Category: Small Business

Trump’s Tariffs Threaten to Break Some Small Businesses

Import duties are posing a challenge to some smaller companies, which fear that raising prices to cover higher costs will drive away customers.
Forget Labubus: We’re Collecting Semi-Cured Gel Nail Strips

The strips feature intricate designs and can be applied at a fraction of the cost of a salon visit. People are collecting them by the hundreds.
How Robert Redford Helped Shape Celebrity Style at Sundance

How the Sundance Film Festival set in the mountains of Utah shaped what stars (and those who emulate them) wear.
A Year After Hurricane Helene, North Carolina Clockmaker Keeps Creating Masterpieces

Last September, Spruce Pine, N.C., was nearly destroyed. Luther Stroup’s shop, where he makes five-figure grandfather clocks, was spared.
A “Fall of Rome” Candle by JD and Kate Industries Proves Candles Can be Funny

A small company in Missouri is struggling to keep up with orders for its “Fall of Rome” candle, and it is already working on its next social media hit.
A Tariff Loophole on Cheap Imports Has Closed. How Will It Affect Shoppers?

The end of the “de minimis” exemption — which allowed packages less than $800 to enter the U.S. tariff-free — is leading to confusion.
When Mailing a Letter to the U.S. Becomes a Global Headache

A driver’s license renewal, a box of specialty candy, even early Christmas presents — all are caught up in the confusion caused by a new Trump administration customs rule.
Nothing Could Topple the ‘Queen of Heels.’ Then Trump Came Along.

The president’s steep tariffs and erratic moves have turned manufacturing abroad into a minefield, even for entrepreneurs who set up in countries viewed as safe alternatives to China.
Can Robots Be a Good Thing? Factories Rent Them to Retain Human Workers

Robots-for-rent is one way some small U.S. factories gain access to automation, reducing turnover and ensuring workers aren’t injured.
Trump’s Tariffs Become a Wild Card for Board Game Makers

Trade war uncertainty is forcing board and card game publishers in the United States to make tough decisions, putting the future of the industry in jeopardy.
Trump’s Tariffs Push U.S. Businesses Into ‘Survival Mode’

A 90-day pause on additional tariffs on China offers no relief to American companies already facing extraordinarily high import taxes imposed by President Trump.
How Tariffs Will Affect This Unique Cheese

Stilton is a special type of blue cheese that can be made in only three English counties. There are just four producers of Stilton left, but this one was crowned best cheese in the world, according to one of the industry’s top awards last year. Eshe Nelson, a business reporter for The New York Times, went to Clawson Farms, the producer of the award-winning Stilton, which is trying to expand its business in the United States, despite the higher costs imposed by the Trump administration’s tariff policy.