In today’s challenging economic landscape, Irish B2B companies are facing a perfect storm of rising operational costs. Recent data paints a stark picture: the average business costs for Irish SMEs have increased by over 16 percent, with one in three small businesses at risk of running out of liquidity within six months without additional funding. For small firms with 10-49 employees, monthly operational costs now average a staggering €193,535, while micro-businesses face costs of €66,426.
Most concerning is the dramatic shift in cost pressures – 85 percent of Irish businesses now cite increased labour costs as their most significant business challenge this year, doubling from 43 percent in 2023. Meanwhile, the customer acquisition landscape has transformed, with costs rising 222% over eight years. These aren’t just statistics – they represent the daily reality for Irish B2B companies fighting to maintain profitability while driving growth.
The Cost Crisis Facing Irish B2B Companies: A Perfect Storm
The Labour Cost Conundrum
For Irish B2B companies, labour expenses now represent the lion’s share of operational expenditure, accounting for a whopping 82% of overall monthly business costs. This dramatic increase stems from several factors: national wage increases, expanded sick leave policies, and the looming introduction of a living wage in 2026.
What’s particularly challenging is that these labour cost increases are non-negotiable – they’re largely driven by legislation designed to combat Ireland’s increased cost of living. As one business observer noted,
“A company with 10 minimum wage employees will be paying an additional €2.35k per full-time employee – that’s an additional outgoing of €23.5k for the year”.
For a business that made €25k in profit last year, these increased labour costs alone could wipe out their entire margin.
Energy Volatility and Infrastructure Costs
While energy costs have decreased as a primary concern for many businesses (dropping from 42% in 2023 to 16% in 2024), they remain significant, having risen 33% over the past two years. For manufacturing operations and businesses with significant physical premises, these costs continue to represent a substantial operational expense.
Energy infrastructure demands particular attention, as systems like chilled water – which can represent 20% of a factory’s energy consumption – are rarely optimised for changing loads or environmental conditions. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for resource optimisation.
The Customer Acquisition Cost Crisis
Perhaps most alarming for sales and marketing professionals is the relentless rise in customer acquisition costs (CAC). Eight years ago, acquiring a new customer would cost the average business €13. By 2022, that figure had skyrocketed to €29 – a 222% increase.
Industry changes like iOS 14’s privacy regulations and Google’s looming ban on third-party cookies have made it harder than ever to track potential customers, driving up acquisition costs across all channels. For Irish B2B companies already operating in a small market, this represents an existential threat to growth strategies.
Resource Optimisation: How Leading Irish B2B Companies Are Responding
Faced with these mounting pressures, forward-thinking Irish B2B companies are implementing sophisticated resource optimisation strategies. Here’s how they’re adapting:
Reimagining Resource Management
The most effective Irish B2B companies have moved beyond simple cost-cutting to implement systematic resource optimisation techniques:
1. Strategic Resource Mapping and Forecasting
Leading organisations are implementing detailed resource mapping – identifying team members’ skills, availability, and capacity, as well as the availability of other necessary resources like equipment and budget. This foundational step allows them to forecast future resource needs based on project scope and timeline, preventing both shortages and wasteful overallocation.
A Dublin-based software firm recently reduced project delivery costs by 23% through implementing detailed resource forecasting, allowing them to predict peak demand periods and adjust staffing accordingly.
2. Resource Levelling for Maximum Efficiency
Resource levelling – the process of adjusting project schedules to prevent resource overallocation – has become a critical technique for Irish B2B companies. By spreading workloads evenly between team members and departments, they’re avoiding burnout while ensuring tasks are completed on time without excessive pressure on any one resource.
As one project management expert explains: “Resource levelling involves offsetting overlapping resources that have been employed. Various activities of projects require the same type of resources. Consequently, adjusting such resources considering their capacity, task priorities, and deadlines is the essence of resources’ levelling”.
3. Transparent Resource Visibility
Transparency throughout all production tasks has emerged as a crucial element of resource optimisation. By implementing clear resource navigation systems, Irish B2B companies are finding it easier to allocate the right resources with the proper budget communicated through all levels of the organisational hierarchy.
Cost Management Strategies That Work
Beyond resource management, Irish B2B businesses are implementing targeted cost management strategies:
1. Supplier Contract Renegotiation
One of the first steps successful Irish B2B companies are taking to manage rising costs is revisiting existing supplier agreements. By opening negotiations with suppliers to secure better terms or volume discounts, and exploring group purchasing organisations where members pool buying power, they’re achieving significant savings.
An Irish manufacturing firm recently reduced material costs by 18% by joining an industry purchasing consortium, allowing them to negotiate as part of a larger buying group.
