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<\/p>\nFor more than a decade, UK businesses have been told they are living through \u201cunprecedented times\u201d.<\/p>\n
From Brexit to Covid, from the Liz Truss mini-Budget to the conflict in Ukraine – and now Trump\u2019s war in Iran which is sending fuel prices rocketing – the drumbeat of crisis has become almost constant. Each shock arrives with predictions of paralysis. Each time, many firms quietly adapt and carry on.<\/p>\n
That resilience – hard-earned, pragmatic and increasingly embedded – was on full display at a roundtable hosted by law firm Raworths in Harrogate, where the message from business leaders and was strikingly consistent: disruption is no longer the exception. It is the operating environment. And while businesses have learned to live with that reality, many believe government has not. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe world is changing faster than it ever has, and slower than it ever will,\u201d said Nadean McNaught, managing director at furniture manufacturer Naught One. \u201cIf you\u2019re only thinking about what\u2019s happening now and not what\u2019s about to happen, then you\u2019re going to get left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
If there was one theme that cut across every sector represented – from construction and manufacturing to e-commerce and property – it was that resilience is no longer reactive. It is structural.<\/p>\n
Matthew Hill, head disputes team at Raworths, said the cumulative impact of repeated shocks has fundamentally changed business behaviour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always amazed about how adaptable and resilient everybody is,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s not a sudden downing of deal. People are just carrying on. It might not necessarily be quite the way that they originally planned, but people are factoring in the uncertainties.\u201d<\/p>\n
That shift is visible not just in attitudes, but in systems, contracts, supply chains and strategy.<\/p>\n
At Naught One, McNaught pointed to rapid international expansion and supply chain localisation as key buffers against volatility.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness is doing well \u2013 up 21% this year. In the last three and a half years, we\u2019ve grown by 74%,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat\u2019s really helped the business is the diversity in terms of the industries we support and our geographical reach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Around 65% of its sales now go to North America, with India emerging as a high-growth market – a deliberate hedge against UK weakness.<\/p>\n
\u201cPost-Covid, we went on a drive for near-shoring, localisation\u2026 and I thank goodness every day that we did that,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
For smaller operators, resilience often means staying nimble in markets increasingly dominated by larger, better-funded competitors.<\/p>\n
Charlotte Denny, who runs Holiday at Home, a family-owned holiday lettings business near Richmond, is navigating exactly that dynamic.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, it\u2019s about growing this quite small, family-owned business in a market which is increasingly private-equity dominated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Regulation has added both cost and clarity to the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent regulation has resulted in increased costs that people are having to factor in if they want to run their business commercially\u2026 retrofitting some of the equipment that\u2019s required has proven prohibitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
But those same pressures have weeded out weaker competitors. \u201cIt\u2019s been good for us in lots of ways, because it\u2019s knocked people who can\u2019t afford it out of the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her biggest constraint is no longer demand – but visibility. \u201cWe\u2019re competing with businesses that have the same amount of marketing budget a year as we do in turnover of the business,\u201d she said<\/p>\n
In construction, the past few years have been defined by extreme cost volatility – and, increasingly, distrust within supply chains.<\/p>\n
Stephen Coates director at SS Consultants, described the day-to-day reality of managing large-scale projects under those conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one of our current projects, we\u2019ve got 390 tonnes of cold rolled steel to put in, and that\u2019s just gone up by \u00a360,000\u2026 each sheet\u2019s increased by \u00a325 if I don\u2019t lock in in the next 48 hours,\u201d he said. \u201cFuel for the cranes \u2014 the consumption on site is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some inflation is unavoidable, he believes fear has created opportunities for suppliers to push prices beyond what is justified.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat it\u2019s done is forced us to take a change as a business,\u201d he said, describing how detailed cost scrutiny on one project delivered dramatic savings. \u201cWe had prices between \u00a34m and \u00a37m for the same project from the same company. We managed to get it down to \u00a33.3m\u2026 you\u2019re talking a \u00a33m saving for an industrial unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once the detail is interrogated, he added, the layers become clear: \u201cWe start breaking down the workbooks\u2026 we find markup on top of markup, on top of markup.\u201d<\/p>\n
His conclusion is blunt. \u201cThere\u2019s opportunistic price-gouging,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s running in fear at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
In property, the challenges are even more structural. Tim Smith, a developer of residential and purpose-built student accommodation, believes the traditional development model is under severe strain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development business is very challenging now. The main issues and concerns are rising costs, inflation, interest rates and a lack of confidence and liquidity in terms of institutional buying and investment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The result is a paradox: falling asset values alongside rising development costs.<\/p>\n
On paper, opportunities are everywhere. \u201cThere\u2019s an array of opportunities because of the lack of ability for people to be able to buy them and fund the development, because the development cost is so high and then the exit value is so low,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Not all corners of the commercial property sector are struggling. Oliver Corrigan, managing director of Workwell Offices, is operating in a segment he describes as structurally advantaged.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommercial property is in a bit of a decline. However, the flexible space industry is expanding,\u201d he said. \u201cSpecifically, like in the Harrogate space, we\u2019re the only product that does what we do\u2026 that message is resonating really, really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
In terms of rising energy pricing, Corrigan says he has opted for transparency.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things we did when electric prices started surging and realised it could put on another \u00a3250,000 direct costs onto our business was to agree with all clients that we\u2019ve got a maximum price per kilowatt that we\u2019ll pay. If it does go over, we need to share that risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
