The imminent threat of a no-deal Brexit may have been avoided, but for many that simply means prolonging the anxiety and putting off big life decisions. A study in the Regional Studies journal last month revealed that more than a million small businesses think Brexit uncertainty will have a negative impact on their bottom line. Here, four people tell how they fear the long delay will affect their livelihoods, families and futures.

Peter Hills, a brewer from Hackney

Peter Hills: ‘How do you make decisions for your business when you don’t know what the socio-economic climate will be?’ Photograph: Brian Doben

Primarily, it’s the uncertainty. We’re a small, independent microbrewery that have been going for eight years and have grown organically and are looking to expand to enter the export market. But it’s very difficult to know how to plan if there are going to be barriers. How do you make decisions for your business when you don’t know what the socio-economic climate will be? At the moment, we are nine full-time staff which includes employees from Italy, Portugal and Hungary. They’re fantastic, hard-working, intelligent staff and have been in the UK for years. I don’t think they’re hugely worried, but it’s not nice is it? The margins on beer are relatively tight and there is a lot of competition, it’s definitely costing us a lot more to make premium quality beer now than it did before the referendum. The exchange rate and the marked increase of day to day operations – say, buying kegs from Europe, or raw ingredients – is higher and it all adds up. Because we’re a small outfit, we benefit from a duty break and pay less than the giant breweries – that was introduced as an EU directive to keep artisanal industries alive. If we were to leave Europe and that got changed, you’re talking thousands of businesses going under. Still, it’s not all doom and gloom, we’re hopeful. We’ll still adapt.

Dana Malak, a florist at David Wayman Flowers

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dana Malak: ‘The unknown is affecting us more than anything else’

The unknown is affecting us more than anything else, not knowing how much of it will affect our prices and how we’ll be able to manage expectations of our customers. The two big wholesalers in Manchester import most of their flowers from Holland, some from Israel and roses from Colombia as the best ones grow there. Extra checks and delays at the borders are something we’re anticipating but that’s not going to help frustrated customers who get their orders pushed back.

Maisie Woodford, a student from London

Maisie Woodford: ‘I don’t know how I’d afford to study in the EU if we left.’

I’m from London and trained here my whole life. I’ve always wanted to do professional contemporary dance as my career and for a long time I’ve wanted to do my conservatoire training in Europe. I had an offer from two English schools last year but it didn’t feel right – I want to travel, get out, live somewhere new and so I chose to take a gap year which was a big risk, all my friends went straight into training. I’m 19 now and I’ve applied for European schools – one in Geneva, one in Bordeaux, one in Amsterdam and one in Antwerp. I’ve just been offered a place at Antwerp after a three-day audition. As an EU student to study there, the fees would be €1,000 per year but for non-EU students, it’s €7,000. There’s no loan, I don’t know how I’d even afford it. I’m now in a conversation with the school to see if there is a way to maintain EU student privileges despite what this government does before I start my course. I’ve put my training on the line. It’s all very recent to be honest. I’m still processing it.

Sarah Cotton, a carer in London

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sarah Cotton and her aunt. Photograph: Courtesy of Ella Cotton

I’m a carer for my aunt, although she has recently gone into a care home. Now we need to sell her property to pay for it. Two years ago, we put her flat on the market for the same reason but she changed her mind a month in and came back home. But now the doctors say she has to be there – she moved in after a stay in the hospital. It costs about £65,000 a year to pay for her care. She’s 96 now, partially sighted and has been diagnosed with dementia. She lived in her flat for 60 years. Two years ago the agents put it on at £630,000, now it’s on for £525,000. This dip in the market because of Brexit is great news for first-time buyers – it’s a lovely three bedroom flat in Chalk Farm – but it’s worrying how slow the process is now. I’ve recently gone part-time with work, partially because I was struggling to care for my aunt on top of everything else. It is stressful.