South East business owners are holding their nerve in the face of mounting external pressure, according to a major new study, with leaders across the region remaining among the most confident in the country. 

More than 4 in 10 business leaders in the South East say external political, regulatory or economic pressures are their biggest challenge right now, according to new research of more than 1,500 UK business leaders. Despite these challenges confidence is high. Nationally, 72% of leaders say they feel confident navigating uncertainty or another major disruption, and South East leaders, despite naming the most acute external pressure of any region, are no exception. 

The research, which surveyed UK leaders navigating the constant pace of change reshaping the business landscape, found that only 1 in 8 feel fully in control of their operations, more than 60% can’t confidently plan beyond the next quarter, and 40% say political factors are the biggest challenge to their mental resilience nationally. 

Commissioned by business advisors and accountants TC Group, which supports business owners across the South East through its 11 offices, including its Milton Keynes, Sussex head office, Croydon, and Kent, the research digs into the emotional and practical reality of running a business today. 

It found that, although South East leaders feel the weight of external pressure more than any other region, that pressure has not dented their confidence in navigating what comes next. 

TC Group’s insight report, Success Without Stillness: Leadership in Motion explores how today’s business leaders are clear-headed, but often only for the next immediate decision. They are confident but carrying more pressure. They are responsible for more but feel in control of less. 

While the pressure is clear, TC Group’s research shows a business community that is progressing, adapting and finding new ways to move forward. Leaders are not retreating from change, they are planning in shorter cycles, managing decision fatigue, carrying greater responsibility and becoming more deliberate, more resilient and more calculated in how they respond.  

Stephen Watts, Chief Operating Officer at TC Group, said: “Businesses in the South East sit close to the heart of national policy and economic change, so it makes sense that leaders here feel that pressure most acutely. What’s notable is that it hasn’t knocked their confidence, they’re finding ways to plan around it rather than be paralysed by it. 

“The businesses we work with are building scenario plans for multiple futures rather than waiting for certainty that may never arrive. That’s the mindset that’s helping South East leaders stay confident, even with so much sitting outside their control.” 

The report finds that personal growth is now the top measure of success for business owners, followed closely by financial success, developing people, providing family security, creating something of their own and building a long-term legacy. 

TC Group says this should not be read as a decline in entrepreneurial motivation, but as evidence that success itself is becoming more meaningful, more human and more complex. 

Stephen added: “Financial success still matters, but it is no longer the only measure. For many business owners, success is also about building something sustainable, developing people, protecting family security and creating a business that still feels worth the effort. 

“The strongest businesses are not those where one person carries everything alone. They are the ones where responsibility is shared, good people are trusted and the right external support is brought in at the right time. 

“That is where trusted advisors can make a real difference – not by simplifying the world business owners operate in, but by helping them navigate it with better insight, stronger foundations and more confident decision-making. The road ahead will continue to shift, our job is to make sure businesses are ready to move with it.”  

TC Group works closely with owner-managed businesses across the South East, helping leaders build the scenario planning and financial clarity needed to stay confident under sustained external pressure. 

Success Without Stillness: Leadership in Motion is available now from TC Group.