The study aims to substantiate and prove the feasibility of the cognitive approach in determining the role and impact of available resources to ensure the competitive functioning of small and medium-sized businesses. The authors have developed a toolkit for implementing the competitive functioning of small and medium enterprises through resource and factor support within the framework of the cognitive approach, acting as a methodological basis and applied in the implementation of expert analysis, designated as a methodological basis. Based on the concept of managerial roles of I. Adizes, the authors defined the functional qualities of competitive management of small and medium-sized enterprises, expressed through four functional indicators: production of results, administration of activities, proactive and creative development, and integration of internal and external environment. Under the theory of production factors of O.V. Inshakov, C. Hofer, the authors substantiated the content of eight resources of management of small and medium entrepreneurship: human, technical, material, organizational, information, institutional, financial, reputation. The article’s scientific novelty lies in combining the concept of managerial roles with the resource-factor approach and applying the cognitive approach to determine the degree of resource participation in ensuring the competitive functioning of small and medium-sized businesses.