Building a business post-COVID boom is no joke. Here’s why it’s harder in 2025 – and 5 tactical ways to keep growing your business without relying on social media or the algorithm.
If you’re building a business in 2025, you already know the truth:
It’s harder now.
You didn’t ride the Reels explosion of 2021-2023.
You didn’t grow 10K followers overnight.
You didn’t start when every single person was “pivoting online.”
You’re doing it in the after.
- Post-pandemic
- Post-peak social media engagement
- Post-viral growth era
And honestly? That makes what you’re doing seriously impressive. Take a second. You, yes you, are building a business in a season that is a lot harder than the season that came before.
This Season Requires Grit
You’re not being handed visibility or easy growth. You’ve gotta earn it slow but sure.
So if it feels like slow growth…
Or like you’re pushing a boulder uphill…
Or you’re constantly asking, “Why is this so hard?“
You’re not doing something wrong. You’re doing it in a season of harder growth.
And this version of business-building requires something deeper than just content batching and Canva templates.
5 Tactical Moves to Grow a Business in 2025
1. Make Your Product or Service Better.
I get it. It’s easy to breeze right past this and get to the easy, fast tips.
This is the part no one wants to hear.
But it’s the foundation of a business built for long-term growth.
Work harder on the actual thing you sell.
- Make it more effective.
- Make it easier to use.
- Make it faster to get the results they want.
Seriously. What can you do this month to improve the experience, the results, and the delivery?
If people aren’t buying, it’s not always your marketing. Sometimes it’s the product or service itself. Is it up to snuff?
A good way to tell if it is? Are you getting consistent referrals? Happy people tell other people. If you aren’t getting repeat business AND consistent referrals, it’s a telling sign that the product or service just isn’t good enough.
Work on that before you do anything else.
2. Get Feedback (Even If It Hurts)
You might be thinking: [chin high, ladylike sniff] I think my service is good. No one has ever said otherwise.
The best business owners ask for feedback – especially the critical kind!
Ask past and current clients:
- What confused them?
- What was missing?
- What would make it better?
- What needs fixin’?
Immature business owners take it personally.
Mature business owners want to improve because they’re focused on doing the best they can for their customers. There’s no place for ego there.
Fix what needs to be fixed (see the first tip).
3. Be Wildly Obsessed With Constant Improvement.
Small businesses win by caring more. Have an attitude of never stop improving. Have an attitude of: good enough never is.
Keep asking:
- How can I simplify this?
- Where are people getting stuck?
- What would make this 10x better?
- What needs to be added to get better results?
- What needs to be removed to get faster results?
Don’t build fast and messy. Build well.
4. Build Something So Good, They Tell Everyone.
Word of mouth isn’t a nice-to-have.
And it’s not an accident.
It’s a solid business strategy to have business flowing TO you without any work on your part.
Referrals are free, easy, and high-converting.
But they only happen when your offer is actually remarkable and when you take amazing care of your customers.
Make your product/service the kind of thing people can’t shut up about. I cannot overstate how crucial this is if you want a business that scales the easy way.
5. Email Your List (Please Stop Waiting on Instagram).
We can’t keep hoping for a magic algorithm shift. It isn’t 2021 anymore. One viral reel is not going to change your life.
Like the California gold rush, it’s over.
We’ve gotta be smarter and work harder.
And if you haven’t heard it enough times already: you need to own your audience.
If you’re not emailing consistently, you’re building on rented land.
Start showing up in inboxes with value. Every week.
Build trust off-platform and watch your conversions rise.
My Newsletter Batching Made Easy course will have you up and running in no time flat. Click here to learn more about it.
Final Thought: If You’re Still Here, You’re Winning.
Most people just skim and then skip away. They’re hoping for a magic (and easy) way to win in business.
Which means they’ll never be successful.
But not you. You’re here. Not just dreaming about a golden business. Actually learning more so you can make it happen.
I tell my girls in The Success Squad often: success goes to the doers, not the consumers.
Stay in the hard parts. Get gritty. Do the work.
That matters. A lot.
Because you’ll be left standing (and rising!) long after the easy-win people have closed up shop and boarded up the windows.
Please keep going. You’re building something real.
Ready to Build with Strategy, Systems, and Support?
👉 Check out The Success Squad — my 8-week business coaching program built to help you organize your time, clarify your messaging, and scale without chaos.
Click here to learn more.
