Helping Small Businesses With Support and Guidance For Over 15 Years
The Competitive Edge 2025
Competitive Edge 2025
We all know that times are tough right now, and business is never guaranteed, but – there are certain actions we can take to give us the greatest chance of survival in 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 move each day.
Especially since the global changes regarding trade and manufacturing are affecting many small business owners.
So in this post I will share with you exactly what you have to do now in order to not just survive but hopefully thrive and stick around for many more years to come.
First – let me take you back to being a child again.
Was that a fun and 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 adventures, as we often went fishing for trout, went on walks in the countryside, rode our bikes, climbed trees and went apple scrumping, and we loved playing in the woods army with sticks.
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 have some great memories and nostalgia.
And one thing is for sure; as kids we were always testing our boundaries, and each other’s skills and talents to see who was the best at whatever endeavors we found ourselves enjoying 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!
And kids love praise, and love to feel that they are doing great at something, so we aimed to run faster, do a wheelie on our bikes for longer, or climbed higher up the oak tree.
And it sticks with us for many years after that, as we recall those golden times.
I’m sure you recall a time or times where you were praised for something you did well, and it made you feel amazing for a good while.
I was never particularly good in school, but I was good at running for a long distance and drawing. So I aimed to be good at these things.
The point is that we have always known some form of competition.
Even if we are competing against ourselves to be better the next day.
We have always wanted to win, and that doesn’t mean we are mean or selfish, it just means that we have that human spirit for being good and for achievement in something.
We are now adults
Well, in some ways I am an adult!
But, in a way it is no different.
In life, roles and businesses we also have that spirit for wanting to be the best and have a hunger for winning.
It’s human spirit!
And 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, and win more business.
Business is often our livelihood and we cannot afford to keep throwing money at it, so we have to try to become more efficient, market effectively and see how we can and develop a solid USP unique sales proposition.
This means being a stand out option, and being prepared to continually innovate our ideas and offers, and place customer care at the top of the pile.
In small business models we have to aim to be at the top of our game, and to seek to draw in 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, we want to attract referrals we want to receive great reviews.
This means we need to aim to beat competition and become the monopoly.
Again, there is nothing wrong with beating others, as we are simply trying to win at what we do.
The struggle is real
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 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 still 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 YOU to be one of those small business owners.
But with half of all small businesses facing increased costs and taxes, 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 maximize our profits.
This could mean vital changes and alterations in order to survive.
What are the real concerns right now?
Let’s look at what’s going on.
What is business rates relief?
This is in place to support small businesses, and the primary process is to help a small business to lower rates bills.
These come in the form of schemes which can lower and even eliminate rates for small businesses in the U.K. which include, the hospitality area, retail and other sectors, and those 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.
The good news is that you will not be required to pay business rates if your rateable value is lower than £12,000. However I suspect that some of you will have higher rates.
Perhaps you run or operate a charity, café or bar, or music venue, and this scheme can help you with relief. There is even possible assistance from the local council that can cancel business rates for those facing hardship.
For charities the relief comes in two forms. 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 on at the end of March 2026.
This means that it is in operation now until the end 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.
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 and the risk of reducing turnover.
Two thirds of small businesses national and international trade is facing challenges that have already impacted their turnover.
Supply Chain Concerns:
Over 20% of businesses reported concerns about their supply chains, with increased costs of sourcing materials, transportation, and labor being the most common impacts.
And this is in part due to Brexit, but also the Covid 19 period. Both of which we couldn’t avoid.
In addition to this – many small business owners face labor shortages, increased expenses, and more recently global economic unrest. With expected delays regarding the import of goods, and shifts in demands, it is tough to navigate this rough time for many.
Tax Burdens:
We all know tax can be tough on all of us, (as 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 work life balance with lower wages and increased cost of living.
It is likely to only get worse.
This is why is pays to consider every single outgoing and cost both in our personal lives and business lives.
Streamline; you have to look at ways in which you can increase the rate by which you work, operate and hire, so be sure to examine how this currently works and where there may be adjustments and improvements required.
Now for some good news
It is not all bad, as many SME’s are seeing exceptional levels of growth, and many business owners whom I have spoken to in my home town of Bristol and surrounding areas are feeling positive about their future.
Those that have kept their eye on competition, and have been able to dominate their market are confident that through continued focus and constant 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 increase their workforces.
This can mean increased buoyancy in the community, which in turn grows the local economy and revenue.
And if locals spend money locally, and sellers spend money locally, everyone wins.
So my advice to you is to gain that edge!
Always be awake and aware, and consider what changes are required in order for you to stand out.
