Every year, you can read about new trends in the industry, in the broader business sector, and wider-reaching national and global trends that may impact your business at least indirectly. Let’s go into the spring quarter zeroing in on some targeted trends that can have a meaningful effect on liquid waste handling operations like septic systems services, portable toilet rental businesses, and related companies. We’ll go further to narrow the list by only including trends that are more likely than average to affect your company.
What Current Trends May Affect My Business?
With all other things being equal, meaning if your finances and operations are stable, there may be, as you know, potential external changes, for better or worse, that can promote or derail your well-laid plans. Here are six predictions about growing small business trends to keep in mind as you make your plans for 2025 Q2 through Q4 and early to mid 2026.
1. Steep rise in rates of women’s business ownership
Women’s entrepreneurship is a key to making the small business subsector a strong driver of the larger commercial economy. The increasing rate of female business ownership is expected to continue escalating through this year. This trend is facilitated by the growth of professional support networks for women and greater access to investment capital for female-owned businesses. In the health and wellness, technology, and sustainable products industries, entry barriers have been reduced.
Women’s emphasis on company culture and business models based on community needs are leading to innovation. Minority women account for a large percentage of the increased rate of women entrepreneurs in the US. Grants and other special venture funding programs benefiting women will continue to promote their progress and the greater economic growth of the country.
2. Entrepreneurship no longer feared as an extreme risk
Starting a business or buying an existing one has become accepted as a career pursuit that is no longer perceived by society as an extremely high risk as such a venture was in the past. The commercial environment of small and medium-sized businesses is now shaped by this great change in the way entrepreneurship is viewed. Due to this powerful trend in understanding, small businesses will drive business growth this year and beyond.
Entrepreneurs are increasingly diversifying their financing resources for improved stability and to support growth. Even as the economic environment is becoming more uncertain and operational costs are expected to rise, business owners are utilizing loans, grants, and alternative funding to maintain their financial adaptability. Strong strategic planning and financial management enables business owners to respond to changing market conditions and advance their goals.
Obstacles to growth, such as funding plans for aggressive scaling, managing quality and customer experience, boosting market competitiveness, innovating, achieving digital maturity, and, ultimately, maintaining profitability will challenge all who choose business ownership as their career path. Nevertheless, aspiring to entrepreneurship can be expected to become the standard for the generation, as entry barriers continue to shrink, including availability of capital.
3. Government policy changes affecting small businesses
Federal policy changes can be expected to affect small businesses at the bottom line this year and over the next several, at least. Threatened stark shifts in tariffs and other international trade policies, as well as tax regulations impacting domestic pricing, are contributing to pervasive uncertainty about supply chain viability and retail product sales projections. Threats of reciprocal tariffs, economic sanctions, and other forms of international conflict can be expected to influence the ways small business owners think, plan, and operate. That can affect growth results.
Small business owners need to be agile in adjusting to these chaotic conditions and stay informed as changes are potentially forthcoming. Federal tax allowances that help businesses expire at year-end 2025. Those are expected to be renewed by Congress before that deadline. They include the 20% deduction for small businesses, bonus depreciation, estate exemptions, reduced income tax rates, and other important tax benefits. Additionally, Congress is expected to reinstate certain popular R&D expense allowances that had been discontinued.
Yale’s Budget Lab research has reportedly concluded that 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imported goods and 10% added to existing Chinese tariffs would increase prices for US consumers by about 0.75% through the following year, which amounts to over $1,000 in reduced buying power for US families. Unemployment rates may escalate due to the drop in international production and trade.
Further, regional military conflicts and even attacks on maritime shipping transport may be expected to rise over the coming periods, causing cost increases for businesses and end consumers. Business owners should develop flexible contingency plans and be prepared to vet new trade partners as necessary.
4. AI issues of concern to small business operators
As information technology advancements continue, small business owners can expect their operations to be virtually unavoidably affected by the widespread adoption of AI and associated digital resources for upgrading operational efficiency and leveraging growth opportunities. The AI and ML innovations can increase productivity across all departments, from sales to manufacturing, to shipping, to service.
These tech changes can further empower business leaders to maintain greater agility under rapidly changing market conditions. For example, when consumers demand increased flexibility, convenience, or personal control over their relationships with vendors, or product improvements, small businesses can distinguish themselves by adroitly responding with creative, innovative solutions.
5. Cybersecurity risks that can threaten small businesses
Cybersecurity is among the most pressing concerns of business managers in any size company. Breeches, recovery, systems upgrades, monitoring improvements, downtime, and other costs of internal and external networked systems security issues are now in the billions of dollars every year in the US. AI is exacerbating the proliferation of misinformation, disinformation, data reporting errors, and other difficulties that the paradigm-shifting technology is expected ultimately to cure. Although, eventually, AI can be predicted to help small businesses gain efficiencies, the current growing pains of the technology across the business sector add to security challenges for company managers.
AI is making it easier for network hackers with nefarious intent to exploit systemic weaknesses and commit financial crimes victimizing business owners and their customers. From ransomware to other forms of malware, from phishing to other kinds of data breaches, to blatant identity theft, small businesses are struck 400% more frequently by cyber criminals than larger enterprises with better-protected IT systems. The problem is, unfortunately, expected to grow this year as cyber criminals integrate AI into their own tech.
6. Increasing inflation and currency devaluation risks
If the dollar becomes stronger this year, US exporters of various product types can expect increased profits from sales to various foreign markets. On the other hand, if Mexico, Canada, China, or other countries levy retaliatory tariffs, US exports will naturally realize reduced profit margins. Impacted businesses will either need to recover the differential from their customers to maintain margins or pursue different markets for growth.
Additionally, some foreign trading partners may begin quickly buying up as much US inventory as possible, potentially leading to cash shortages that will impact upcoming quarters for US sellers. Or, payment defaults may increase if some foreign traders opt to decline absorbing the increased costs after receiving order deliveries. Further, some suppliers in foreign countries may raise prices for American business buyers, knowing their options have become limited for some kinds of goods. In any of these cases, small business owners are advised to assess all your trading options, select the overall best for your particular company, and pursue it despite tariffs.
What Does it All Mean for Your Business’s Future?
The above trends have been identified in data reflecting US small business behavior relevant to forming projections for growth and assumptions for business budgeting. Notwithstanding risks, from supply-chain glitches to climate risks to political and social upsets, to economic espionage, and even terrorism risks, social unrest, and others all loom over the US American business landscape, the small business subsector is anticipated to drive the country’s economic growth through 2025.
Now that business ownership is no longer feared as an excessively high-risk proposition and with so many retirees selling their businesses, we can expect a strong rate of business buying this year. After all, today’s small business owners benefit from more innovative tech-facilitated approaches to business development, and deeper understanding of the national consumer market demand to prioritize the customer experience, and the advent of transformational AI, and increased financial resources.
A larger question is whether the national economy will continue to grow this year. Nobody really knows the future, of course. So, we are left to guess whether the tariffs are a bluff for negotiating leverage. In the meantime, while we wait to find out the answer to that mystery, other indicators are promising, including the trends discussed above, and lend to recommendations that small business owners pursue innovation and growth opportunities in 2025, as you maintain awareness of growing trends to stay ahead of market changes.
Additional Information Source
Check out this source article for predictions and rationales from subject matter experts on the above 2025 economic trends: