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Small businesses commonly struggle to reach customers, manage rising costs and cash flow, find and keep qualified staff, and run reliable operations. In the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2026 report on employer firms, based on its 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, 57% of respondents said reaching customers and growing sales was an operational challenge in the prior 12 months. The figures describe surveyed employer firms—not every small business—and respondents could select more than one challenge.
For each problem, start with a manageable process: measure what is happening, identify the most urgent gap, and review whether your response is helping. The steps below draw on U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) management guidance; they are practical starting points, not guaranteed fixes.
1. Reaching customers and growing sales
Finding customers and turning interest into sales was the most frequently reported operational challenge in the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2026 employer-firm report. The survey found that 57% of employer-firm respondents faced this challenge in the prior 12 months. That is a report of difficulty, not a forecast of how any individual business will perform.
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- Define the customer. Describe who is most likely to need the product or service, what problem they want solved, and what might influence their decision.
- Make the offer clear. Explain what the business provides, who it is for, and how a customer can take the next step, such as requesting a quote or booking an appointment.
- Choose a small number of channels. Favor channels your intended customers use and that the business has time to maintain. Compare them by cost, effort, and whether activity can be connected to inquiries or sales.
- Track outcomes. Record inquiries, follow-ups, and completed sales by channel. Review the results regularly and adjust effort when a channel consumes time or money without producing useful leads.
The SBA recommends making a marketing plan and treats marketing and sales as part of managing a business. No channel suits every industry, and tracking activity helps guide decisions; it does not guarantee growth.
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2. Rising costs, operating expenses, and uneven cash flow
Cost pressure was the most commonly reported financial challenge in the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2026 report: 73% of employer-firm respondents said costs of goods, services, and/or wages had increased. The report also found that 54% reported paying operating expenses as a challenge and 50% reported uneven cash flow. Respondents could select multiple challenges. The report notes that changes to some financial-challenge questions in 2025 affect comparisons with earlier survey results.
Make cash needs visible
- Keep current records. Record revenue and expenses consistently so you can see what has been billed, collected, and paid. The SBA recommends maintaining bookkeeping records.
- Project upcoming cash. Prepare a rolling view of expected receipts and scheduled expenses. Update it as invoices, payment dates, payroll, and other obligations change.
- Review receivables. Check which customer payments are overdue and follow up according to your normal payment terms.
- Inspect major costs. Review large or changing expense categories to understand what is driving the pressure before deciding where to adjust.
Cash flow and profitability are different measures: a business can appear profitable on paper while lacking cash to pay expenses when they come due. A projection helps identify timing gaps; it does not by itself make the business more profitable or ensure that customers pay on schedule.
Choose a recordkeeping approach you can maintain
Manual records and bookkeeping software can both support tracking. Choose based on transaction volume, how many people need access, the reporting and reconciliation required, available time, and total cost. The SBA recommends bookkeeping and cash-flow projections but does not establish that one recordkeeping method is best for every business.
3. Hiring and retaining qualified staff
In the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2026 report, 46% of employer-firm respondents identified hiring or retaining qualified staff as an operational challenge. A practical response begins with clarifying the work that must be done and the requirements for employing someone in your location.
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Prepare before recruiting
- Define the work. List the responsibilities, schedule, and skills needed to cover the business’s actual workload.
- Document expectations. Make duties and reporting relationships clear so applicants and current staff understand what the role involves.
- Check payroll and labor requirements. The SBA’s management guidance covers setting up payroll and understanding applicable state and federal labor laws. Requirements depend on jurisdiction and circumstances, so consult an appropriate official source or qualified adviser about a specific compliance question.
4. Managing operations, technology, and cybersecurity
Operational problems can involve processes as well as digital systems. The SBA’s business-management guidance identifies technology and cybersecurity as areas small businesses need to manage, noting that they may lack the means, time, or expertise to protect digital systems. It recommends learning cybersecurity best practices, understanding common threats, and dedicating resources to improvement.
Start with basic safeguards
- Inventory accounts and devices. List the business systems, email accounts, devices, and services staff use for work.
- Limit access. Give people access only to the accounts and information their roles require, and remove access when it is no longer needed.
- Keep software updated. Apply available updates to business devices and software as part of routine maintenance.
- Train staff. Teach employees to recognize suspicious messages and verify unusual requests before sharing information or taking action.
The SBA management page says employees and work-related communications are a leading cause of data breaches. Treat that as the SBA’s stated guidance, not as a universal ranking for every business or incident.
Where to get management support
The SBA’s Manage your business guidance covers marketing, bookkeeping, payroll, technology, and cybersecurity, and links to business counseling and management resources. It is an official starting point for U.S. businesses; local legal, tax, payroll, and regulatory obligations still depend on where and how a business operates.
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