Why Small Businesses Are Still Counting the Damage, Despite Tariff Policy Changes

The tariff strategy is backfiring and small businesses are the collateral damage

The White House just wrapped up a victory lap for National Small Business Week, complete with talk of “unleashing opportunity” and “pro-growth” tariffs. But here’s the thing: If you’ve actually run a business in the last five years, not just written a speech about one, you know that’s not how any of this works. Let’s skip the spin. Tariffs don’t protect small businesses. They punish them. Quietly, consistently, and with compounding effect. Tarif…

Why Small Businesses Are Still Counting the Damage, Despite Tariff Policy Changes

Tariff rates keep changing, but smaller companies lack the cash reserves and build up inventories that insulate their larger competitors.

Trump’s tariffs could boost some ‘Made in America’ small businesses. But for many, they only hurt

It takes about 20 steps for tufts of raw wool to become a signature Faribault Mill blanket, and it all happens under one roof in this southern Minnesota city.

'It's pretty bleak': Businesses of all sizes attempt to navigate changing trade wars

May 12, 2025 Christmas might be more than seven months away, but Sheryl Nelson’s holiday spirit already keeps taking a hit. “It’s like every email I get is about tariffs,” said Nelson, owner of Kidtopia. “And its outlook is not good. It’s very bad.” While the U.S. attempts to overhaul its international trade relationships, the timing couldn’t be worse for a toy store. “China produces 85 to 90 percent of the toys, so it’s pretty bleak,” Nelson sa…

Report: 70% of Small Businesses Believe US Headed Toward Recession

While most small businesses are pessimistic about the country's economic future, 85 percent of supply chain firms say they're prepared to weather the tariff storm.