How to Lead a Small Business Through Trade War Uncertainty
When the China tariffs threatened to wipe out my margins, I didn’t have answers—just fear. Here’s how I led my team with honesty, not strategy. This is what real trust looks like when everything feels fragile.
Right now, I’m stressed—waiting to see if the China trade war escalates again.
If tariffs spike back to 145%, like they did earlier this year, my urethane business might not survive.
This isn’t a strategy problem.
It’s a survival problem.
I’m staring at a spreadsheet full of decisions I don’t want to make.
- If I raise prices, clients will feel it.
- If I cut costs, my team will feel it.
- If I shrink the team… I don’t know how I’ll carry that.
Every option feels like a loss.
But silence? That’s not an option.
So yesterday, I did the only thing that felt honest:
I sat down with my team and told them the truth.
"I don’t have an answer. Just a promise," I said.
- No surprise cuts
- No sugarcoating
- And no pretending I’m not scared too
Sometimes in business, you have to keep moving without a plan.
You have to hold steady when every number looks ugly.
You have to show up — even when nothing is certain.
That’s the part most books and podcasts never tell.
The part where your team’s looking at you, expecting clarity…
…and all you have is a little courage to keep moving forward.
I’ve built businesses for nearly three decades.
Survived recessions, supplier collapses, and regulatory chaos.
But this moment is still hard. Still humbling.
What Real Leadership Looks Like
Leadership isn’t about having all the answers.
It’s about staying in the room in the toughest of times.
Even when everything feels uncertain.
It’s about protecting your people without pretending you’re unshakable.
If you’re in that place right nowin this trade war —
torn between options that all feel like failure?
You’re not broken. You’re not alone.
You don’t have to fix it.
Just don’t disappear.
Because that’s what your team, your clients, and your partners will remember.
The Trust That Matters Most
I believe in building trust in business —
with clients, with markets, with platforms.
But trust is put to the test in moments like these.
So, show up without pretending.
Share the fear and take responsibility.
That’s where trust lives.
Not in perfection — but in presence.
If you’re reading this silently and thinking,
“This is exactly where I am right now”
I’m with you,
HQ