A new study from ShareBuilder 401k, based on an April 2026 survey of 500 U.S. small business owners, found that 88 percent have taken concrete action over the past year to counter inflation and rising labor costs. The retirement-plan provider framed the findings around resilience, with owners adjusting pricing, operations, and technology rather than waiting out the pressure.
For self-employed owners and solopreneurs, the survey is a read on what peers are doing to protect thin margins. It also raises a quieter question for independent workers: whether they are protecting their own long-term finances while defending the business.
What The Study Found
The headline figure is that 88 percent of owners reported taking decisive steps over the past year, a sign that Main Street is managing inflation actively rather than absorbing it. The actions span repricing, cost trimming, and leveraging technology to do more with smaller teams.
Technology featured heavily in the results. Three in four owners (75 percent) said AI saves them time each week, and 63 percent said they rely on AI insights to guide business decisions, positioning the tools as a growth lever rather than a threat to headcount.
Why This Matters For Self-Employed Owners
Independent workers feel inflation twice, once as business operators facing higher supply and service costs, and again as individuals with no employer to cushion rising personal expenses. The survey shows most owners are responding on the business side, which is the half they can control fastest.
The retirement angle is the part that often slips. A self-employed person who reprices and cuts costs but pauses retirement contributions may win the year and lose the decade, since there is no company match or pension waiting in the background.
What Self-Employed Owners Should Do Next
Treat the 88 percent as a prompt to run your own numbers. Review pricing against current costs, identify one recurring task that AI or automation could shorten, and confirm the savings are real before committing to a tool.
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Then protect the long term. Even a modest, automatic contribution to a Solo 401(k) or SEP-IRA keeps retirement on track while you defend the business, and the funding mix many owners rely on is worth understanding, as shown in our coverage of a small business funding survey.
What To Watch Next
Watch whether the AI adoption owners describe shows up as real margin relief in the next round of small business data, or whether costs keep outrunning the savings. Sentiment indexes have been fragile through the spring, and behavior surveys like this one will signal whether confidence is translating into durable action.
Also watch retirement participation among the self-employed. If inflation pressure pushes more owners to pause contributions, the long-term cost could outweigh this year’s savings, a trade-off worth tracking as the data comes in.
