Episode 151 - 2025: The Good, The Bad & The Tax Bills

As we reach the end of the year, we take a clear-eyed look at what 2025 has really meant for UK SMEs, the highs, the headaches, the policy shifts and the practical realities that have shaped day-to-day business life. We discuss everything from sluggish productivity and rising labour costs to the rapid shifts in AI, cybersecurity, cloud dependence and energy challenges. Rather than dwelling on doom and gloom, we explore what these trends genuinely mean for leaders running small and medium-sized organisations, and where the real opportunities lie moving into 2026.

We also reflect on how SMEs continue to shoulder most of the UK’s economic activity, despite limited policy support and rising operating pressures. Alongside this, we examine the evolving role of AI as a genuine team-mate rather than a novelty, the growing risks of outages and cyber-attacks, and the need for owners to stay nimble, resilient and focused on customer value. Ultimately, we ask: what should SME leaders actually prioritise next year?

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Key Topics Discussed:

• The true state of the UK economy for SMEs with modest growth, persistent productivity challenges and rising costs.
  
  
• The impact of fiscal drag, labour-cost increases, National Insurance changes and shifting tax policy.
  
  
• Tech reliability issues: major outages across AWS, Cloudflare, Google Cloud and Microsoft 365.
  
  
• Cybersecurity risks, with 43% of UK businesses reporting incidents and the increasing financial exposure.
  
  
• How AI has evolved into a practical productivity tool, “AI team-mates” and real-world use cases.
  
  
• New regulatory requirements, including implications of the EU AI Act for UK firms selling into the EU.
  
  
• Energy costs, infrastructure challenges and the broader effect on UK competitiveness.
  
  
• What SMEs should prioritise for 2026: productivity, resilience and strategic investment.
  
  

Who Is This Episode For:

This episode is made for UK business owners, directors, and senior managers, particularly those running SMEs who want a grounded, balanced view of the business landscape as we head toward 2026. It’s equally valuable for leaders in operations, finance, HR, technology and sales who want clarity on the trends shaping cost pressures, digital tools, regulation and growth opportunities.

Quotes to Remember:

“We can’t change the macro, but we can absolutely change our little corner of the world”.

“Don’t spend too much time looking at your competitors, focus on what you can change in your own environment”.

“AI is shifting from entertainment to real-world application, it’s becoming a genuine team-mate”.

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Build multiple budget scenarios for 2026; don’t assume the best-case outlook.
   
   
2. Review your productivity strategy, focusing on automation, AI assistance and smarter processes before hiring.
   
   
3. Strengthen cybersecurity: staff training, phishing awareness, insurance options and contingency planning.
   
   
4. Prepare for tech outages by ensuring backups, offline access and workable continuity plans.
   
   
5. Revisit pricing models to ensure they reflect increased labour, tax and energy costs.
   
   
6. Map where AI can support your team, from research and planning to operational efficiency.
   
   
7. Audit your compliance position if you sell into the EU, particularly around AI use and data handling.
   
   
8. Keep customer value central, service, experience, and reliability are competitive differentiators that don’t require huge budgets.
   
   

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