A brand new survey from GoDaddy Inc. reveals that whereas almost half of U.S. microbusiness homeowners anticipate a weakening nationwide financial system within the coming months, most nonetheless keep confidence within the development prospects of their very own enterprises.
In keeping with information launched Could 5, 2025, by the GoDaddy Small Enterprise Analysis Lab, 49% of the two,100 surveyed enterprise homeowners count on the nationwide financial system to say no within the subsequent six months, a 17-point improve from 2024. Regardless of this shift in sentiment, 66% of respondents expressed constructive income expectations, with solely 9% forecasting a decline in gross sales.
“Small enterprise homeowners are real looking concerning the financial system, however they imagine in themselves,” mentioned GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani. “GoDaddy’s analysis exhibits they continue to be intent on pushing their small companies ahead.”
The survey findings, compiled by the GoDaddy Small Enterprise Analysis Lab—previously referred to as Enterprise Ahead—point out a gradual pattern of softening optimism. In 2023, 73% of microbusiness homeowners anticipated income development within the first half of the 12 months. That determine has declined to 66% in 2025.
The analysis additionally exhibits a shift in long-term enterprise targets. Forty % of respondents now say they plan to stay solo entrepreneurs, up from 36% the earlier 12 months. This implies a rising desire for lifestyle-aligned enterprise fashions relatively than scaling to mid-size or bigger enterprises.
Value Pressures and Monetary Stress Enhance
Whereas optimism stays, small companies proceed to face mounting monetary challenges. Greater than half of these surveyed (52%) recognized restricted money circulation as their best monetary impediment. Particular issues embrace present bills (34%) and pricing pressures on items and companies (33%).
These pressures are significantly pronounced in sure sectors, with 40% of respondents in Development & Residence Trades and 36% in Artistic-Media reporting pricing issues. Smaller companies—particularly solo operations and people with restricted employees—report struggling most with routine working bills.
Amongst corporations with 5–9 workers, wages have turn out to be the highest monetary problem, cited by 45% of these surveyed. GoDaddy notes this displays a shift towards labor-related bills turning into extra vital as companies increase.
Monetary pressure was additionally named the first stressor by 33% of respondents, rating larger than issues about expertise adoption, vendor administration, or buyer acquisition and retention.
Entry to Capital Bettering
One doubtlessly constructive pattern is the development in entry to capital. Solely 8% of householders surveyed cited it as their major problem, down from 10% within the prior 12 months.
Victor W. Hwang, founder and CEO of Proper to Begin, a nonprofit centered on small enterprise development, commented on the survey’s findings: “The outcomes of this GoDaddy survey reveal quantitatively the drive and resilience of entrepreneurs all throughout the USA. Their dedication to their enterprises is relentless and progressive. America’s entrepreneurs are a rare useful resource for strengthening the U.S. financial system and rising new companies and jobs nationwide.”
Leo Lopez, proprietor of San Jose-based La Fenice Pizza, added: “The financial system is certainly unsure proper now, however as a small enterprise proprietor, you study to dwell with that. I’ve needed to regulate, simplify, and deal with what actually works, and that’s helped me develop stronger. For me, resilience isn’t about being unaffected. It’s about discovering a technique to maintain going, even when issues get unpredictable. That’s how I’ve constructed my enterprise, and I believe lots of us are doing the identical.”
“Entrepreneurs are planning for what’s forward,” Bhutani mentioned. “They’re navigating these occasions by staying centered and decided. At GoDaddy, our job is to ensure they’ve the instruments they should succeed.”
