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Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025   Recently updated !


Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

We all know that times are tough right now, not just in business either!

We also know that business success is never guaranteed, but – there are certain actions we can take now to give us the greatest chance of survival for the future, as we cannot simply rest on our laurels and hope that things will change.

We have to be proactive, focused and smart in how we make our moves each day.

This means putting in place the risk lowering systems, processes and drivers, especially since global shifts regarding the economy and business including trade and manufacturing are deeply affecting many small business owners as we speak in the U.K..

In this post I will share with you ‘exactly’ what you have to do now in order to not just survive this storm, but hopefully thrive and stick around for many more years to come.

First off – let me take you back to being a child for a moment.

So was it fun and a great time for you?  Can you remember what was it like? Was it colorful? Was it simpler?  I do hope so, as mine was just wonderful.

My childhood was filled with many great adventures, as we often went out fishing for trout in nearby rivers, went on walks in the countryside, rode our bikes, climbed trees and went apple scrumping.

We also loved playing army in the woods, hiding behind trees with sticks as guns.

You’re childhood may have looked a bit different to my own in the 1970’s/80’s era in the UK, but I hope you have some fond memories like I do.

Either way, most of us hopefully have some nostalgia that will stick with us for life.

One thing is for sure; as kids we were adventurous, we were always testing our boundaries, and we wanted to see how far we could go.

We would also test each other’s skills and talents to see who was the best at whatever endeavors, so we found ourselves enjoying our competitions during the summer holidays.

We all wanted to be the best at what we did, didn’t we?

It’s okay to want to be great as well! It’s only human!

And of course kids love praise, and love to feel that they are doing great at something, so as kids we aimed to run faster, do wheelies on our bikes for longer, and perhaps climb higher up the oak tree than our buddies.

It’s heart warming to recall those golden times for me.

Do you remember a time or times where you were praised for doing something you did well?

Did it make you feel amazing for a while?

 

I was never particularly good in school, but I was good at selling toys, running for a long distances and drawing.  So I aimed to be good at these things.

The point is we have always known some form of competition really haven’t we.

Even if we are just competing against ourselves to be better each day.

We want to win, and that doesn’t mean we are being mean or selfish, it just means that we have that healthy human spirit for wanting to be good, for achievement in something.

 

We are now adults

Well, some of us are! 🙂

But, in a way it is no different to back then.

In life, roles and businesses we also have that spirit for wanting to be the best we can be, and we have that hunger for winning.

It’s not always to impress our ego, or for self-interest, but it might be to try to make more sales, be more trusted, or win more business.

Business is often our livelihood and we cannot afford to throw money at it without seeing results.

So we have to try to become smarter and more aware, become more efficient, and to market effectively enough to see how we can develop a solid reputation.

This includes having a great USP or unique sales proposition.

We should stand out, and be prepared to continually innovate our ideas and refine our offers, as we also place customer care at the top of the pile.

In small business models we have to aim to master metrics and be at the top of our game, so we may draw in those vital customers that stay with us for life.

But not only that – we need our customers to tell others how great we are.  Share what they experience in positive ways, and refer others to us.

We want be recommended, grow retention, attract referrals and we want to receive great reviews.  

This means we need to aim to deliver the greatest value to happy customers, and beat competition to become the monopoly.

We are simply trying to win at what we do.

 

The struggle is real though

Unless you have been living on the moon, you will know that in our current reality and economy, the small business owner is facing many struggles, due to the fact that there are so many uncertainties both nationally and globally now in 2025.

With increasing costs, taxes, tariffs and the constant strain on Brits with the cost of living crisis in the UK, it means the small business economy faces many setbacks, stresses and challenges.

However, there are small business owners that are fortunate enough to be expanding and experiencing growth, both traditionally and in the digital space.

So of course – we want to be one of those small business owners.

But with half of all small businesses facing increased costs and taxes now, it can pile on the pressure to stay afloat, and this may mean we have to apply new monitored strategies, make shifts in thinking, and look at our products and markets to determine what may be required now for us to stay in the game.

 

This could mean making vital changes and alterations in order to survive.

 

What are the real concerns right now?

Let’s look at what’s going on.

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

Business rates relief

This is in place to support small businesses, and the primary process to help a small business lower rates bills.
These come in the form of schemes which can lower and even eliminate rates for some small businesses in the U.K. which include, the hospitality area, retail sector and other sectors, and also those businesses dealing with financial challenges. 

However, the rates relief is reducing in 2025, meaning less support for certain types of small businesses. 

