Running a business in 2025 means not following the playbooks of the past. Traditional ways of selling may no longer be as effective, and as brands switch up their strategies to meet changing customer expectations, the key word will be "adapt."
As small businesses plan for what's ahead, 48% think economic uncertainty will be a challenge in 2025, while almost half (45%) believe it will be harder to get new customers, according to research from online marketing company LocaliQ.
While not everything is within a business owner's control, there are still plenty of consumers with their wallets out, ready to spend. So if you're wondering whether now's a good time to start a business, the answer is yes. Shopify shares practical small business tips—with expert advice from entrepreneurs—to set your business up for success.
1. Narrow Your Focus
Due to their size, megacorporations like Amazon are able to successfully sell online in a wide variety of markets. That's largely due to the capital they can invest in branding, marketing, and customer service.
A small business owner doesn't have that luxury. So, your best strategy for success is to get hyper-focused in a single niche market.
"You absolutely have to understand your niche," said Simon Donato, founder of oatmeal brand Stoked Oats, in an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. "We had a really strong community straight out of the gate of health-conscious, athletic individuals as early adopters. We've since blown it wide open and now it's just health conscious consumers, but it certainly gave us our niche to expand from."
2. Build a Brand
A strong brand conveys the values, mission, and personality of your company, which will help it stand out from the competition. Determine what makes your business unique and then create cohesive brand elements—such as a brand name, logo, visual aesthetics, and messaging strategy—across all platforms.
"Prioritize one thing [about your brand] and repeat that story everywhere: on your website, on social email, SMS, in your elevator pitch—repeat that story everywhere you go," said Claudia Snoh, cofounder of coffee concentrate company Kloo.
3. Make It Easy for Customers to Buy From You
Consumers are as busy as you are, so it's crucial to do everything in your power to simplify your ecommerce checkout process. Sometimes, a great browsing experience is all that's needed to attract and convert customers.
Start by reducing the number of form fields, eliminating unnecessary steps, and displaying the order summary on your checkout page. For payments, offer as many payment processing options as you can to make the checkout process more accessible.
You should also make sure your website follows user experience design best practices. For example, your product or service pages should be clearly organized and easy to navigate. Make your call-to-action buttons visible, add zoom or pan functionality on images, and be upfront about shipping fees within each page's pricing section.
4. Find Ways to Cut Costs
Every dollar counts when you're a small business, so finding ways to reduce expenses can significantly improve your finances. Find out where your money is going and evaluate which areas could use a trim. Accounting software can help you categorize expenses to get a closer look into where you're spending your capital.
For example, you might identify opportunities to cut down on shipping fees, cancel unnecessary software subscriptions, switch to a shared office space, or purchase used equipment instead of new. If you run an online store, finding a wholesale supplier also can help reduce overhead.
Leveraging influencer marketing allowed pickle brand Good Girl Snacks to increase brand awareness without spending money. "It's created a lot of buzz and allowed for a lot of sales, while still maintaining a zero-dollar [customer acquisition cost], because we just gift, we don't pay anybody," said Leah Marcus, a cofounder of the company.
5. Stay on Top of the Latest Marketing Trends
Your business can only grow if your target audience knows about it—which is where marketing comes into play. Staying up to date with the latest marketing trends will help you create campaigns that actively engage your audience and boost brand awareness.
Follow marketing thought leaders on LinkedIn and connect with professionals in your community, both online and in person. Read expert blogs, listen to educational podcasts, and attend conferences to expand both your knowledge and your network. And look at what competitors are doing with their campaigns for insight into what types of content are resonating with audiences like yours.
6. Build a Community
It's almost impossible for small brands to compete with the likes of Amazon and Temu on price and convenience, so you'll have to offer something different. Building trust and cultivating a strong online community can be your biggest asset as a small business. These are the people who genuinely care about what you're doing and want to see you succeed.
Start by showing up consistently on social media or through email marketing. Share stories about your business, celebrate your wins, and—most importantly—solicit and listen to customer feedback.
Every conversation adds a brick to your community's foundation. Whether it's an active online group or regular in-person meetups, focus on creating spaces where people feel valued and heard. Customers are more likely to stick around when they feel like they're part of something bigger.
"It's really about tapping into the different communities and making their experience better and not necessarily saying we are the community," said Nick West, cofounder of running apparel company Bandit. "The community is a lot bigger than Bandit, but how can we lift up that community?"