That approach, he argues, builds trust. \u201cIf customers understand that actually I was absorbing risk, you pay more in the first place for an event that never actually might happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Paul Ward, acting managing director at fire protection specialists Adaston said regulation following Grenfell has created a steady pipeline of work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe operate in the passive fire protection industry, installing fire doors and fire compartmentation to protect property and keep people safe,\u201d he said. \u201cSo increased regulation is good for our business.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, recruitment is the major issue particularly for accredited joiners to install fire doors.\u201d<\/p>\n
The structure of the labour market makes retention difficult. \u201cThese guys can work for themselves. They can dictate\u2026 where they work, when they work, what that shift pattern might look like,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
If one issue continues to cut across sectors, it is Brexit.<\/p>\n
For Jez Willard, founder of The Japanese Shop in Harrogate, the impact is both immediate and measurable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we could trade with our friends in Europe, you know, I\u2019d put another 20\u201330% on the turnover within one to two years,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve lost pretty much all of our international business into Europe, which is a great shame for a little niche operator like us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The friction is not abstract. \u201cWe had a customer who bought some kimono robes. The value was about \u20ac200,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought I\u2019d pick up the tab on the import duty\u2026 thinking it might be \u20ac10\u2013\u20ac20. When the bill from DHL came in, it was \u20ac100.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is sceptical of political messaging around trade. \u201cThis is in the context of people having heard on the news that we have a free trade deal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s nowhere near what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, he expects economics to win out. \u201cI think we\u2019ll end up reversing most of what the damage has been done, because it doesn\u2019t make any sense economically,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll end up back with closer ties, but they won\u2019t call it Brexit so the public will think, \u2018well, that\u2019s fine\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill agrees that re-engagement with Europe represents a missed opportunity. \u201cMost economists think it would be the most helpful thing to do, at least across certain sectors,\u201d he said, describing it as the \u2018one lever that could be pulled\u2019 \u2014 albeit one that politicians are reluctant to touch.<\/p>\n
Despite the macro noise and global uncertainty, transaction activity is still ongoing. Jon Healey, head of corporate and commercial at Raworths, said deal pipelines remain active – albeit more fragile.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of transactions we have on at the moment, I\u2019m not seeing those being affected,\u201d he said. \u201cBut corporate finance advisers have had deals that have just stopped in their tracks as a result of the costs rising so much in the last six weeks or so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that EBITDA is shrinking\u2026 the valuation today isn\u2019t what it was two months ago. Either sellers have got to accept a much lower valuation, or buyers just walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet volatility also creates opportunity. \u201cThe last two Autumn budgets have actually created opportunities for buyers,\u201d he said. \u201cIf buyers have funding in place and are ready to go there have been a lot of target businesses that have come onto the market.\u201d<\/p>\n
While geopolitics and policy dominate headlines, businesses are also quietly reshaping themselves through technology.<\/p>\n
Denny has built a bespoke AI tool to manage maintenance across hundreds of properties.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is that if a boiler is alarming and I\u2019ve got an error code the tool it helps me fault-find by going through the manual,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The impact is immediate. \u201cI don\u2019t need to employ another maintenance person. It\u2019s made us more productive as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
McNaught has embedded AI into workflows \u2014 but with clear guardrails. \u201cWe\u2019ve even deferred putting the new ERP system in, because we\u2019re trying something completely different,\u201d she said, describing how AI helped prepare board materials in minutes rather than weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the key is to work out where it adds value and where it just creates problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the legal sector, adoption is more cautious.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re beginning to get to grips with it,\u201d said Healy. \u201cThere will be some low-hanging fruit. It can certainly be used to give us a head start in terms of research and drafting.\u201d<\/p>\n
But ultimate responsibility remains human. Hill added: \u201cMost of what it comes up with from a legal perspective sounds incredibly initially impressive, and then you probe it, and often it totally changes its mind,\u201d he said. \u201cOften, fundamentally, it\u2019s wrong\u2026 It\u2019s not on the cusp of taking over yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
For all the operational detail, the conversation kept returning to one theme: leadership.<\/p>\n
Corrigan put it simply. \u201cIf you look at the economy and the country, one of the areas that is definitely lagging is business,\u201d he said. \u201cThe government just needs to focus more on business and making it easier to do business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill pointed to inconsistency. \u201cIn theory we should have a government that is able to set a clear direction and follow it through to some kind of conclusion instead of U-turns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
If there is a defining characteristic of UK mid-market business in 2026, it is not fragility. It is endurance.<\/p>\n
The shocks keep coming – geopolitical, economic, political. The headlines remain volatile. But beneath that noise, many firms have quietly rebuilt themselves to cope.<\/p>\n
They diversify. They localise supply chains. They rewrite contracts. They adopt new technologies. They interrogate costs. They carry on.<\/p>\n
As Denny summed up towards the end of the discussion: \u201cIt would be nice if everybody was braver – just made some decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, British business has already adapted to a world of constant disruption. What it wants now is a government prepared to do the same – and to match that resilience with clarity, consistency and, above all, courage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From Brexit to the latest Iran tensions, Yorkshire leaders say they\u2019ve learned to trade through constant disruption \u2014 but warn growth is being held back by short-term policymaking, rising costs and market distortion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":271992,"featured_media":2153646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53262,120782,120784],"coauthors":[137100],"class_list":["post-2153642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","category-economy","category-events","tag-featured-story","tag-yorkshire"],"yoast_head":"\n