Headed into 2026, thousands of small business owners on Skip shared what they are trying to accomplish this year and, just as importantly, where funding would make the biggest difference. Across 2,000 plus responses for our $1k 2026 Kickoff Grant, the goals were ambitious but practical: bring in more customers, professionalize operations, invest in better equipment or space, hire the right help, and modernize their online presence.

Winner Announcement: 🎉 Congrats to Evanthia from Temple Goddess Cafe in Milwaukee, WI for being selected the $1k 2026 Kickoff Grant Winner. Thanks to everyone that entered and shared what their 2026 business goals are.

Below is a recap on four trends that emerged from these goals as they relate to funding. Be sure to enter all of Skip grants, including the $1,000 Instant Grants and $10,000 Monthly Grants on the Dashboard.

Taken together, these 4 trends paint a clear picture of what entrepreneurs actually want funding to do in 2026: unlock the next stage of growth without breaking cash flow.

Trend 1: Funding customer growth through marketing and visibility

A huge share of owners are focused on predictable customer acquisition. Not hype, not vanity metrics, but steady demand they can plan around. Many talked about upgrading their branding, improving local visibility, and getting serious about content and social media so that new customers discover them consistently.

One example came from a children’s book business planning a 2026 launch with a heavy emphasis on building trust and community through social media, using content to turn awareness into early sales. Another came from a local food business focused on strengthening branding and marketing to broaden reach, paired with operational improvements so that increased demand does not overwhelm the team.

In both cases, funding is not just about spending on ads. It is about paying for the basics that make marketing work: professional creative, a clean brand, consistent distribution, and enough capacity to fulfill what marketing brings in. Pro Tips: Automate social media posting or search for marketing images.

Trend 2: Funding capacity upgrades through equipment and physical space

The second major theme was capacity. Owners want to serve more customers, produce more units, deliver faster, or raise quality, and many of them see equipment and facilities as the bottleneck. Funding here is often the difference between staying stuck at a small ceiling and being able to handle real growth.

For example, a breakfast and lunch concept described goals tied directly to speed and consistency, including upgrading equipment and securing a dedicated space or expanding operations to meet higher demand. Another example came from a creative business in music production aiming to expand audience reach while upgrading production equipment and improving workspace so they can support more artists and higher volume output. These are classic small business growth constraints: the market might be there, but the physical setup needs investment before growth becomes sustainable.

Trend 3: Funding hiring, training, and workforce development

The third pattern was talent. Many owners are ready to hire, but they are cautious because payroll is the most permanent cost in the business. Instead of vague hiring goals, a lot of responses were specific about adding a key role, building a small team, or investing in training and certifications to raise service quality and retention.

One example came from service operators aiming to expand footprint and take on larger work, but only after hiring and building a stronger internal team. Another example showed a business explicitly tying growth to training and mentorship, treating workforce development as part of the product and the mission. Funding in this category is often used for the hardest early expenses: onboarding, initial payroll runway, certifications, and systems that allow new staff to contribute quickly without creating chaos.

Trend 4: Funding technology, websites, and automation to professionalize the business

A fourth theme kept showing up alongside the others: owners want to modernize their business stack. Websites, ecommerce, booking, payments, CRM, automation, and in many cases AI tools to save time and improve output. Even when the goal was marketing or hiring, the execution often depended on better systems.

For instance, some owners described expanding services while also investing in digital tools to streamline operations and reach a larger audience. Others focused on building or rebuilding a website and online storefront so that growth does not depend solely on referrals. This type of funding is often small compared to rent or payroll, but it can have outsized impact because it removes friction from every part of the business. Pro Tips: Set up website or domains quickly, or talk with Cofounder to explore additional tools.

Conclusion and summary

Across the 2026 goals, the throughline is clear: entrepreneurs are not asking for funding to experiment, they are asking for funding to execute. The most common uses of funding cluster around four practical growth levers: attracting customers, increasing capacity through equipment or space, building the team, and professionalizing the business through modern systems. The businesses that stand to benefit most are the ones who already know their constraint and can point to exactly what funding unlocks next, whether that is more demand, more output, better service quality, or a cleaner path to scale.

Ready to make these happen? Apply for more grants on Skip or use business tools to help you achieve your goals.