What Do Business Owners Worry About the Most?

Why can’t we have an operating system for branding?

Why a Branding System Helps Independent Small Businesses

After four decades of working with independent business owners, they want things to be simple. Small to mid-size business owners want a predictable process and path to a consistent outcome.

• Many branding frameworks are portrayed as a sequential process. Designing a brand that frames a positive perception and resonates with customers isn’t always sequential; it’s a tangential process woven into every business aspect.
• To a small business owner, the branding processes can seem mysterious. The agency shows up, gathers info, and comes back with a solution that may — or may not — fit. Small business owners appreciate certainty, assurance, and being part of the process.
• Some branding models could be more straightforward. They want you to think the only path to disruption is through chaos. Small business owners deal with turmoil daily. They prefer a path and a plan.

You’ll still gain some benefit from this article if you read it. Just skip to the end if you’re bored or disagree with my assessment. If you stick with it, you gain insight into why it’s critical to think about customers first. Strategy, branding, and marketing must be integrated with who the company relies on for revenue.

Now, let’s try to answer the question, what do business owners worry about the most?

The answer — which is the answer to many business questions — is, “It depends.” 

For most small businesses, their concerns have remained consistent throughout 2023. According to the US Chamber’s 2023 Small Business Survey, the top five small business worries are inflation, supply chain, revenue, rising interest rates, and affording employee benefits and healthcare.

We’re all feeling the pain of inflation.

The NFIB Research Foundation survey reports small and independent business owners are pessimistic about future business conditions, with 22% of owners saying that inflation was their single most crucial problem in operating their business.

In navigating the headwinds and tumultuous events of the current economy, independent business owners must constantly adjust to the changing winds of the market. Inflation, supply chain, talent acquisition, and fluctuating consumer demands are hurdles to overcome and opportunities to evolve and grow.

A robust and resonant brand acts as the core of your business and a compass to keep your company oriented. It guides decision-making, attracts the right customers, and inspires employees.

Think of your brand as the story you want other people to share about how they think of your company and what it’s like to work with it. From your perspective, it embodies your businesses’ shared values, the story you tell, the experience you deliver, and how you treat people.

From your customers’ perspective, the stories they share — in reviews, through word of mouth, and other recommendations — convey how you listen, respond, and provide a solution to their problem. What they share becomes your brand.

When it comes to branding, words matter most.

In answering the critical questions — what you sell, to whom, and why they should care — small business owners curate a narrative that ideally resonates deeply with their target audience. This narrative evolves as the business grows and as customer needs change. Brands are formed through dialogue and design, a continuous exchange of values and expectations between a company, its products, and its customers.

The effectiveness of a brand is not just in its creation but in its consistency across all aspects of the business and every experience. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to reinforce a brand's commitment to a company’s team and customers, from service to experience, product design, and work culture.

For most small- to mid-size independent businesses, there’s a limit to how much money they can invest in paid marketing channels. The independent companies that thrive are those that understand how branding works. Thriving businesses adapt to changes in the market, anticipate what’s next, and shape how they meet customers where they are in light of these changes.

Ultimately, small business success hinges on the strength and clarity of how it delivers on its understanding of the customer and the problems or challenges they face. As a small business owner, constantly focus on the issue you help solve and how you can use marketplace challenges to build a stronger, more resilient, and more meaningful business.