If you’ve been facing business growth challenges recently, you aren’t alone…
I’ve really struggled with what to call this blog. Basically, I know exactly the point I want to get across. Well, I know exactly what the point ISN’T.
What I am NOT talking about is ‘’it should be a constant, really hard, uphill battle to run your business’’, because, well, if that was the case, then why on earth would anyone want to do it??
And I’m also not saying ‘’to be a successful business owner you must sugar coat all difficulties and live in toxic positivity’’.
What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that gaining new knowledge, delving deeper into all aspects of business, and having new found empathy and understanding for others – well, none of that is easy, but they are really amazing things.
They don’t have to be horrible, traumatic events, and it doesn’t mean that running your business well needs to be hard.
Hopefully that makes some kind of sense, and if we’re all on the same page now, then let’s actually get into it!
We don’t need to tell you that your business is unique. You, your experience, where you’re at in your life, the time you spend on it, the people who are around you and so many more factors are going to be entirely different from one entrepreneur to the next.
So, instead of looking at specific situations, I want you to think of one.
What was the ‘’worst’’ thing that happened in your business in 2025?
- A launch didn’t go as well as hoped?
- An employee let you down?
- Re-branding became a bit of a headache?
- An unhappy customer??
Whatever it may be, I’m sure you’re got something that jumped to mind. THAT THING that happened that had you feeling insecure all over again, and questioning whether this is really what you should be doing.
Instead of reliving all the horror, now just take a coffee break and give yourself time to mull over these 5 areas and see if you can identify where, in fact, the difficulty became growth.
For each area, we’ll be asking some digging deep questions, and the last one will always be:
‘What part of you or your business needed to grow?
What can you do now to grow it for next time this comes up?’
1) Your leadership skills
Yes, whilst some of you lucky lot out there might feel like you were ‘born leaders’, there are a heck of a lot more business owners who DON’T feel that way (just chat to our woman-in-charge, Cheryl!)
For some of us, leading others is actually super uncomfortable.
But, it’s one of those things that we do just have to take on if we want to be steering our own ship. So, did that situation help you out here?
- Did you have to have a tough conversation? Did it really go as badly as you thought it would? Are you able to feel proud of yourself for how you handled it? Are there things you would do or say differently next time?
- Did it maybe bring your team or support network closer? Were others able to step up and help? Were you able to see potential in one of your employees?
- What part of you or your business needed to grow? What can you do now to grow it for next time this comes up?
2) Your systems
Again, there are a very small niche of us who start a business because we just luuuuurve spreadsheets, tracking data, using software etc … and quite honestly, a lot of businesses start out doing very well without these things.
But, maybe you’ve noticed it yourself, once that growth starts to snowball, without the proper systems in place to track – be in your inventory, profitability, tax, accounts, or even just your diary – you very quickly find yourself snowed under.
So when it all went a bit crazy, how were your systems..?
- Were you able to identify what had gone wrong in your processes? Is that now patched up?
- Did you have to invest into software or programs? But has doing so meant you can scale up?
- Did you have to face some personal weaknesses, regarding your memory, or your time management…?
- What part of you or your business needed to grow? What can you do now to grow it for next time this comes up?
3) Your network & your people!
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, surely you’ve realised that it takes a tribe to nurture your business, your baby! When things go wrong is often when we can really figure out who’s on our side…
- Did you have to cut people out? Of your personal life or the business? Although it was hard, can you feel the benefits now?
- Who stepped up to help you? Who was your listening ear? How many loyal customers do you have? Who do you now know you can turn to in your hour of need?
- Did you notice gaps that needed filling? Thought you didn’t need an accountant, but now you’ve found one and you wonder how you ever lived without them?? (click here if you’re still looking by the way 😉 ) Same goes for legal support? A virtual assistant? Copy writer? Networking group??
- What part of you or your business needed to grow? What can you do now to grow it for next time this comes up?
4) Your creativity
Now, depending on what sector you’re in, you may or may not consider yourself to be a ‘creative’ person. For example, accountants aren’t often put in that box (but we’re a pretty cool bunch around here!)
Or even if you think of yourself as a creative, when that issue came up, you reeeeeally needed to look at things differently, didn’t you?
- How did you get yourself out of that fix? Are you proud of the ideas and solutions you came up with? Even if it took a few tries and filed attempts?
- Was there someone else in your team who came up with ‘’the big idea’’? How grateful are you to have them in your corner? What else can you learn from them?
- What part of you or your business needed to grow? What can you do now to grow it for next time this comes up?
5) Your empathy & kindness
Saving the best ‘til last, because if you want a business that shows heart & personality & human connection, then there’s a lot of responsibility on the person running it to have those qualities!
Defo not a qualified psychologist over here but I do know that a lot of us have certain of those qualities somewhat tucked away, having been hidden and protected through our challenges in life.
But just maybe, that last big problem you had, instead of causing you to close up and dull your sparkle, did the opposite?
- Did it allow you to open up and let someone else in whilst you were vulnerable?
- Were you able to appreciate yourself and the qualities you bring to your business, and see how these are what have gotten you the success you’ve had so far?
- Are you now able to feel more empathy for others who might be going through similar difficulties? Can you pay it forward and help another business owner in need?
- What part of you or your business needed to grow? What can you do now to grow it for next time this comes up?
Overcoming Business Growth Challenges in 2026
If I’ve done what I’ve set out to do, then I really hope you can now be feeling just a little bit positive about the challenges you have encountered, and will encounter again!
We’re definitely not looking for everything to be white-washed, or for you to just ‘’put on a brave face’’ and pretend everything is amazing.
But we really hope that you can see that your business IS on the right trajectory, and there is so much growth happening.
And, if that growth isn’t monetary right now, trust me, we know that can be a cause of stress. But monetary growth cannot sustainably happen without these other areas growing to support it.
If you’re looking for another cheerleader on your team, another listening ear, an accountant who really knows their stuff, and a team of women who will support you through whatever is to come, then please fill in our Quick Questionnaire today. We can’t wait to talk with you.
