wegg® Associates Talk Tariffs to Forbes

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development of global SMEs, tariffs are top of mind for our team and community. The looming consequences that these policies will wreak on entrepreneurs across the country cannot be overstated. Laurel Delaney, wegg® President, Wendy Shen, member of wegg Cohort One, and Jamie Shah, Daughters of Business Owners wegg cohort member, all provided insight on the effects and ramifications of the sanctioned federal tariffs to Forbes, in the article, “How Small Business Owners Are Handling Tariffs—And Their Advice To Entrepreneurs.” These issues hit very close to home to all who are apart of the wegg family.

Laurel provided a matter-of-fact state of things to the think piece, “It’s a shocking abuse of power that is crippling a lot of small businesses. Even with the 90-day pause on levies, America’s tariffs are still the highest in nearly 90 years.” Wendy, president and CEO of FLOMO/Nygala Corp, echoed these sentiments when describing her personal experiences,

“In the short term, it is a cash flow burden, resulting in a loss of sales and a big hit on our financials’ top and bottom line. We will lose a few million dollars in sales since some of our Christmas merchandise is from China, and our crafting items are 100% from China. In the long term, it will hurt job opportunities…Small businesses will experience a lot of losses…We won’t have the cash to invest in new product innovation, development, and licensing. These huge tariffs will impact businesses at the top and bottom. If the company is losing money, how can we pay the tariffs? Even if there is a tax incentive or break, it will not help small businesses.”

Wendy has had to halt all production in China, and her advice for entrepreneurs included a wegg shoutout! “Reduce expenses, postpone big projects…get insights and suggestions from peer groups like wegg and join a wegg cohort group,” among other suggestions. We are honored to be apart of her toolkit.

Jamie, president of Chem-Impex international described her strategies thusly,

“We’re carrying more inventory to ensure availability, even if it means tying up capital. We’re pausing non-essential investments to stay nimble. And we’re doubling down on what’s always set us apart—responsiveness, reliability, and deep customer relationships. While family businesses like ours don’t have the luxury of coasting, we will survive by adapting, listening harder, and outworking uncertainty. We’ve seen storms before, and we’ll see them again. In these moments, we draw strength from how we started—with nothing more than bold ideas and the will to make them work.”

We admire how Wendy and Jamie have demonstrated their resilience and dexterity during such chaotic current events. wegg is here to stay and always here to help.