Founders of 38 startups weigh in on Trump's tariffs: one receives an unexpected $200,000 bill.

A group of 38 women entrepreneurs from the consumer products sector has expressed their concern regarding the impact that tariff increases imposed by President Trump may have on small businesses. Although the president has decided to pause the tariff increase for several countries for 90 days, setting a current rate of 10%, the tariff on China has been raised to 145%, which includes a previous 20% increase.

In a letter published recently, these founders requested that Trump and Congress reconsider the tariffs, at least until small businesses manage to find affordable alternatives in their supply chains. Otherwise, they are asking for specific exemptions for small businesses.

The letter was signed by Allison Luvera, founder of Juliet Wine, a startup that markets premium boxed wine directly to consumers. Luvera commented that she is facing an unexpected annual expense of $200,000 due to the purchase of a key packaging component from abroad, as there is no domestic alternative available. Other similar cases were mentioned, including a home cleaning brand that is forced to import its reusable bags due to a lack of immediate options in the U.S., which could increase the cost of such packaging by 80%.

This group argues that their businesses generate $800 million annually and employ thousands of people, sourcing supplies from both domestic and international manufacturers. They point out that tariffs have a more pronounced impact on small businesses, which lack the negotiating power that large corporations have to renegotiate supply contracts or absorb significant cost increases.

Furthermore, they are asking other small business owners and anyone concerned about the economic repercussions to join their effort to pressure Congress. They advocate for an assessment of the impact on small businesses so that the government is aware of the situation. In the best case scenario, they wish for small entrepreneurs to be exempt from these tariff increases. If that is not possible, they are requesting “grants, tax incentives, or technical assistance” to help U.S. small businesses resolve supply chain issues created by Trump’s trade policies. Among the signatories are designer Rebecca Minkoff, Alison Wyatt from the Female Founder Collective, as well as Emily Doyle and Mei Kwok from Dune Suncare and Yanghee Paik from Rael.