The Rise of the Resilient SMB: How Small Businesses Are Powering Big Growth with AI

The Rise of the Resilient SMB: How Small Businesses Are Powering Big Growth with AI

In today’s fast-changing economy, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are punching well above their weight. According to Salesforce’s latest Small & Medium Business Trends Report, SMBs are not only surviving—they’re thriving by embracing technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), and strategic data practices.

📈 Optimism is High, But So Are the Stakes

Despite a turbulent business climate, 81% of SMB leaders are optimistic about their future. But that confidence comes with a clear sense of direction: successful SMBs are doubling down on customer experience, tech adoption, and AI. Those falling behind tend to chase quick wins like acquiring new customers, while high-growth businesses focus on long-term strategies like improving their tech stack and refining operations.

💡 Tech is the Great Equalizer

SMBs are leveling the playing field with bigger competitors by increasing tech investment—76% have ramped up spending compared to last year. Yet, many leaders feel overwhelmed: 47% say the pace of tech change is hard to keep up with, and nearly half are frustrated by tool sprawl and inconsistent data across systems.

To combat this, growing SMBs are leaning into integrated tech stacks and prioritizing tools with AI capabilities over just affordability.

🤖 AI is No Longer Optional

AI adoption is exploding. Three in four SMBs are investing in AI, and among them, 90% report more efficient operations. AI is being used for everything from marketing and content generation to automating customer support.

High-growth SMBs are 1.8x more likely to invest in AI than their declining peers, and 78% believe AI will be a game-changer for their company.

But it’s not all smooth sailing—security is the top concern, especially as AI moves toward autonomous agents that can act without human input. SMBs are being urged to implement strong data governance and ethical AI practices to stay ahead.

🔐 Smart Data = Smart Growth

AI is only as good as the data that powers it. That’s why 66% of SMBs plan to increase data management investment this year. Those already using AI are even more eager to improve data quality, recognizing its impact on revenue and productivity.

Still, many SMBs struggle with messy or siloed data and a lack of expertise to turn insights into action. Improving this is a major unlock for continued growth.

🔮 What’s Next: Trust, Scalability, and Autonomous Agents

Looking forward, SMBs are emphasizing trustworthy, scalable technology. Most are willing to spend more on vendors they trust and platforms that can grow with them. The next wave? Autonomous AI agents that go beyond suggestions and actually take action—like booking a trip or managing workflows.

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TLDR:

• 81% of SMB leaders are optimistic about the future.
• 76% increased tech investment over the past year.
• 75% are using or evaluating AI.
• 90% of SMBs with AI report improved efficiency.
• 66% plan to invest more in data management.

With the right strategy, small teams can drive massive impact. The tools are there. The time is now.

By Anthony Trinh. Anthony is the Founder and Principal Salesforce Consultant at Efforceless. 

About Efforceless

Efforceless helps business leaders scale their teams. Founded only by seasoned current and former Shopify, Google and Salesforce employees, we combine Revenue Operations with a polished Salesforce implementation, and as a result, our clients have the smartest Salesforce team working for them at less than the cost of one Salesforce hire. For more information about Efforceless’ Salesforce consulting services and solutions, visit: www.efforceless.com

About Salesforce

Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies of every size and industry to digitally transform and create a 360° view of their customers. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com