The percentage of small business owners kept awake at night by workplace concerns has reached a 10-year peak, according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. Nationally, 82% of business owners report experiencing broken sleep or lying awake at night due to business worries, up from 75% a year ago.
The findings coincide with the release of a new Novuna Business Finance report examining business outlook trends. The research highlights a sharp rise in sleepless nights across key sectors, with manufacturing, agriculture, legal services, and transport/distribution seeing notable increases in business-related stress.
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Novuna is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc.
Market uncertainty is the most common source of concern, cited by 47% of small business owners. Other major worries include the impact of rising National Insurance contributions, potential tax and interest rate increases (40%), strategies for retaining business (28%), cash flow management (28%), and regulatory burdens (26%). Additionally, 15% of small business owners say they are still experiencing adverse effects from Brexit, which continues to keep some awake at night.
Joanna Morris, Head of Insight at Novuna Business Finance, noted that while business owners frequently manage growth-related challenges, the research underscores the intensity of these concerns. “Sleepless nights are not just confined to businesses struggling to grow,” she said. “Our data suggests that managing rapid or significant growth can also be stressful. Among enterprises predicting significant expansion this quarter, the proportion of business owners experiencing sleepless nights rose to 84%, up from 75% last year.”
The findings come at a time when the percentage of small businesses forecasting growth this quarter has fallen to 33%. The annual survey quantifies the pressures of running a small business and navigating volatile market conditions, highlighting the real-world impact on business owners beyond working hours.
The growth outlook research was conducted online by YouGov among a nationally representative sample of 1,315 small business owners.
