Reading the Signs Uncertainty has become a defining feature of the UK business landscape, but for some founders it has sharpened rather than stalled decision-making. Across sectors, the emphasis has shifted away from scale for its own sake, towards attentiveness, restraint and judgement.

For Roy Cowley, founder and CEO of 3D Aesthetics, that starts with paying close attention to what is changing - and acting early. "As an entrepreneur one of your most valuable assets is the ability to constantly read the room in your market space," he says. "In this period of challenge and change in the UK this has never been more relevant." Cowley points to shifting consumer behaviour as a recent example. "Our clients consistently demand change and, of late, the rise of the 'weight loss jab craze' has created a new epidemic in skin laxity which I predicted over a year ago and subsequently launched a clinically-proven treatment protocol to reverse this condition."

But recognising demand is only part of the challenge. How businesses reach customers is also evolving. "The business landscape has also changed – and how you attract business requires investment in more social advertising presence, AI, and Google advertising," Cowley says. "Trade shows have certainly dropped off the cliff as a sales tool in my opinion." The task, he suggests, is to plan carefully while accepting the limits of control. "I have read the 'business' room and tilted my sails for 2026 to put my business in the best light to reach our destination but like any captain I can't allow for any unexpected storms that may potentially hit me on route!"

At Artio, a company that insures carbon projects, CEO and co-founder Bilal Hussain describes a parallel shift in mindset - away from endurance narratives and towards efficiency by design. "Resourcefulness is a superpower not a survival technique," he says. "For years we've heard stories of the 'ramen founder' eating cheap noodles and making do with the bare minimum to reach key milestones before scaling."

That framing, he argues, no longer fits the reality many founders face. "The narrative has always been that you need to suffer and persevere through tough times to build something truly transformative. Our view on that has shifted greatly during 2025, resourcefulness (alongside the advent of AI,) has pushed us to achieve more with less and create ingenious solutions to problems."

Rather than being a temporary response to pressure, Hussain sees this approach becoming embedded. "We're not leaving that behind in 2026 but putting it firmly as a core principle of our company." That principle shapes everyday decisions. "Every decision should be why and how could I achieve this goal if we couldn't just hire or spend our way out of it. What tools can I use, how do I automate, what insights do we need to build ourselves and how do we push to be quicker, smarter and more effective at every decision point." The impact, he says, has been clear. "To date that has maximised our ability to not only achieve our goals but go beyond them at unprecedented speed."

Different businesses, different pressures — but a shared sense that progress now depends less on expansion and more on how carefully founders read the moment they are in.