A quarter of business owners feel "more prepared than ever" to guide their companies to success following the pandemic.Research into 1,000 small-to-medium enterprise owners found 35 percent managed to navigate the last 18 months better than they had expected.On average, small businesses estimate they have grown by 6.2 percent, despite the challenges they faced.The key growth drivers for many have been spotting a new gap in the market, a strong social presence, and online sales, while 24 percent are experiencing more demand post-pandemic.To keep ahead of the game, a quarter have started putting funds aside in case there are further lockdowns or world-changing scenarios.It also emerged three-quarters of small businesses polled were able to.