How small business owners are redefining success with passion, hustle, and creative tools like Adobe Express
Today’s small business owners are redefining entrepreneurship with hustle, heart, and digital know-how, but many still struggle with creating content and feeling fully confident in their marketing. Adobe’s latest survey reveals their challenges, their drive, and how creative tools like Adobe Express are empowering them with what they need to confidently succeed.
We recently conducted a survey of 400 small business owners in the U.S., to understand more about what inspires them and what challenges they face in running and marketing their companies. The findings pull back the curtain on what drives today’s small business (SMB) owners (SMBs), what challenges keep them up at night (often literally) and why social media might be their biggest frenemy.
There’s a new generation of entrepreneurs reshaping what it means to be a small business owner. 40 percent of SMB owners surveyed have been in business for less than four years, and they’re bringing a fresh perspective — and a lot of hustle — to the table.
These founders are bold, creative, digitally native, and not afraid to work from...pretty much anywhere (as you’ll see in the data!).
Driven by passion, powered by purpose
What’s driving people to trade in the 9–5 for something less predictable?
“My favorite thing about being a business owner is being able to be my own boss. I realized quickly that I didn’t like having someone tell me how to spend my time every day. It made me feel trapped, like I didn’t have any control over my own life. Now I can make my own schedule and prioritize things I think are important, not just what my boss cares about.”
-Lexi Larson, founder of Sunday Cherries
The top three reasons SMB owners gave for starting their own business:
- They wanted to be their own boss
- They turned a passion into a business
- They saw the earning potential
For Gen Z SMB owners, it’s all about heart: passion came out on top, followed by autonomy and income. This rising generation is prioritizing purpose — and building businesses around it.
“I started my entrepreneurial journey during Covid, just looking for a way to simply connect with other people my age when everything felt super isolating. What began as a little passion project turned into Our Era–my digital and print magazine all about Gen Z culture and media. Like a lot of Gen Z founders, I built this from pure passion, not just for the income or independence (though that’s been cool too!). For our generation, it’s not just about starting a business, it’s about building something that’s actually meaningful.”
-Lucy Ivey, founder and editor-in-chief of Our Era Magazine
The challenges: stress, income, and the search for balance
Entrepreneurship may be empowering, but it’s not exactly easy.
Even the most passionate founders hit roadblocks when it comes to branding, content, and marketing confidence. That’s where tools like Adobe Express can help — making it easier for SMB owners to create professional content, stand out on social, and reclaim time for the work they love.
Small business owners are feeling the pressure — especially from having to do all the things.
The top challenges SMB owners face:
- Wearing “all the hats” (41 percent)
- Generating consistent income (39 percent)
- Balancing work and life (14 percent)
It’s no wonder 75 percent of SMB owners work full-time or more, with 43 percent clocking in well over the standard 40 hours a week. But even with the long hours and late nights, most aren’t calling it quits.
In fact, 77 percent say they rarely — if ever — thought about giving up on their business over the past year.
The SMB office: Wherever there's Wi-Fi (or not)
From home offices to coffee shops and on-the-go moments, small business owners work from just about everywhere. When your business is your life, the “office” becomes a loose concept. Today’s SMB owners are working everywhere — and we mean everywhere.
Top “non-office” work locations:
- In bed
- In the car
- While running errands
And it doesn’t stop there. Our survey found that about a third of small business owners are so pressed for time that they admit to doing work in the bathroom (33 percent) and while on vacation (31 percent).
Success brings its own kind of pressure. Around half of SMB owners feel they need to grow, but growth often means spending less time on the work they love. Only 35 percent of SMB owners spend more than half their time doing the kind of work they’re passionate about. The rest? Admin tasks, marketing, operations, and — of course — trying to keep up with social.
Marketing: Confidence low, stakes high
Ask SMB owners how they feel about their marketing; and most will give you a modest shrug.
- 71 percent rate themselves as “average” marketers
- Only 14 percent feel like they’re at the top of their class
- Gen Z is the most confident, with 26 percent saying they’re marketing rockstars
Just 10 percent say their marketing content is a competitive advantage — and 1 in 4 say it just blends in because they don’t have the expertise or time to do it right, or that they use the same templates as other businesses.
