It’s Not Just You. 2025’s Been a Hard Year for Small Businesses

I’m all about end-of-year holiday cheer, but let’s be honest: in 2025, Christmas feels different.

Some of us had a really bad year. Some of us are hanging in there, but we didn’t hit our goals, and we’re disappointed.

Even people who usually love Christmas might have a hard time getting in the holiday spirit.

We could put on a smile and sing songs and bake cookies and pretend like this is any other year. But let’s not.

Let’s honestly talk about holiday season stress for business owners dealing with 2025.

Challenges Small Businesses Faced in 2025

For a lot of entrepreneurs, this year had a promising start. We were dreaming big in January. People were making big plans and big investments.

By the time November rolled around, we were exhausted. This year has been one hit after another. If you thought that was just you, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone:

• Last spring, almost two-thirds of American small businesses said financial uncertainty was their top challenge.

•  Almost 80% of small business owners say they’re dealing with labor shortages.

Businesses are struggling to retain employees, while at the same time people are being laid off. Insurance benefits are being cut. Costs keep going higher.

When you don’t know what’s going to happen next month or even next week, it feels safer to hunker down than to take a risk. And when people stop taking risks, they create fewer opportunities for entrepreneurs.

And all that is just the business climate.

I haven’t even touched on political tension or global conflicts or the news cycle.

As entrepreneurs and as people, we’ve been juggling all these things for months.

Business. Uncertainty. Family. Personal goals. The state of the world.

We’ve been keeping all these balls in the air.

Now throw in Christmas: a season filled with traditions, expectations, and for some, pressure and trauma triggers.

No wonder we’re not all feeling holly and jolly this year.

Building Resilience Takes Grit (and a Game Plan)

When opportunities are hard to find, we have to make our own.

Some small businesses are going to lay down and quit in the next few months. The ones who survive will be the go-getters who say, “Stop telling me I can’t do that and watch me do it.”

True, the way you approached a problem in the past might not work now. That doesn’t mean the problem defeats you. It means you put on your thinking cap and find a different way through.

But you can’t think strategically if you don’t make space for yourself to think. One of the best things a business owner can do in this climate is take CEO days.

Block a full day on your calendar. No calls, no appointments. Analyze your financials, your operations, your team, your systems, your customer experience, opportunities, and threats on the horizon.

When you’ve been in survival mode, stepping away for a day of planning and strategy might feel impossible. But it’s necessary to build your business’s resilience. You will not make it if you’re not making time to think like a CEO.

If you’re stuck, bring in a partner to help. I can help you with anything from a 60-minute clarity call to decide your next move to a 90-day roadmap to prioritize for the next quarter.

Now Is the Time to Lean on Your Network

This is not a time to go it alone. Lean on your community for support, referrals, and visibility for your business. If you don’t have a community, put yourself out there and start building one.

That doesn’t mean you have to go to networking events seven days a week. Just be more strategic about who you spend your time with.

I only do in-person networking once a month, at an event across the border in Washington. There are plenty of networking events closer to my home in Canada, but I vibe with the people at the Washington event.

Not only am I building a community, I’m building a network of people who know I’m taking new clients. I’m taking referrals. My business is growing.

With so many businesses struggling, people don’t know if you’re going strong or if you’ll shut the doors in three months. If you’re accepting new customers and referrals, get out there and let people know about it.

Managing Your Mental Health Through Holiday Season Stress

One more thing you can do to take care of your business is to take care of yourself. Making your own opportunities doesn’t mean pushing through nonstop.

Recognize the fact that it’s hard right now. It’s not just you. You don’t have to be strong and keep it together all the time.

Go cry. Eat ice cream. Find someone you trust that you can talk to. Take a mental health day. Your business is not going to fall apart if you take a day off to read a book or watch a movie and rest.

Take an inventory of the things that are draining you and whether you actually need to be doing them. Get rid of anything not working in your favor.

For me, that was content. Even when I would take a vacation, I had to be thinking about all those ridiculous social media things like reels with my feet in the sand, hashtag-blessed.

This year, I got off Instagram and I hired someone to help me with LinkedIn. For the first time in four years, I was able to take a vacation where I can completely unplug and not worry about content.

Always Cheering You On

As you make it through these last weeks of the year, take a deep breath and feel proud of yourself.

Maybe you missed your targets. But you’re still here. This year has knocked us all around, and you’re still standing.

The entrepreneurs who make it aren’t always the lucky ones. Sometimes they’re the stubborn ones. Rest. Plan. Get help when you need it. I’m in your corner. If there’s some way I can help you, book a call.