WHAT UK FOUNDERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STARTING A BUSINESS POST BREXIT & COVID, AND MID CRISIS

Starting a business in the UK right now isn’t just hard. It’s expensive, unpredictable, and increasingly stacked against small brands.

Costs have gone up across every part of your supply chain. Materials are more expensive. Shipping is slower and less reliable. Labour is harder to find and costs more. The market is overcrowded, and consumers are spending less.

If you’re launching now, you have to get things right. There’s no room for trial and error.

Costs have gone up across the board

Whether you’re importing products, producing in the UK, or both, the cost of doing business has increased. Suppliers are passing on higher prices. Minimums are up. Freight costs more and takes longer.

Shipping is slower now for a few reasons. Post-Brexit customs checks add delays and paperwork. Global freight congestion means small brands are deprioritised. And many carriers are cutting costs by consolidating shipments or using slower services.

Labour is another pressure point. Finding good freelancers or experienced staff is tough. When you do, they cost more. Hiring the wrong person or working with someone junior who can’t deliver is no longer just frustrating. It’s expensive and sets you back.

Business legislation is suffocating small brands

Regulations have tightened across almost every industry. If you’re building a skincare, food, supplement, or any physical product business, the compliance side will take more time and money than you think.

You’ll need certifications, safety testing, labelling checks, and sometimes legal advice just to go to market. That’s before you’ve even proven there’s demand for what you’re selling. If you get this wrong, you lose time and waste budget on fixes.

Loans and grants won’t save you

Access to capital is a major issue. Startup loans are harder to get and come with higher interest rates. Repayments often start before you’ve built a stable customer base. Government support is limited, especially for consumer brands and product-led businesses.

Unless you already have access to investors or personal funds, you’re most likely bootstrapping. That makes every pound you spend more important.

Consumers are spending less

Even if your product is solid, you’re launching into a cautious market. People are spending less on non-essentials. Gifting is down. Impulse buying is down. Customers are more selective, and brand loyalty is harder to build.

On top of that, it’s harder than ever to find a niche. Most categories are oversaturated. Whether you’re in beauty, lifestyle, home, wellness, food, fashion, or gifting, chances are someone else is already doing it—and has been for years.

That doesn’t mean you can’t break through. It means your product needs to be essential or clearly better. Your positioning needs to be sharp. And your story has to connect from day one.

You don’t have time or budget to waste

The cost of getting it wrong is higher than ever. A bad hire, a weak launch, or the wrong strategy can set you back six months and drain your cash runway. Founders often don’t realise how fast burn creeps up until it’s too late.

This is why guidance matters. Not bloated agency decks or vague advice. Real support from people who’ve done it before, who understand how to move fast, avoid waste, and focus on what actually works.

Final thoughts

Starting a business in the UK today is still possible. But it’s not forgiving.

You need a clear strategy, a strong product, and experienced guidance. Because branding alone won’t carry a weak offer. And trial and error is too expensive now.

If you're launching something real, do it right the first time.