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Why UK SMEs struggle to scale
- gldewhirst
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
The scaling challenge
The UK is home to some of the most dynamic and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These businesses fuel the economy, employ millions, and often outperform larger corporates in agility and innovation.
And yet, as the Financial Times recently highlighted, the UK has a “corporate scaling problem.” Too many SMEs with potential to become national or international champions stall at the mid-market stage. Instead of scaling sustainably, many are acquired by overseas firms or relocate to markets that may offer better support for growth.
For founders and leaders, the key question is: why does scaling prove so difficult for UK SMEs - and what can be done to overcome it?
The barriers to SME growth in the UK
Several factors consistently hold back ambitious businesses:
Limited access to patient capital - short-term funding doesn’t always match long-term growth ambitions.
Leadership bandwidth - MDs and CEOs often carry too many responsibilities without the right strategic support.
Strategic misalignment - business goals and marketing execution drift apart, leading to wasted spend and lost opportunities.
Policy & infrastructure hurdles - regulatory complexity, skills shortages, and weak support systems make scaling harder than it should be.
These challenges create the “growth ceiling” many SMEs and scale-ups struggle to break through.
Why business strategy consultancy matters
This is where an external business strategy consultant adds real value. By providing clarity, experience, and objectivity, consultancy helps leadership teams:
Define priorities that genuinely move the business forward.
Spot growth barriers that internal teams may overlook.
Translate long-term vision into actionable plans.
At Velara Solutions, we help you define and align business and marketing strategies, giving SMEs a pragmatic roadmap for growth.
Fractional CMO services: Flexible leadership for growing SMEs
For many SMEs, the leap from tactical marketing to strategic, commercially focused leadership is where momentum is lost. Hiring a full-time Chief Marketing Officer isn’t always affordable. That’s where fractional CMO services come in.
A fractional CMO provides:
Senior marketing leadership on a flexible, part-time basis.
Oversight of marketing strategy, campaigns, and ROI.
Mentoring for in-house teams to raise capability.
A clear link between marketing activity and business results.
This model helps SMEs access the expertise they need, at the right stage of growth - without the overhead costs of a permanent C-suite hire.
Breaking through the growth ceiling
Scaling isn’t only about securing investment. It’s about aligning vision, strategy, people, and marketing execution - and acting quickly enough to seize opportunities before competitors do.
SMEs that embrace consultancy and fractional leadership often discover that their growth ceiling isn’t structural - it’s simply a lack of clarity, focus, or leadership capacity at a critical time.
Final thought
The UK has no shortage of ambitious SMEs. What’s often missing is the strategic support to scale effectively. That’s where consultancies like Velara Solutions can help.
If your business feels stuck at a growth barrier, or if you want to explore how fractional CMO services and strategy consultancy can accelerate your progress, let’s talk.
At Velara Solutions Ltd, we help ambitious companies cut through the noise, focus on what matters, and achieve measurable results.
📞 If you’d like to explore how we can help your business achieve its goals, book your free strategy call today.