This is also where Adobe Express can make a difference — providing professionally curated templates that are easy to customize and AI-powered features that help small businesses quickly create content with quality creative that’s also on brand.
Social media: Necessary, but tough to master
Social is the number one way SMBs get found. Over half (53 percent) of SMB owners say social platforms are their “digital front door,” far outpacing websites (33 percent). And for Gen Z SMB owners, that number jumps to 65 percent.
If SMB owners had to choose just one type of content to promote their business, 43 percent would go all-in on social media. But that doesn’t mean they love it.
- Only 12 percent say their social content gives them a real edge
- 30 percent say it looks just like everyone else’s
- Only a third say they’re “on all the platforms that matter”
- Another third say they are barely managing the ones they’re on
And then there’s the social content cringe factor: 31 percent of Gen Z SMB owners say they’ve been embarrassed by something they’ve posted, compared to just 5 percent of Boomers.
“Biggest lesson? Consistency and clarity are better than perfection. Early on, I used to overthink every single post. I’d worry if the design looked off, if the content was too simple, or if I sounded too much like a founder and not enough like a real person. That mindset held me back.”
-Jerry Lee, Co-Founder of Wonsulting
What do they fear most about what they post on social?
- No one will engage
- It won’t look professional
- They'll say the wrong thing
Intimidated by creating video and animation
Let’s be reel: adding motion to content with video and animation can be a powerful way to make marketing messages stand out and increase customer engagement. But for most SMB owners, these tools are still intimidating.
- 80 percent of SMB owners do not feel confident creating video content (reels, how-tos, YouTube, etc.)
- GenZers are most confident about video (44 percent feel confident creating video content), while only 7 percent of Boomers feel the same
- 1 in 3 say they feel like an imposter or are “totally lost” when it comes to video
Animation is even more challenging. 60 percent of SMB owners rarely or never use animation in their marketing content. Gen Z is the aberration — reporting they’re 2X more likely to incorporate animation into content than the general SMB population.
SMB confidence is strong
Despite the stress, the sense of being sometimes overwhelmed, and the occasional cringe post, SMB owners are sticking with it — and many are thriving.
- 23 percent say they’re “kicking butt” vs. the competition
- 36 percent of Gen Z SMB owners feel especially confident
- Only 14 percent of Baby Boomers feel the same
While the tools and tactics may change, the entrepreneurial spirit is steady. And whether they’re building their brand from a kitchen table, car, or cabana, small business owners are showing up with passion, persistence and the occasional social post that gets scrapped at the last second.
Running a small business today means doing it all — juggling strategy, sales, marketing, branding, and more — often with limited time, budget, and support. But the right tools can help lighten the load.
With Adobe Express, small business owners can create professional, on-brand content without needing to be design experts. From social media graphics to flyers, videos, presentations, and more, Adobe Express gives SMB owners access to easy-to-use templates, brand assets, and AI-powered tools that help them move faster — without sacrificing quality or consistency.
“Running a business often means juggling 10 roles at once — content creator, marketer, operator — and tools like Adobe Express make it possible to create high-quality content fast, without needing a full team. What inspired me to start my business was a deep belief in building something that solves a real problem — and that same drive fuels my work every day. Adobe Express has helped me show up consistently, look polished, and move fast.”
-Taylor Offer, entrepreneur
Whether you're just starting out or scaling up, Adobe Express empowers you to create the content you need, stay visible in a competitive market, and focus more time on the work you love.
Empowering entrepreneurs to do more with less
Running a small business today means wearing every hat , from marketer to designer to strategist, often with little time, budget, or support. With Adobe Express, entrepreneurs can create standout content without needing design expertise, maintain brand consistency across platforms, save time through smart templates and automation, and build greater confidence in how they show up online. Adobe Express empowers small business owners to spend less time creating and more time doing what they love.
Discover how Adobe Express can help your business work smarter.