2. Inventory Optimisation
Efficient inventory management is freeing up valuable capital and reducing storage costs for many Irish businesses. Using just-in-time inventory systems, implementing regular audits to identify slow-moving stock, and automating ordering processes for high-turnover items are all proving effective.
3. Equipment Leasing Instead of Purchasing
Forward-thinking Irish companies are increasingly opting to lease equipment rather than make outright purchases. As one Irish business services provider notes: “Leasing equipment is a great option for startups and small to medium-sized businesses as they can control how long they use the equipment before swapping it for the latest technology”.
This approach is particularly valuable for technology purchases, which may quickly become outdated, allowing businesses to preserve capital while maintaining access to cutting-edge equipment.
Harnessing AI for Sales and Marketing Optimisation
Perhaps the most dramatic resource optimisation is happening in sales and marketing departments, where AI technologies are transforming how Irish B2B companies acquire and retain customers:
1. AI-Powered Lead Scoring
Irish B2B companies are using AI to zero in on prospects most likely to convert by analysing data points like company size, location, and online behaviour. As one Irish technology provider explains: “Armed with AI-powered lead scoring, your sales team can spend their time on hot prospects, not dead ends”.
2. Personalised Marketing Automation
Personalisation has emerged as the key to reducing customer acquisition costs. By tailoring everything users see to their needs, interests, and preferences, businesses ensure they always reach visitors, leads, and customers with relevant ads, content, messaging, and product recommendations – leading to higher engagement, better conversion rates, and lower CAC.
A Dublin-based SaaS company recently reduced its customer acquisition costs by 32% through implementing AI-driven personalisation across its marketing channels.
3. Precision Location Targeting
Rather than treating all target audiences equally, savvy Irish marketers are analysing their ecommerce analytics to locate their highest-converting paying customers and prioritising these regions in future campaigns. This data-driven approach ensures marketing spend is directed where it will generate the highest return.
Actionable Steps for Irish B2B Decision-Makers
For Sales and Marketing Professionals
Implement data-driven customer segmentation:
Use your existing customer data to identify your most profitable segments and focus acquisition efforts there first.
Adopt hybrid marketing approaches:
Balance digital acquisition with relationship-based selling to maximise the efficiency of your marketing spend.
Leverage AI for lead qualification:
Implement AI-powered tools that can analyse prospect behaviour and identify those most likely to convert, allowing your sales team to focus their energy where it matters most.
Optimize for retention:
With acquisition costs rising, shift some of your focus to retaining and expanding existing customer relationships, which typically costs 5-7 times less than acquiring new ones.
For C-Suite Executives and Founders
Invest in resource management systems:
Implement tools that provide real-time visibility into resource allocation and utilisation across your organisation.
Adopt cloud cost optimisation:
Address cloud over-spending by identifying underutilised or unscheduled resources, implementing auto-scaling, selecting appropriate storage classes, and leveraging volume discounts.
Consider alternative financing models:
Explore equipment leasing, invoice financing, and other capital preservation strategies to maintain liquidity while continuing to invest in growth.
Foster a culture of optimisation:
Make resource efficiency part of your company culture, encouraging team members at all levels to identify opportunities for improved resource utilisation.
For Operations and Project Management Leaders
Implement resource levelling:
Use project management tools to prevent resource overallocation and ensure more even workload distribution.
Adopt forecasting and planning techniques:
Implement systematic approaches to predict future resource needs based on project scopes and timelines.
Visualise resource allocation:
Use visual tools like Gantt charts and resource histograms to get a clear overview of resource distribution and utilisation.
Employ Critical Path Method:
Identify essential tasks and allocate resources accordingly to ensure critical activities are never under-resourced.
Turning Challenge into Opportunity
The rising cost environment facing Irish B2B companies isn’t going away anytime soon. Labour expenses will continue to increase with the implementation of the living wage in 2026 and pension auto-enrolments in 2025. Customer acquisition will remain challenging as privacy regulations evolve. Energy and operational costs will continue to fluctuate with global markets.
Yet within these challenges lie opportunities for forward-thinking Irish businesses. By implementing strategic resource optimisation, companies can not only weather this storm but emerge stronger, more efficient, and better positioned for sustainable growth.
The most successful Irish B2B companies are those viewing resource optimisation not as a one-time cost-cutting exercise but as a fundamental shift in how they operate – a continuous process of alignment between resources and business objectives.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sunstone
Sunstone is a market intelligence company and platform that empowers leading enterprises to make smarter decisions through the Sunstone Data Universe—a proprietary, dynamic source of company, market, and financial intelligence. Since 2023, our technology has enabled professionals to transform complex data into actionable insights, helping teams identify growth opportunities, refine strategy, and reach their ideal customers with precision. Trusted by organisations across the UK and Europe, Sunstone delivers the intelligence behind smarter commercial performance.
