Tariffs and Small Business: Voices from Across America

As the holiday season approaches, small-business owners across the country are doing math most shoppers never see. Every carton of packaging, gallon of cleaning solvent, or imported component carries a story of cost and resilience.

To understand how tariffs are reshaping Main Street, Revenued spoke with business owners from New York to Texas, drawing on interviews from The Revenued Q4 2025 State of Small Business Report. Their words reveal both frustration and ingenuity as they navigate the rising cost of doing business.

“Supporting U.S. suppliers shouldn’t mean going broke.”

Alex — ShinePro Cleaning, Indiana

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the increased cost of U.S.-based suppliers for chemicals and cleaning supplies. Everyone wants to support American-made, but the cost doesn’t always favor small businesses.”

Alex’s words capture a national dilemma: patriotic sourcing versus survival margins. Most survey respondents said they’re proud to buy domestic, but need fairer balance to keep doing so.

“Every purchase trickles down.”

James — HavenStay Rentals, Texas

James doesn’t import goods himself, but he feels the squeeze every time he restocks a rental property.

“There’s a higher cost for furnishings, appliances, and supplies. Retailers pass those costs to us, and we have to pass them to our guests.”

He’s noticed shorter bookings and more price-sensitive travelers, proof that tariffs can quietly reshape consumer behavior far beyond store shelves.

“Packaging is the new pain point.”

Erika — Artistry Market, North Carolina

For this online shop owner, tariffs have turned packaging from an afterthought into a strategy.

“The materials we used to order cost way more now, so we’ve had to find new suppliers and adjust how much we order. It’s changed how we plan our inventory and budgeting.”

She says the experience has forced her to become leaner, focusing on reliability instead of bulk orders. It’s a trend that showed up in many retail responses from the survey.

“You just manage what you can.”

Darren — SouthPoint Logistics, Georgia

For Darren, whose company hauls freight across the Southeast, tariffs are one more variable in a tightening equation.

“It’s affected everything we do. Costs are up, and we just have to deal with it the best way we can.”

Transportation businesses like his face higher fuel and equipment costs, challenges that ripple through nearly every other industry.

“The ripple touches every service.”

Monica — LuxeClean, Georgia

Tariffs aren’t just hitting manufacturers. Monica, who runs a premium cleaning and lifestyle brand, said her biggest increases are on cleaning supplies and packaging.

“Our supply costs climbed roughly 10 to 15 percent in six months. We’ve had to negotiate harder with vendors and add a small service fee just to stay balanced.”

She’s begun sourcing more U.S.-made products and using business funding to steady cash flow during the holidays. For her, flexibility, not size, may determine who weathers tariff pressure.

“Even service industries are feeling it.”

Tina — NewBridge Counseling, New York

Tina runs a mental health counseling agency in New York that works with individual clients, insurers, and community programs. Her business doesn’t import goods or rely on global supply chains, but the effects of tariffs still show up in her operating budget.

“Supplies, utilities, rent, the software we use to run sessions and billing [...] everything has inched up. These aren’t costs we can pass along easily, so every increase affects what we can put back into staffing and client care.”

Her experience shows how tariff-driven price increases ripple into sectors far outside manufacturing or retail. Even service-based organizations like hers feel the strain when the cost of staying open rises faster than reimbursement rates or client affordability.

A Bigger Picture

In the broader survey, nearly eight in ten businesses said tariffs raised their operating costs in the past six months, with retail and construction hardest hit. Confidence scores averaged 2.3 out of 5, showing continued caution heading into 2026. Yet behind the numbers lies grit. Most owners are still adapting, renegotiating, and finding ways to keep customers served.

“Small business owners are tired of volatility, but not defeated by it,” the report concludes. “Resilience isn’t just a story; it’s a strategy.”

As Revenued continues its State of Small Business series, these voices offer more than anecdotes. They’re snapshots of an economy powered by perseverance, one invoice, one pivot, one plan at a time.

Read, Listen, and Share

You can read the full Revenued Q4 2025 State of Small Business Report [here] (link to the report), and listen to real voices from these business owners in the latest episode of the Revenued Review Podcast.

Follow @Revenued on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook for more stories from small business owners shaping the economy from the ground up.

Editor Note: Some names and business details have been changed to protect the anonymity of survey participants.