Money matters: A look at financial risks
This article is a part of our second annual Risk + Reward series. Capital One Business and Inc. partnered to survey 349 business leaders in November 2025 to explore how they navigate risk and rewards in pursuit of business growth. View our key findings and other articles in this series.
As business leaders navigate uncertainty, they’re also looking at mitigating risk, especially financial risks.
Top financial risks to business growth:
| The economy (interest rates, inflation, etc.) | 46% |
| Overinvesting in workforce (hiring/payroll) | 43% |
| Selecting the wrong financing options | 41% |
| Weak capital position and/or high debt levels | 39% |
| Overinvesting in technology | 36% |
More than half of business leaders plan to invest more in their businesses this year than last year:
| Increase (up to 20% increase) | 57% |
| No change | 24% |
| Substantial increase (20% or more increase) | 10% |
| Decrease (up to 20%) | 8% |
| Substantial decrease (investing 20% or more) | 1% |
Financing and capital strategies businesses are likely to pursue over the next 12 months:
| Bootstrapping/family and friends money | 52% |
| Equity (initial public offering or secondary offering) | 40% |
| Private equity or venture capital investment | 31% |
| Dividend payout/share buybacks | 30% |
| Crowdfunding | 25% |
Source: Inc. and Capital One Business Risk & Reward Survey 2025