There are various types of relief and one is SBRR, Small Business Rate Relief, which is in place to reduce rateable values.
What does this mean?
You will not be required to pay business rates if your rateable value is lower than £12,000.  However some of you will have higher rates.
Perhaps you run or operate a charity, café or bar, or music venue, and this scheme can potentially help you with relief.
NOTE: There is even the possibility of assistance from the local council that can cancel business rates for those facing hardship.
For charities the relief comes in two forms. It’s either mandatory or discretionary.
Unfortunately, in the retail, leisure and Hospitality sectors, the business Rates Relief scheme that offered 40% relief on small business rates, finishes at the end of March 2026.
This means that it is in operation now until that date of March 2026. 
What will this mean for you?  If you are in any of these sectors you will need to check what you may be entitled to and what may be ending for you.

The Future and National Economic Risk

Everyone is feeling the pinch in the U.K. as we all know!

With higher taxes, greater lifestyle costs and a third of all UK small business operations reporting the biggest challenge moving forward to be the uncertainty of the UK economy, it is very concerning. 

For many small businesses this could sadly mean the risk of failure.

Although Trump has been advised to reconsider his ridiculous tariff and trade deal percentages, two thirds of all small businesses national and international still face real trade challenges, and that means an impact on turnover. 

Local, independent and community based operations in my hometown are feeling the economic pinch, and so always advice that we support them.

I shop locally where possible, and I speak with the owners and lend a hand in any way that I can.   That’s because I care about my city, and so should you.

Many owners are also facing supply chain concerns with over 20% reporting worries about their overseas supply chains, and increased costs of sourcing materials, transportation, and labor costs.
There are many ways it can impact on a U.K. business, and in recent years this was worsened by Brexit, and all that came with it.  Not to mention the dreaded Covid 19 period, and now the current trade issues and tariffs all having a detrimental effect on our economy.  

In addition to this – many small business owners face shortages with staff, increased expenses, and of course the unavoidable global economic unrest. 

With expected delays from the import of goods, supply chains issues, and on top of that the consistent changes in customer demands, it is tough for many to navigate this time successfully.  

 

Tax Burdens

We all know that tax can be tough on all of us, (and let’s face it – most of us aren’t billionaires), and with the increase in employer NI Contributions, this of course increases stress – especially on those struggling to manage any kind of work life balance, lower wages and increased cost of living. 
This is why it pays us to identify every single outgoing expense and cost, in both our personal lives and business lives.  and keeping personal life costs as separate as possible from business costs.

Streamlining Can Help You

Streamlining is something to look at, which essentially means finding ways in which you can increase the rate by which you work, operate and hire, in order to become more efficient – and see where there may be vital adjustments and improvements made in what you currently do.

How?  CLICK HERE TO SEE SCRIBE’S EXPLANTION OF STREAMLINING

Now for some good news

It is not ‘all’ bad!

Many SME’s are currently seeing exceptional levels of growth, and many business owners whom I have spoken with are feeling positive about their financial future in certain sectors.

Those that have anticipated change, kept their eye on competition, and have been able to dominate their market whilst streamlining are confident that through continued focus and consistent monitoring they will be able to serve their communities for many years to come. 

In fact – half of all Small businesses in the U.K. moving into the second half of 2025 are hopeful that they will still increase their workforces.

That’s good to know isn’t it.

This can mean increased buoyancy in the community, which in turn grows the local economy and revenue. 

And if locals spend their money locally, and sellers spend their money locally, everyone can win.

Of course – some rely on supply chains, import and export in Europe and globally, and so even the most local of businesses can still be greatly affected by what is going on now.

The key is to always look at what the alternative options are, so if your current supply chain is causing you problems, you must study alternate solutions.  Research other suppliers, and adjust your supply strategies, in order to improve reliability and processes efficiency. 

You and or another person should always be awake and aware, and keep an eye on global and European trade news, to consider what measures are required.

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

What else can you do?

Maybe you need to

1) adapt more with your customers needs, or maybe

2) respond more to customers communications,

3) look at your products and the market to ensure you stay ahead of shifting current trends.

Perhaps it is as simple as..

4) Offering more ways to pay, keeping in contact with those who have left their e-commerce basket, or following up through emails and other forms of communication.

5) It might be about asking better questions to your customers and what their needs are.

It might be that..

6) You need to obtain the right kinds of funding so you can invest more in your hiring, business products or tech.

You must own a brand where you can position yourself in your market through mastering your presence sufficiently.

We are vital to the U.K. economy

The private sector are in large part bolstering the national economy, and there are currently several million small and medium sized businesses in operation nationwide.
In fact – the SME operator and owner helps to create over £1.9 trillion to the UK economy every year, and employs a whopping 49% of the entire UK workforce.  
That’s half of the entire workforce!

