As the impact of tariffs continues to swirl, female founders have banded together to fight back.
Founders and executives across beauty, wellness, fashion and food and beverage have released a letter urging Congress, U.S. President Donald Trump and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to provide exemptions to the tariffs specifically for small business owners, as well as impact assessments and additional support like grants, incentives or technical assistance.
The initiative was led by Allison Luvera and Lauren De Niro Pipher of Juliet Wine but has been signed by a number of executives and founders including Rebecca Minkoff, Elix founder Lulu Ge, Dune Suncare founders Emily Doyle and Mei Kwok, Alice Mushrooms founders Charlotte Cruze and Lindsay Goodstein, Rael founder Yanghee Paik, State Bags founder Jacqueline Tatelman and more.
“As a wine brand and the authors of the letter, we were one of the first industries threatened by this proposed round of tariffs,” said Luvera, chief executive officer and cofounder of Juliet Wine. “There is a precedent for tariff exemptions and a stated willingness of policymakers to negotiate, so we mobilized quickly to ensure the voices of our female founder community were heard. Our goal here is simple: to communicate that small businesses are disproportionately impacted by the proposed tariffs but cut through the noise to rally for solutions. We plan to push this through to stakeholders in the government and specifically work with the United States Trade Representative to make this happen.”
According to the group’s letter, these businesses account for more than $800 million in annual revenue, employing thousands of people internationally and domestically.
In the letter, the signees outline how these tariffs will “pose a disproportionate threat to small businesses.” It describes specific examples of what this could look like for these companies, including the following: “A woman-owned beverage brand that is mostly produced domestically is facing a significant cost increase to a key packaging component with no viable domestic supplier, which will reduce gross product margin by up to 15 percent and cost the company over $200,000 annually.”
Another example states: “A specialty food company that sources glass jars from overseas has seen container costs double in under a year, compounded by proposed tariffs on custom closures. Margins are now unsustainable, and the founder is pausing R&D on new skus to stay afloat.”
While a pause on the tariffs has been set in place for 90 days for most countries, the founders were still eager to get this letter out Thursday given the impact this could have going forward.
Here, signees of the petition share how they are navigating the ever-changing tariff rules:
“The current tariff situation is a death sentence for small businesses, who don’t have the massive resources, cash reserves or lobbying power that giants like Walmart, Amazon and Target have at their disposal. We also create jobs and opportunities that make us an imperative facet of the economic system — this impacts so much more than just the price of goods,” Ge said. “This petition is an opportunity to rally together, strengthen our numbers and ensure that small businesses have a fighting chance to continue contributing to the economy in meaningful ways.”
“We’re navigating around and thinking through a lot of nebulous information still right now — and trying not to be too reactive with our decisions. For now, we’re taking a proactive approach to mitigating business impacts by identifying alternative packaging options,” said Doyle of Dune Suncare. “We’re also actively working with current strategic vendors to evaluate cost structure of packaging imports to creatively distribute total costs across different business categories. Partnering for preferred incoterms DPP may allow for the vendor to share in the newer tariff burdens without passing along the full cost. Finally, as a small business, we’re also evaluating price adjustments as needed with retail partners and consumers across the product line.”
“I’m signing this petition because the rising tariffs are deeply harmful to small businesses like ours. As an independent business owner for over 20 years, these are some of the most difficult cost challenges we’ve had to face,” said Parker Thatch cofounder Irene Chen. “At Parker Thatch, we produce most of our handbags domestically, but we rely on high-quality materials like leather, trimmings and hardware that are sourced globally. The recent tariff increases on these essential components make our business model increasingly unsustainable. It’s critical that small businesses like ours have a voice in shaping policies that directly affect our ability to operate and grow.”
