What’s Holding You Back? The Hidden Growth Barriers Blackpool Businesses Are Facing in 2025
In 2025, opportunities for business growth are plentiful, yet for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Blackpool, achieving substantial progress remains a challenge.
At a glance, many businesses appear successful: they’re established, busy, and in demand. But beneath the surface, key barriers are quietly holding back growth, and often, business leaders are too tied up in the day-to-day to step back and see what’s standing in their way.
The Blackpool Growth Business Academy’s experienced transformation and growth experts including John Woodruffe and Mick Cox, help to provide Blackpool businesses with fully funded, hands-on support to help move from steady performance to strategic growth. Alongside John and Mick, a team of growth specialists and industry experts are on hand to provide targeted guidance based on each business’s unique needs.
The barriers to growth in 2025: What we’re seeing locally
Working closely with Blackpool-based SMEs, the Academy team is seeing common themes emerge. Businesses aren’t short on ambition, but they’re encountering structural and strategic issues that are preventing real progress. Some of the most frequent barriers include:
Limited operational capacity - Many businesses are still relying on outdated systems and manual processes. Valuable staff time is consumed by repetitive admin, and operations often revolve around a single individual. This limits scalability and leaves little room for strategic development.
Unclear or informal strategy - Without a clear, documented growth strategy, decision-making becomes reactive rather than proactive. Businesses might be working hard, but without a roadmap or key performance indicators, it’s difficult to measure success or move forward with purpose.
Leadership pressure points - When decision-making and operational knowledge are concentrated in just one or two people, it creates bottlenecks. Leaders become overstretched, and the team lacks the structure to grow confidently and independently.
Digital hesitation - While many businesses recognise the potential of modern technology to save time and streamline operations, the change can be overwhelming. Without the right advice, businesses delay implementation and miss out on opportunities to work more efficiently.
Tailored support to overcome growth barriers
The Blackpool Growth Business Academy is designed specifically to help businesses tackle these challenges head-on. Through one-to-one support, our specialists work with business owners to:
- Review internal operations and build scalable systems
- Develop clear, actionable growth strategies
- Strengthen leadership and team capacity
- Explore and implement the right tools
- Improve efficiency and allow time for strategic planning
In addition to direct mentoring, the Academy also has a range of expert-led workshops and events. These sessions cover key growth topics, from financial planning and digital transformation to leadership development and are all delivered by both Academy specialists and external experts with proven experience in helping SMEs scale.
Whether you're looking to improve internal processes, grow your team, increase revenue, or take your business in a new direction, the Academy provides the insight, tools and practical support to help you move forward with confidence.
If you’re a Blackpool based business looking to unlock your next stage of growth, get in touch with one of the Blackpool Growth Business Academy’s specialists today.
