Small business owners: don’t duck the need to raise prices

Many small businesses worry about passing on costs, but soaring inflation makes it a matter of survival, says David Prosser.

Woman looking at a till receipt
Explain your price rises to customers to reduce the shock
(Image credit: © Elena Shishkina / Alamy)

Soaring inflation gives small businesses a real headache. Their own costs are increasing sharply, particularly since smaller businesses are rarely in a strong position to drive a hard bargain with suppliers. But they are nervous about passing on those costs to customers by raising prices – fearing that doing so could lose them business.

However, with inflation now running at 7% in the UK – and tipped to go higher – small business owners cannot afford to ignore this problem. Unless your business operates with unusually wide profit margins, cost increases of this scale will quickly tip you into the red unless you take action.

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David Prosser
Business Columnist

David Prosser is a regular MoneyWeek columnist, writing on small business and entrepreneurship, as well as pensions and other forms of tax-efficient savings and investments. David has been a financial journalist for almost 30 years, specialising initially in personal finance, and then in broader business coverage. He has worked for national newspaper groups including The Financial Times, The Guardian and Observer, Express Newspapers and, most recently, The Independent, where he served for more than three years as business editor.