-building strategy for mini business owners, outranking financial investments. Nearly 33% of our study respondents scheme to commencement a broadside hustle successful 2025, pinch 43% of business owners splitting their clip betwixt aggregate jobs to boost their revenue.

1. Use what you have: Owning an established business is simply a valuable assets for starting a caller project. Choose a hustle that complements the expertise, assets and customer relationships that are already established. For example, a bakery proprietor could unfastened a shared commercialized room to rent to different nutrient entrepreneurs aliases constitute a signature cookbook. According to the survey, 71% of respondents are keeping their existent job, and astir 1 successful 4 usage their existent occupation arsenic a launchpad to build their passion project.
2. Keep startup costs low: Start mini pinch opportunities that require minimal investment. Freelancing, online marketplaces aliases service-based add-ons tin supply an easy introduction point. Tracking gross and expenses from the commencement will thief you enactment connected apical of finances from different sources and standard erstwhile your broadside hustle takes off.
3. Master clip management: Balancing aggregate commitments is nary easy feat. Automation devices for illustration scheduling apps aliases disbursal trackers tin thief entrepreneurs enactment organized and focused.

Related: Side Hustles Are Soaring arsenic Entrepreneurs Start Businesses Working Part- aliases Full-Time Elsewhere, According to a New Report

What are your goals for entrepreneurship successful 2025?

Maintaining a successful business whitethorn sound daunting, but small, accordant actions tin lead to large wins. The awesome news is that you don't person to navigate it alone. With the correct devices and master guidance — for illustration a bookkeeper aliases certified accountant — you tin make confident, informed decisions to group your business up for occurrence successful 2025 and beyond.