Britain’s small business leaders are embracing the new ethos of marginal brands, with new research revealing that the so-called “1% mindset” is stalling SME growth.
According to Adobe, it introduced its Adobe Express ‘better movement’ better ‘on the side’ of entrepreneurs, more than 90 percent of SME owners are familiar with the fact that making small, continuous benefits bring measurable benefits to productivity and profit.
Often associated with Elite Sport and high performance teams, the 1% Mindset finds its way into the day-to-day of UK business. Adobe’s findings show that almost a quarter of SME owners now “Always” use the method, and another third use it regularly. Younger leaders are proactive: 29 percent of Gen Z Leaders say they lean more towards approach as part of their management style.
Confidence is high, too. 92 percent of respondents feel optimistic about their prospects for the next year, four out of five in the past five months in the past 12 months as many months of improvement, micro-level improvement instead of renewal.
Technology and AI to drive marginal profits
Small steps can be the heart of a mindset, but technology proves to be the accelerator. An Adobe survey found that 61 percent of SME business leaders believe technology plays a “major role” in enabling sustainability. Almost half are already using AI assistants, a trend that is very consistent with the most important features reported by respondents: Powerful design suggestions and templates were reported by 49 (49 percent) and written content support (43 percent).
This power resides at the core of Adobe Express, which is itself an entry point for SMEs looking to embed the 1% Mindset into daily operations. The platform offers quick, smart design tools for social posts, flyers and short form content, thousands of customizable templates, and powerful suggestions that help designers implement creatives in minutes. Obviously, it works seamlessly on web and mobile – an important feature for time-pressed entrepreneurs.
Marketing and customer service were identified as the two areas of business where war benefits bring the greatest impact, identified by 31 percent and 27 percent of respondents respectively. Adobe Expression, with its quick content creation and ease of use, is limited in developing touppoints facing customers.
Creators who inspire the best movement’
The Adobe campaign is supported by leading creators including Jessica Walsh, Ollie Olanipekun and Jonathan Milthenhall, one of the works designed to be designed in the spirit of small daily improvements.
Walsh encourages founders to “find time to be funny in your creative work”, while Olanipekun advises leaders to “take your brain for a walk”. Mildenhall’s lawyers resisted the temptation to settle for the first opinion, suggesting that calming down, even temporarily, could lead to better results.
Bartlett, a representative of the Era, said: “The 1% mindset is about celebrating small improvements, of the past, unlocking more results, unlocking the general results that have adopted this approach and use tools like Adobe Express.”
A universal approach to the next chapter of growth
Adobe’s research suggests a measure of mobility across age groups, regions and sectors. More than 96 percent of SME leaders who are aware of this concept believe that it is possible to influence business objectives; 86 percent said it could even boost employee morale.
Challenges remain. Financial pressures persist for many small firms, and almost a third of respondents admit that they do not always know where it is best to focus their development. Time constraints are another obstacle. But it’s a combination of rising optimism, available digital tools and a culture of fringe benefits that help business owners improve in practical, manageable steps.
Simon Morris, Adobe’s president of global marketing, said: “Small development, redevelopment, how technology is growing, providing tools and data businesses need to open new tools.”
For SMEs that are ready to incorporate the 1% Mindset into their growth strategy, Adobe Express has created a space for free templates, resources and tutorials that support better movement’. Business owners can check them out here:
