Lanna Hill: Beyond the perky LinkedIn posts, business are struggling
Beneath the polished surface, a different picture is starting to emerge — one that doesn't quite match the momentum we're performing. In reality, many teams are stretched thin, and external budgets are stalling. Proposals hang in inboxes for weeks with no response — not because they weren't good, but because a fear of commitment (and ghosting) has become real in the business world, too. July data backs this up, with 70 per cent of WA businesses citing rising costs as their top growth barrier.
What we're seeing is something I'd like to call performative recovery. The external signals are strong — especially here in WA, where mining royalties and infrastructure investment paint a confident picture — but scratch the surface, and you'll find a quiet hesitation that's shaping everything from hiring to marketing spend. London-based ad giant WPP's tumbling share price this week is one of many examples of the ever-changing environment we're in.
Some of this is actually very important. Business and political leaders need to show strength. Perception matters: to clients, to competitors, to staff. So we lean into language that sounds like progress, even when we're still in a holding pattern.
It would seem it's partly because the rules have changed. The post-COVID economy never fully reset. We're no longer in crisis mode (depending largely on the increasingly unpredictable geopolitical landscape, which swings wildly from week to week), but we're not in true growth mode either. There's a sense of suspended motion — like we're all waiting for someone else to blink first.
At the same time, the cost of doing business has risen across the board. Wages, insurance, software, compliance, professional services — everything's gone up. But few companies have raised prices fast enough to match it. And in service-based businesses, that squeeze is especially brutal. The same team is expected to do more, with less margin, and still show up looking energised and engaged.
And then there's the fatigue. The kind you can't see in a quarterly report. Mid-sized firms, especially those led by owner-operators or lean leadership teams, are running low on buffer — not just financial, but emotional. I've spoken to so many capable, ambitious people lately who are quietly questioning whether this version of success is sustainable. For those taking them, holidays aren't just holidays anymore. They're an essential tactic to stave off burnout.
So no — not everything is back. But that's not a failure. It's just the reality of a business culture that's been white knuckling its way through economic uncertainty, policy shifts, and relentless change.
The danger is in pretending otherwise. Because when the external narrative says 'we're thriving,' but the internal systems are strained and the team is flatlining, it's easy to feel like you're the only one who hasn't caught up. That disconnect breeds shame. It also stops leaders from asking for the support, advice or clarity they actually need.
We don't need more hype. We need more honesty. If we want to build businesses that actually last — not just look good on LinkedIn — we'll have to make space for truth alongside optimism.
And that starts with calling the bubble what it is.
Lanna Hill is the founder and director of Leverage Media Group.
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