Company Update: How Tariffs Are Impacting Small Business Like Passion Planner

Hi Pashfam,

Imagine spending 11 years building something you believe in and watching it be threatened overnight because of something no one’s really talking about.

At Passion Planner, for the last 11 years, we’ve worked hard to create a culture where people are taken care of:
✅ Offering full healthcare, vision and dental benefits
✅ 401(k) with automatic employer contributions
✅ 2 months paid parental or medical leave
✅ Mental Days every Friday, where we work ½ days with full pay
✅ Paid Rest Days to decompress and recharge
✅ Health and wellness stipends
✅ and Passion Weeks, where every year team members get a paid week's vacation to pursue their passion with a $1- 3k stipend 

All of that is now at risk due to sudden policy changes beyond our control.

Today, I want to share something critical:
Tariffs are devastating small businesses across America, including ours.

When politicians say "tariffs on China," what they really mean is tariffs on people who buy from China, which is basically all of us.

Here’s how it works:

• To keep the numbers simple, let’s say it costs $10 to make a product, and a 145% tariff is added, you now have to pay an extra $14.50.
  

• That $10 product suddenly costs $24.50.
  

• If you sell 25,000 units a year, that's $312,500 in unexpected new costs. Money that most small businesses simply don't have.
  

That $14.50?
It often was the entire profit, after paying for payroll, shipping, supplies, benefits, and everything else needed to keep a small business alive.

Now, businesses are faced with difficult choices:

• Raise prices (and risk losing customers)
  

• Cut costs (which often means letting go of people they care about)
  

• Or both.
  
  

When businesses struggle, it creates a domino effect: people get scared, spend less, and the economy weakens even further.

Why this matters to you:

This isn’t just about planners.
Most of the products you use every day, such as your phone in your hand, the clothes you’re wearing, and the chair you're sitting on right now, are made in China or with materials from China.

If these tariffs continue:

• Prices will rise everywhere
  

• Businesses will close
  

• Jobs will be lost
  

• Fear will spread
  
  

I hesitated to send this because I don't want to fuel fear.

But I believe you deserve the truth, so you can prepare.

When tariffs first hit, I made a video for my best friends and shared this advice not as a financial professional but just as someone who cares:
💡 Build an emergency savings account with 6–12 months of expenses (a high-yield savings account is a great place to store it).
💡 Cut unnecessary spending.
💡 Support small businesses you love — they’ll need you more than ever.
💡 If you invest, consider index funds that track the S&P 500, such as VOO or FXAIX. Stay strong through market dips. Don’t check your portfolio daily. Historically, it always recovers with enough patience.

To my fellow small business owners:
I see you. I feel you.
This is hard.
Personally, I've struggled deeply with all of this. Some days are better than others. On the hardest days, I remind myself: Just do the next right thing today. One day at a time, one step at a time. Today that next right thing is sending this email. 

To our Pashfam:
Your support isn’t just a transaction; it’s a flotation device during this storm.
It’s the reason we’re still here.

We’ll have more updates soon, but here’s how you can take action today: 

♥️ Support the small businesses that you love

♥️ Share this message with someone who needs to hear it

♥️ We need your help. If Passion Planner has helped you, consider sharing us or the free PDF with someone who you think could benefit or shopping with us when you can. Every action you take helps sustain this community we’ve built together.

And if you or someone you know needs help finding clarity right now, please know:
You can download and print a Passion Planner for free on our website.
We exist to help people live intentionally, no matter their circumstances.

Thank you for your time. I know it’s the most precious thing you have.

With gratitude,
Angel Trinidad
Founder & CEO, Passion Planner