7. Create Great Content
Content is the bridge between you and your audience. It's how they learn about you, build confidence in you, and ultimately decide to buy from you.
But "great content" doesn't mean cranking out blog posts or videos just for the sake of it. Instead, it's best to share useful, engaging, and authentic stories that resonate with your audience.
"The best education is education that people don't know they're actually learning from," said Aliyah Marandiz, founder of beauty brand Sugardoh. "They're watching because they're sucked into that satisfying element … then at the end, they're like, 'Wait, I just learned how to sugar!'"
8. Build an Email List
Email marketing offers one of the highest returns on investment among all small business marketing strategies. Of course, it can only be impactful if you have a list of people to email. So start gathering those addresses from day one. A great place to start is with a sign-up form on your business website.
For beauty brand The Body Deli, a consistent, thoughtful email strategy led to a six-figure subscriber list and became a significant sales driver. "Someone has opted into your business for a reason—they're into you or they're into your product," said co-founder David Anton Parker. "Once they give you that valuable connection, it's up to the entrepreneur to use it, and to work with them and to cultivate that relationship."
9. Continuously Solve Real Problems
Most businesses do best when they focus on solving real, everyday problems for their customers.
Julie Carty was inspired by her own experience as a new mom to create LatchLight because "I hated my lighting setup at home, and I had the 'best' bedside table lights," she said. She then shared her prototype with other mothers and lactation specialists, incorporating their feedback into her final product.
Start by asking yourself: What's frustrating or time-consuming for my customers? What keeps them up at night? Ask your audience those questions directly, too, through surveys, casual conversations, or social media. Then prioritize solving those challenges using your products or services.
10. Delegate Time-Consuming Tasks
Even if you're a solopreneur, you can't—and shouldn't have to—do everything yourself. Tasks like bookkeeping, social media scheduling, and customer support can quickly eat up your time and energy, leaving little left for actually growing your brand instead of just staying afloat.
If you have the budget for trusted team members or freelancers, pass on the appropriate tasks to them. Alternatively, there are plenty of AI business tools available to help you get more done more efficiently, like support chatbots and content optimizers. Your time is better spent on what only you as a leader can do, like strategizing, building relationships, and driving your business forward.
11. Provide Great Customer Service
There's nothing more effective for customer retention than delivering great customer service. Excellent customer service creates satisfied customers who are more likely to remain loyal to your brand and even refer it to family, friends, and colleagues via the value of word-of-mouth marketing.
A great way to provide high-quality customer service is to keep your finger on the pulse of your target audience. Take time to review customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and make changes that help improve your customer experience. Once you've done that, ask customers to review your business on platforms like Google and Trustpilot. Doing this will help you build social proof, which can be a powerful revenue driver for a small business.
12. Keep an Eye on Your Competitors
No matter the nature of your business, you will have competitors.
Research their practices and find out as much as possible about them. What do consumers like about their products? How about their customer service reputation? Their branding? Doing this research will help you develop strategies that will empower you to stand out from other businesses over time.
To create a winning strategy, start by identifying which companies offer similar products or services in your market. Then evaluate your strengths and weaknesses in comparison to theirs. You can even use free tools to analyze, track, and learn from your competitors' strategies.
13. Automate Repetitive Tasks
Are you constantly doing things on repeat? Do you find that you have limited time to work on the things you're really passionate about? AI-powered automation can help you break the monotony and regain freedom in your business.
Be selective about which tasks you automate. Focus on automating mundane tasks like online scheduling or analyzing sales data. But don't automate tasks that require lots of creativity, like building your brand and creating unique content—AI can't replace the imagination of the human brain.
"AI is an amazing tool that can be leveraged to facilitate certain things," said Jeremiah Curvers, cofounder and CEO of mattress company Polysleep. "Really spend the time to ensure it makes sense for the user. Because it's easy to pump gibberish that will not bring value to the user, and ultimately that will not help your brand."
14. Create Immersive Product Experiences
Customers want to know exactly what they're buying before they click "purchase."
Immersive experiences like augmented reality (AR) or 3D-rendered product views let them see, test out, or visualize your product in their world. That might mean letting them "try on" glasses virtually or place a digital version of your furniture in their home. The biggest benefit of these tools is that they remove any doubts and hesitations, making customers more confident in their purchase decisions.
