In this article, Flora Hamilton, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter (SBC), which delivers the Government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course, gives 5 key steps that small to medium sized enterprise (SME) leaders can use to turn resilience into a growth strategy.
What if the same resilience that helped a business survive could also power its growth?
We are living in truly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) times. While “VUCA” may not be a familiar term to many SMEs, its effects certainly are. From geopolitical shocks to economic uncertainty, smaller businesses are navigating constant disruption.
Through my work with business leaders on the Help to Grow: Management Course, I’ve seen firsthand that resilience isn’t just about survival. When prioritised, it becomes a powerful competitive advantage.
What challenges are SMEs facing?
While 80% of British SMEs state they were resilient during the pandemic, 84% of leaders admit they’re unprepared for future shocks, according to McKinsey. This is not surprising, given the persistent state of unpredictability facing business leaders today
In the past five years alone, business leaders have faced a pandemic and public health emergency that made the world of work unrecognisable. They have witnessed a meteoric rise in digital threats, with cyber-attacks escalating and the explosion of AI transforming working practices. Wars, geopolitical tensions and a bumper election year have forced them to navigate a complex global landscape. Meanwhile, global tariffs and rising costs mean that businesses are facing ongoing economic pressures.
Amidst such change, SMEs are up against unique challenges, facing many of the same market pressures as large firms – without the luxury of dedicated risk teams or deep cash reserves. Yet time and time again, we have seen SME leaders participating on the Help to Grow: Management Course prove that they have the dedication, ingenuity and strength to adapt and survive.
Resilience – the secret ingredient for growth
Imagine a business that is not only equipped to weather economic disruption, but which can also rapidly adapt to changing market conditions and seize new opportunities. Resilient businesses do exactly that – facing down uncertainty while maintaining a competitive edge.
In fact, businesses that invest in resilience can multiply by a factor of four the chances of sustaining financial performance over the next three years. Moreover, highly resilient firms achieve profit margins eight per cent higher than their less resilient counterparts, according to Accenture.
Despite this, the importance of agility and innovation in the face of adversity as a driver of long-term success is often overlooked.
Five steps to boost business resilience for growth
Through the Help to Grow: Management Course, we’ve supported over 10,000 small business leaders, witnessing the importance of embedding resilience into every part of an organisation. Here are 5 ways our expert Small Business Charter business schools recommend you can boost resilience for growth and turn it into a strategic advantage.
- Set a strategy for growth
The most resilient small businesses are those that intentionally define a clear strategy for growth. This begins with evaluating current business models and asking key questions such as ‘How much growth do you want to achieve?’ and ‘Where are the most promising opportunities?’ A well-crafted strategy enables leaders to evolve their plans as market conditions change, while staying true to their business’ value proposition.
- Embed innovation into business models
Innovation is foundational part of a resilient business model. At each stage of a business’ journey, it’s important for leaders to ask themselves whether they could be doing things differently for a better outcome. Embedding flexibility through digital adoption, continuous innovation, and strategic risk management builds a resilient foundation. In turn, this will weather disruption and position leaders to seize new opportunities with greater confidence.
- Build an organisational structure founded on agility
Business resilience depends heavily on how a company is structured for growth. As a business evolves, so must its organisational design. This could involve restructuring teams as it hires more employees, reassessing roles and skill sets, or investing in training to close capability gaps. This could also mean reducing over dependence on a sole person, such as the founder. The most agile SMEs embed flexibility into their people operations so they can pivot quickly in response to change.
- Lead with purpose
A key takeaway from the course is that growth and change don’t happen in isolation – they’re driven by purposeful leadership. That means being clear, confident, and inclusive. A common theme in conversations between Help to Grow: Management Course mentors and participants is the importance of engaging teams early, communicating transparently, and fostering genuine collaboration
- Get staff onboard
Building a resilient business starts with investing in people. That means offering regular training, creating upskilling opportunities, and having open, honest conversations about the direction of the business – and why it matters. When employees feel like active contributors to the strategy rather than passive recipients of it, they’re more likely to embrace change, share ideas, and drive progress. When a leader strengthens their own leadership while supporting their team’s growth, they build a culture that’s prepared to thrive through whatever comes next.
Opening doors to success
The businesses that thrive in uncertainty are those that treat resilience as a growth strategy rather than a safety net.A key part of the Help to Grow: Management Course is understanding that new challenges are more than just obstacles to overcome, rather opportunities to learn, innovate and build momentum for long-term success.