Be a survivor

If you start a small business and have the passion to see it through in the inevitable hard times, especially in that first year, you are tougher than you may think, and if you have already survived the first three years of business, you are pretty resilient and rare.
This means you are fortunate ‘not’ to be part of the 40% of SME’s that will fail in that time.
Congratulations!  But you must keep that standard, in fact consistently improve, not drop the ball, and increase your growth.
As time passes the percentage of failures increases as you may know, therefore you can never get short sighted or become complacent.
The key is to always look around you, and keep an eye ahead, aiming to be the best, in order not to fall into the trap of thinking that you are ever safe.
You can survive if you understand the fundamentals of being in that top percentage of business owners. 
How will you ensure you are one of the SME’s that survive?
Let’s talk now about having that competitive edge.

What is a competitive edge or advantage?

It relates to the unique strengths, skills and resources that a small business may own and operate with.   These may be regarding relationships with customers, location, timing, technology, teams and whatever else you have that is giving you an edge over others.

Through having these it enables you to become a primary choice for the consumer.

You have to achieve an edge by ensuring that you are closest to your products and customers.

Through delivering the very best, and having the awareness to create increased loyal custom.

How?

  1. Online and offline communication mastery
  2. The follow-ups, the care and continued relationship building
  3. Delivering the quality & standards consumers have come to expect
  4. The ability to be open minded to shifts in demands and the market
  5. Time spent with partners/ teams/ Investors in identifying how to outperform others

 

 

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

Healthy Competition

A little competition is a healthy thing as we know!
It helps us ‘all’ get better, and move past our self perceived limitations.
We should always push ourselves to continually advance, improve our game, and to perform better than yesterday, and you only need to think of some of the world’s greatest athletes to see that.
This also means having integrity, operating with core values, and acting with good morals and ethics.
And whilst competition can be both good and bad, we can always learn from and take from it.
The beauty of having good competition is that we can watch others, and this can drive us forward like nothing else to keep us on our toes.
Therefore we must allow it to help us stay obsessed with ‘our baby’, and create that burning fire to succeed.
Without that we lose motivation.

But keep an eye out

Be warned that our obsession shouldn’t make us blinkered, or too focused in one area and entirely miss another area.
So sure, be obsessed, but also ensure that your team are obsessed also so that the whole unit is driven to be the best with a vital awareness of small business operation, strategy and markets.
STAY AWAKE!
Now into tariffs.

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

The Tariff wars

I’m sure you are aware of the tariff wars around the globe, since Trump started slapping higher tariffs on many countries.

And so we must all understand the impact of these global shifts, and what these will mean for your business now.

Many UK business manufacturers currently sell to the U.S. but with the latest tariff increases it could mean more costs for you and less profits for you, and sadly some of these increases could lead to ending business trade with the U.S. for some manufacturers. 

Even in the U.S. these tariff shifts are causing great confusion and chaos for American manufacturing.  And the creation and selling of products in the U.S. is not easy when there are consistent changes being made.

In the U.K. we operate with a global Tariff the UKGT, which applies to most goods imported to us.  That is unless there are trade agreements.
Increased tariffs impacts on the manufacturing sector as it affects costs of importing, and it could mean lost business when exporting.
In the U.K. there have been suspended tariffs on certain products to support businesses, and the UKGT is designed to help support our businesses, through the reduction of Manufacturing and other costs.
With tariffs on imported goods coming into the UK this raises the costs of manufacturing, which in turn can impact the competition and positioning of UK manufacturers around the world.
In other words; we can lose business abroad through increased tariffs.
When U.K. products are sold overseas and tariffs are placed on those foreign buyers, it could lead to U.K. products being dropped in favor of nationally made equivalents, as the costs of our exports becomes too high.
Then there are supply chain delays, rising costs and difficulty in sourcing materials, which leads to potential revenue reductions.
As the U.S. have placed increased tariffs on various areas of the U.K. manufacturing sector it can reduce business profits and even lead to loss of business trade and reduced exports to the U.S..
Also as we are no longer a part of Europe in the U.K., we are impacted by the tariff changes in Europe, placed on them from elsewhere.
It is highly recommended that you understand how this will impact on your business, and if it is something you need to consider with regards to rates you may be expected to pay.
Just ensure that you ensure you have a strategic plan to support your future.
Be Mindful and Educate others

