The Trendiest Ways To Lower Small Biz Expenses In 2026

2026 is just around the corner, it’s time to look at some of the ways businesses are lowering their costs and bumping up their margins. Next year is shaping up to be what looks like another wild ride, leading many to wonder what’s going to happen next. 

Fortunately, you don’t need to be in survival mode as a small business. There are actually quite a few things you can do to lower your costs and ensure your business thrives in the coming 12 months, regardless of what the economy throws at it. 

AI Automation

Obviously, AI automation is the most exciting kid on the block right now, and a lot of companies are exploring how they can use it. Thus far, we haven’t seen the big economic disruptions that were expected from AI, but that’s likely to change in the future. Next year is when many commentators believe AI will become wildly more popular and successful, leading to improved agency and task management. 

When AI reaches the stage of “common sense,” that's likely when businesses will deploy it at scale. Systems will be able to perform tasks from start to finish with minimal error rates. 

Go Remote

Companies will also be looking to go remote in the future, ditching expensive head offices. If they do have a physical location, it will be on a lease or “pay per use” basis and reserved for the highest-value activities, like team-building days or client meetings. Meanwhile, tools like Slack and Notion will keep remote team members in constant communication with each other, allowing them to share their work and ideas with each other. 

Furthermore, because of the tight labor market, going remote is a great way to find talented individuals at modest rates. Many people will work for less if it means they get to work in their country of choice. 

Tax Breaks

Also, companies will be hunting for tax breaks in 2026. With some jurisdictions massively increasing taxes on firms, there’s never been a better time to move. 

The U.S., of course, is the exception. It’s likely that many companies will relocate to the country following changes to tax laws there. Many people will want to take advantage of significantly lower fees and more breaks for individuals with innovative or green businesses. 

Sustainable Energy Generation 

Speaking of which, sustainable energy generation is also likely to be taken up a notch in 2026. Businesses will be partnering with a commercial solar installer of their choice to ensure they can generate energy on-site and avoid price spikes. 

With battery technology improving all the time and coming down in price, this strategy is working well. Companies are able to siphon the energy they don’t consume during the day and use it to power their premises for free at night. 

Social Media UGC

Finally, companies are slashing their marketing budgets by leveraging social media. Leveraging user-generated content is widely seen as the best strategy in the industry at the moment in terms of ROI.