What else can you do now?
Maybe you need to adapt more with your customers needs, or maybe you to need to respond more to customers communications, and also to shifting current trends.
Perhaps it is as simple as offering more ways to pay, following up through emails and other forms of communication, and asking questions to your customers.
It might mean you need to obtain the right kinds of funding.
You must create a dominant brand and position in your market through mastering your presence sufficiently.
You can be safe in the knowledge though that 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.
Did you know the small business owner helps to create over £1.9 trillion to the UK economy every year, and we employ a whopping 49% of the entire UK workforce.
So you are vital and needed!
Being a survivor
If you start a small business and have the passion to see it through in the inevitable hard times, you are tougher than you may think, and if you have already survived the first three years of business, you are rare, and fortunate enough not to be part of the 40% of SME’s that will fail in that time.
Congratulations! But you must keep that same standard and consistently improve your standards and processes!
You may know that – as time passes, the percentage of failures increases, so never ever rest, get short sighted or become complacent.
The key is to always look ahead, and to continue on an upward direction, in order not to fall into the trap of thinking that you are safe.
But you can survive if you understand the fundamental aspects of being in that top percentage of business owners.
And that is what is being discussed in this post.
So how will you ensure you are one of the SME’s that survive?
Let’s talk about having an competitive edge now.
What is a competitive edge or advantage?
It relates to the unique strengths, skills, resources and advantages, and resources that a small business may own and operate with.
And through using these it enables a percentage to become a primary choice for the consumer through performing better.
This involves (as you may already know) attracting and retaining the right customers or consumers in the marketplace that stick around.
But it is more than that; you have to achieve an edge by ensuring that you are the number 1 choice around, through delivering the very best, and having the awareness to create increased loyal custom.
How?
Through the right:
Online and offline communication
The follow-ups, the care
The quality and standards that consumers have come to expect
The ability to be open minded to shifts in the market
Time spent with partners/ teams identifying how to outperform others
Healthy Competition
As you know, a little competition is a healthy thing!
We already know that from childhood, right?
Of course it is, as it helps us get better, and move past our self perceived limitations.
We should always push ourselves to continually advance, to improve our game, and to perform and position ourselves as the best.
Just as we should always aim to improve ourselves through having integrity, living with values, and acting with good morals and ethics.
And whilst competition can be both good and bad, we can always learn from it.
The beauty of having good competition is that this can drive us forward like nothing else and keep us on our toes.
Therefore we must allow it to drive us to become obsessed about ‘our baby’, and to create that burning fire to succeed.
Keep an eye out though
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.
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
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.
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.
No competition?
If you don’t have any competition when starting out then ask why this is.
No competition can mean that you are entering an unknown area or previously undiscovered sector or market, and with this comes it’s own set of risks, as it may have never been explored before.
It might even mean that this area is stagnant and too high a risk to enter into.
If there is zero demand for what you are attempting to offer then it can crash and burn, unless you can somehow market and advertise enough to change minds.
But how much will that cost you? And is it worth it?
It can be a good thing if there is no competition, as it might mean that you are offering something entirely new, and it may be well received, as most things were once the first of their kind.
This could mean that you have to undertake sufficient promotional and advertising strategies to get enough eyes on you though, maybe more than most, as you are an unknown quantity.
You don’t have to be original though
That’s right, and you may have noticed that some products out there have been copied?
These are already winning products, and this can be in many sectors.
As an example, if you think about Lurpak spreadable butter, it is a very popular brand in the U.K. – so shops such as Aldi, Lidl and Tesco create similar colored packaging as the consumer already has an emotional connection with Lurpak.
Supermarkets strive to offer something a little cheaper, yet supposedly with the same quality and flavor.
This is apparent in many products and services around the world, and if you look at a classic Tesla today, you will see Honda, BYD and other companies copying the design somewhat.
Essentially by copying designs, colors and packaging to mimic the already trusted products, it can capture the interest of those previously loyal consumers.
What next?
Start with aiming to create excellent value for money, focus on great customer service and great quality and standards. But stand out!
Show that you are prepared to go above and beyond your competitors actions to better serve your customers. Always seek to improve that connection, as your customers will associate you with a personal and familiar feeling of trust.
Remember – they want to like you, trust you and recommend you!
Competition is good
If you use it right.
Let it drive you to become better.
Let it help you manage yourself as a leader and lead your team of experts.
Let it drive greater standards in you and in the marketplace, and let it increase the caliber of business operation and systems to be consistently improved.
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.
By GregDeTisi
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.
Competitive Edge 2025
