26th April 2026

The Hidden Cost of Business

One of the biggest challenges in running a business — and one that rarely gets talked about — is administration.

I’ve been in business for over 20 years, and I can say this with confidence:

Administration has got worse. Not better.

And that’s despite all the advances in technology, automation, and AI.

If anything, it feels like the burden has increased.

The Cost of Simply Existing

What frustrates me most is the amount of time and money spent doing things that don’t grow the business.

Take something as simple as a confirmation statement.

Every year, we have to file it. And every year, there’s a cost attached.

Now, I understand the need for regulation. But it often feels like the moment you are recognised as a business, you become a target for additional charges.

It’s as though being in business is justification enough to be billed.

Instead of creating a climate that encourages entrepreneurship, it feels like the system is quietly penalising it.

A Harder Game Than Before

Running a business today is harder than it was 20–25 years ago.

Costs are higher.
Expectations are higher.
Regulation is heavier.

And yet we constantly hear that the country needs growth.

We hear that businesses are leaving.

We hear that entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged.

But the reality on the ground tells a different story.

Because you don’t encourage entrepreneurship by making it harder to operate.

Procedure Over Progress

This week’s political headlines also got me thinking.

Whenever something goes wrong, the explanation is often the same:

“The process wasn’t followed.”
“The protocol wasn’t clear.”
“The system didn’t flag it.”

We are living in an age dominated by procedure and protocol.

Now, procedures have their place. They are there to protect. To reduce risk. To provide structure.

But when procedure becomes the priority, something else suffers:

Innovation.

Because procedure creates a defensive mindset.
It encourages people to avoid mistakes — rather than create progress.

And when a system becomes too focused on protecting itself, it stops moving forward.

The Age of the Administrators

What concerns me is that we seem to be celebrating the wrong people.

We celebrate administrators.
We celebrate commentators.
We celebrate those who manage systems.

But what about the people who build things?

The ones who step into the ring.
The ones who take the hits.
The ones who risk failure to create something new.

They don’t always get the spotlight.

Yet they are the ones driving real change.

Mediocrity Is the Risk

When a system becomes too cautious, too procedural, too risk-averse, the best outcome you can hope for is:

Mediocrity.

And mediocrity is the enemy of growth.

It kills innovation.
It stifles ambition.
It discourages people from taking risks.

If we want a thriving economy, we need more people willing to step into the unknown — not more systems designed to keep everything predictable.

What We Should Be Celebrating

If we truly want growth, we need to shift what we value.

Less focus on administration.
More focus on creation.

Less admiration for those who maintain systems.
More recognition for those who build something from nothing.

Because at the end of the day, economies don’t grow through paperwork.

They grow through people willing to take risks.

Closing Reflection

Running a business has never been easy.

But it feels like the balance has tipped too far.

Too much administration.
Too much process.
Not enough encouragement for those willing to have a go.

If we want real growth, we need to get back to supporting the people who step into the arena.

The ones who take the blows.

And keep getting back up.

Onwards.