Despite tariffs, inflation, and rising costs, small business owners aren’t backing down.
In 2025, we surveyed 750 U.S. small business owners to find out what’s happening on the ground, and here’s what we found:
- 76% are happy with their current business situation despite economic pressure.
- 47% say finding customers is harder than ever, marking it as the top growth challenge for the second year in a row.
- Only 5% plan to quit, with the vast majority doubling down on their growth strategies instead of folding.
What’s keeping business owners up at night?
If you’re feeling the squeeze, you’re not alone. Three challenges topped the list across industries and age groups.
Customer acquisition challenge
For the second year running, 47% said finding customers was their biggest challenge. What worked two years ago isn’t the same as what’s working today.
Pricing tightrope
While small businesses raised prices to stay afloat, solo operators remained more hesitant to do the same. Gen Z entrepreneurs felt the biggest financial squeeze, but for different reasons.
Time management crisis
Flexibility was supposed to be the dream, but more than half of small business owners said that work-life balance got harder in 2025. The 10% finding their way back to balance are investing in tools that most entrepreneurs overlook.
What’s working for small business owners heading into 2026?
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