Incorporating these technologies doesn't have to be expensive or complicated. Start with small, accessible features that enhance the customer experience, and run A/B tests from there.
15. Show Up Where Your Customers Already Are
Instead of spreading yourself thin by trying to be on every social channel at once, figure out which platforms, communities, and spaces your customers are most likely to frequent. Online communities might be found on popular social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, or LinkedIn, or perhaps in more niche online forums.
When you've found your space, don't just show up—become a valued part of the conversation. Engage authentically and don't sell immediately. Instead, listen, contribute value, build relationships, and trust that authentic engagement will make the impact that helps your business grow.
"You never want to market your product so explicitly," said Aliyah, of Sugardoh. "Create content where you would never know that you were marketing a product or pushing a product, so it's just natural."
16. Make Sure You Look Good on Mobile
Most customers will experience your business on their phones first. In fact, 76% of Americans have made purchases from their mobile devices, according to data from Pew Research Center.
If your website is slow, clunky, or hard to navigate on mobile, you're losing sales. To avoid missing out, optimize everything for mobile—from loading speed and button sizes to checkout processes and product pages.
17. Consider Subscriptions for Recurring Revenue
One of the biggest struggles small businesses face is maintaining a steady income. The ups and downs of the economy have mirrored themselves in most business accounts, which can make it hard to predict cash flow.
If this is you, consider implementing a subscription business model to turn occasional buyers into loyal customers who engage with your brand month after month. Think about what types of subscriptions make sense for your business. Can you offer exclusive access, regular product deliveries, or ongoing services that provide consistent value?
"We actually wanted to create a huge incentive for subscriptions to really increase and encourage higher lifetime value," said Claudia, of Kloo, who implemented a flat-rate discount to encourage conversion.
18. Build a Great Website
Your website is the digital version of a brick-and-mortar store. It needs to look professional, load quickly, and clearly communicate what you offer.
Start by focusing on your site's loading speed: A website that loads in less than three seconds is non-negotiable. Next, prioritize user experience and make sure every page guides visitors toward a specific next step that gets them closer to making a purchase.
You should also make sure your website reflects your brand identity. Use consistent fonts, colors, and tone of voice to build recognition. Add testimonials, case studies, or trust badges to reassure visitors they're shopping in a credible and secure online store.
19. Understand Cash Flow
Even the most profitable businesses can fail without proper cash flow management.
Start by tracking your income and expenses in real time. Use accounting software to get a clear picture of your financial health and monitor patterns in your cash flow. Check whether clients are paying their invoices on time or if you can negotiate better terms with vendors.
Then plan for gaps or delays. Build a buffer of three to six months of expenses in your savings to make sure you have enough reserves to cover things like payroll, inventory, or unexpected costs.
20. Make Analyzing Your Brand a Habit
What works for your business now might not work next year or even next month. That's why regularly analyzing your brand, website, and data is so important.
Start by gathering feedback. Conduct surveys, read reviews, and pay attention to what customers are saying on social media. Then, look for patterns.
"We asked for lots and lots of feedback from customers," said Claudia, of Kloo. "I would text them, email them, ask to speak to them on the phone. Whether we knew them or not personally, I would just bother them."
Bake these analysis habits into your quarterly strategy so you can quickly spot any changes and respond to them before they dramatically impact sales.
21. Use Social Proof to Sell
People trust what others say about your business more than they trust your marketing.
Start by gathering specific reviews and testimonials from happy customers. These can live on your website, social media accounts, or even product packaging. Also, consider highlighting user-generated content to show real people using and loving your products. Get customers to tag you on social media or leave photos in reviews, then share this content with permission.
Don't be shy about asking for social proof. Send follow-up emails asking for reviews, incentivize feedback with discounts, or create a referral program. The more you can show that others trust you, the easier it becomes to earn that trust from new customers.
22. Focus On Omnichannel Experiences
Consumers expect seamless experiences no matter how they interact with your business. Whether they're browsing your website, engaging with you on social media, or visiting your physical store, the journey should feel connected and consistent—from branding to messaging to product offerings. This is known as an omnichannel strategy.
Understanding how your customers interact with your brand can help you meet them where they are and optimize the customer journey. If someone abandons a cart on your website, for example, consider following up with a personalized email or text. If they inquire on Instagram, pick up the conversation seamlessly over DM. Use tools like CRM platforms or unified messaging systems to tie everything together, and leverage data to personalize the experience whenever possible.