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

Get to grips with these changes and be mindful to educate your workforce.
Be assertive in what you do, whether that means increased media exposure, more effective marketing, or something else, in order to help you create a great market share, but never lower your standards or be corrupt.
A little combative action on your part is fine, through the right movement and planning, but it should never drive you into unhealthy action.
There are many CEO’s and teams that will do whatever it takes to make sales, even if that is unethical.  
But you must know where the limits are, and determine what the edge of right and legal is.
Good practice is fundamental to all good business, and without this we become corrupt and negligent.
Corrupt businesses will always fall as quickly as they rise!  Surely you already knew this?
This is different to being a maverick, whereby one seeks to think and act differently to most, and has a vision that may be more independent, ballsy, and require courage.
But this of course can come with increased risk.
Being a little more bold than most can drive growth, and enable one to reap significant rewards through challenging the status quo and convention.
Think of some of the disruptors out there!
Disruptors can be both progressively good, but also bad, they can be productive and destructive.   Some disruptors can destroy markets, use unethical tactics and create great losses in business and in jobs.
This can even equate to market instability for others.
If you are serious though about gaining a competitive advantage and edge, and you wish to push harder, maybe even through innovating and creating new markets or products that may not have been previously considered, then do so with a good foundation of trust.
Seek to drive teams to be independent thinkers and leaders, and let them develop greater ideas, so they can be on their ‘A’ game and to strive for excellence.
Attempt to elevate your brand and aim to stand out through smart media concepts and intelligent marketing, in other words never use a scatter gun approach.
Know what works best!
It may be that you are the type of sector where invention or innovation of in-house proprietary technology can give you that strong advantage over others.
Maybe you can have an edge with A.I.?
You must use the tools you need to reach the right people, and to drive improvement.
There are many aspects of competition that drive improvement, so it can allow us all to make greater progress.
With a little pressure from others, it can enable us to think and act differently.

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

Get your staff and teams on board

You already know this!

And you cannot do it all alone.

On an individual level, trying to do all of this alone can cause burn out and immense stress, so there is a balance to be had in understanding ourselves in our roles of business, and in how we navigate with our teams to fulfil their roles.
NOTE; Be mindful that when a small business is so focused on beating competition it can cost a great deal more, and this can use up precious resources.  Thus you need to manage your resources effectively.

Can you cut costs?

In the first few months of 2025, with taxes up and costs increasing to small businesses, managing and monitoring costs is vitally important, so always look at where cost cutting can be achieved without high level assets being affected.
You certainly don’t want to let go of great staff, but if there are those that are being carried, and looked after all of the time, then consider if they are adding to your costs or not.
We all know that the desire to win is strong, and it keeps us on our toes, but this can still lead to behaviors that are underhand by some, and this can ruin others lives and businesses.
So you have to be sure to stay ahead through maintaining an ethical stance, which requires professionalism and expertise, but can still be developed with certain skills.
Therefore take courses, listen to useful podcasts, listen more to others, and know your craft more than anyone.

Take Note

Whilst it is true that experience and education from being in business for a significant amount of time is an added benefit, it is not critical, if you can learn quickly and apply what you learn from. 
If you are hungry enough, nothing can stop you.  
So watch others strategies, consult your team of experts, trust in your gut from past experience, and be ever ready to try new things where needed.

A Solid Reputation

As small business owners we have to be aware of the fact that a good if not excellent reputation is very important, and if this is pushed to one side in favor of potentially quick potentially harmful actions, it can also quickly destroy a business reputation.
As we all know; some ‘so called’ leaders will even try to protect their own reputation by cheating others, and looking good, which is also not exactly ethical.
Be a solid leader and help to improve, evolve and raise business standards, and offer greater business value, to stand out.
Be honest about your weaknesses, and get help!

Use what you see

The clues are all around us!   You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to observe what others are doing.
Become the customer and walk in their shoes.
It is always healthy to ask questions from the customer point of view.
If you can glean useful ideas from others business strategies and processes, operations and marketing, without being nasty, corrupt or by cheating others then do it.
FACT: Many high performing global companies today would simply not exist if it wasn’t for healthy competition – and if it wasn’t from them studying their competition to improve.
Thanks for reading, I hope this can help you have an all important edge in 2025.

Competitive Edge 2025

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

 

 

 

 

 

Gaining A Competitive Edge 2025

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GregDeTisi
Author and Small Business Blogger at Greg De Tisi Writing and Small Business Blogging
Author, course creator and business blogger - Greg has been supporting Small Business clients from all backgrounds all over the globe for over 15 years in developing ideas and passions into sustainable Small Business Models. Greg now has more of a focus on supporting his local business community in Bristol UK.


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