I Spoke to 100+ Business Owners in 2025 - Here’s What They’re All Struggling With

Over the past 12 months, I’ve spoken to more than 100 business owners. Here's what they're all struggling with.

Some were doing £150k a year.

Some were doing £1m+.

Different industries. Different sizes. Different levels of experience.

But the conversations sounded… eerily similar.

Not because these people weren’t capable.

Not because they weren’t working hard.

But because they were all stuck with the same underlying problems even if they described them differently.

If you’re a business owner heading into 2026 feeling a mix of motivation and anxiety, there’s a good chance you’ll recognise yourself somewhere below.

1. “We’re Busy… But It Doesn’t Feel Secure”

This came up in almost every conversation.

Plenty of work.

Full diary.

Team flat out.

Yet under the surface, there was a constant worry:

“If a couple of clients dropped off, we’d feel it immediately.”

Busyness isn’t the same as stability.

Most of the business owners I spoke to were operating in reaction mode:

• Chasing the next enquiry

• Relying on referrals

• Hoping the phone keeps ringing

It works... until it doesn’t.

2. Inconsistent Leads (Or No Control Over Where They Come From)

Another common theme:

“Some months are great… others are dead.”

Marketing was often described as:

• “Hit and miss”

• “We post when we remember”

• “We tried ads once they didn’t work”

Very few had a repeatable way of generating interest.

Most were relying on:

• Social media without a strategy

• Word of mouth

• One channel doing all the heavy lifting

When that channel slowed down, panic set in.

3. Doing “Marketing” Without a Plan

This one’s subtle, but important.

Almost everyone thought they were doing marketing.

What they were actually doing was:

• Posting content

• Sending the odd email

• Updating the website when it felt outdated

But there was no plan.

No priorities.

No clear objective.

Marketing had become a to-do list, not a system.

And when you don’t have a system, it’s impossible to know what’s working or what’s wasting time and money.

4. Overwhelm and Decision Fatigue

This surprised me.

Even experienced business owners felt overwhelmed.

Not because they lacked ideas but because they had too many.

SEO.

Social.

Ads.

Video.

AI.

Email.

CRM.

Funnels.

Every podcast, post, or webinar added another option.

So instead of moving forward confidently, they froze.

Or worse, jumped from tactic to tactic without giving anything time to work.

5. The Quiet Fear: “What If 2026 Looks Like 2025?”

This usually came out towards the end of the conversation.

Sometimes directly.

Sometimes between the lines.

A fear that:

• Next year will just be more of the same

• They’ll still be stuck firefighting

• Growth will feel harder, not easier

Most weren’t chasing “overnight success”.

They just wanted:

• More control

• More clarity

• A sense that the business was actually building towards something

What I’ve Learned From These Conversations

Here’s the important bit.

None of these problems are caused by a lack of effort.

Or talent.

Or ambition.

They’re caused by an unclear strategy.

Most businesses don’t need:

• More content

• More platforms

• More tactics

They need:

• A clear plan

• Fewer priorities

• A system they can stick to

That’s it.

When marketing has structure, everything feels lighter:

• Decisions are easier

• Results are measurable

• Confidence returns

If This Sounds Familiar…

If you recognised yourself in this article, you’re not behind.

You’re not failing.

You’re not “bad at marketing”.

You’re just missing clarity.

And clarity doesn’t come from doing more.

It comes from knowing what actually matters for your business right now.

That’s where real progress starts.