Running an SME in 2025 feels like running up a hill with a parachute attached to your back.
Everything’s against you:
- NI hikes
- Minimum wage increases
- Policies that seem to change every other week
Keir Starmer’s Labour Government have been dealing blow after blow to SMEs just like yours and ours. Broken promises. An underdelivered manifesto. The government talks about “supporting small business”, but every new announcement seems to do the opposite.
And it’s not just us; 69% of businesses believe government policies like tax and regulation are now direct barriers to growth.
But we’re not here to lament with you, we’re here to give you hope.
It’s not all doom and gloom. You can grow. You can thrive despite Starmer. It’s all about adapting faster and smarter, and finding partners who see things your way and are ready to grow together.
The truth: doing “more with less” doesn’t mean doing it alone
You, and almost every other SME owner/team leader in the country, are feeling the same pressure. Costs are up, hiring is so expensive, and every new policy makes employing people riskier.
It might be tempting to cut back on your marketing when times are difficult, but this isn’t the answer. In fact, it might be the worst thing you could do right now.
Netflix, Amazon, Samsung. All of these businesses invested heavily in marketing through the 2007-2009 recession. The result? They all grew significantly, outpacing their competitors.
The SMEs that thrive in tough times like this (think the pandemic) aren’t the ones that hide, they’re the ones that stay visible, relevant and proactive.
But if marketing is a must, and hiring the talent you need is too expensive and risky, where does that leave you?
Answer: it’s time to outsource.
Now, yes, as a marketing agency, we’re obviously biased, but we’re doing things a little differently, focusing on partnerships and commercial outcomes. We care and are committed to growing both of our businesses. It’s one of the best ways you can continue your upward trajectory, despite what our Prime Minister is doing.
By partnering with a team like Catalyst, you can:
Slash overheads: Access a full team of marketing experts for the cost of a single salary, all without paying NI, pensions or benefits.
Get commercial clarity: We don’t do anything for the sake of it. We create data-backed growth strategies focused on ROI, not vanity metrics.
Work smarter with automation: From lead nurturing to reporting, we help automate the grind so your sales team can focus on closing, not chasing.
Unlock quick wins: We’ll help identify low-hanging fruit, cross-sell opportunities and wasted spend, so every pound works harder.
Boost business confidence: We’ll give you visibility of your pipeline and marketing performance, helping you forecast with precision, not guesswork.
Arm your sales team: We can create tailored sales enablement content, specifically designed to help your salespeople sell more, faster.
Survive? No, thrive.
Over the last 10+ years, we’ve been through it all: the pandemic, the threat of recession, and now a government that’s turning the screws on all of us.
But despite this pressure, we’ve done more than just survive. We’ve thrived. This is, in part, due to the extremely strong bonds we form with our partners, clients like you, who recognise the importance of marketing, even when times are tough.
Your customers/clients don’t want to just stop spending; they’d cease to exist. They want to buy from you; they’re just shrewder now, more careful with how they invest. This means you need your marketing to be empathetic, conversion-focused and, most importantly, consistent.
Here’s what we’re saying in the simplest terms:
“Tax burdens and increasing costs are crippling us.”
Hiring a marketing agency is significantly cheaper than hiring in-house. You can access a team of marketing specialists for the cost of a single salary, not six figures.
“Cashflow pressures are mounting.”
We use automation to lower lead times and convert quickly, while attacking low-hanging fruit opportunities as quick wins.
“We’re not confident in marketing results.”
We make all decisions based on data, meaning budget is spent in the right place to prioritise growth. We have a long list of case studies demonstrating commercial results.
As others cut back on marketing spend, now’s your time to act, to seize the opportunities they’re missing!
Don’t let Starmer eat your lunch
The government might be making it harder to run your business, but growth isn’t impossible. In fact, now might be the best time to invest, to be bold and to catapult your brand well ahead of your competition.
The smart move now isn’t to freeze, it’s to find partners who help you move faster, with less risk.
Partners like Catalyst.
We’re here to make sure you’re still here in years to come. We’re here to ensure your organisation has a proactive marketing machine running where others’ are stalling.
Book a 15-minute no-obligation chat about your goals and concerns. We’re here to answer any questions you might have.
