How Small Business Owners Can Prepare Financially for Rising Costs and Economic Uncertainty
The economic environment for small businesses in 2026 has been complicated, to say the least. Tariffs on imported goods have driven up input costs across industries from food service to manufacturing. Shipping costs remain elevated. Consumer spending has softened in several categories as households absorb higher prices across the board. The Federal Reserve's most recent Beige Book noted that small businesses are disproportionately affected by these pressures, with many reporting margin compression and limited ability to pass rising costs on to customers. For small business owners, the obvious question is what to do about it. The external environment is outside anyone's control, but how a business is structured financially going into a period of pressure determines how much room it has to maneuver. A small business checking account with a well-maintained transaction history, a functioning reserve, and an active banking relationship is the starting point. Beyond that, there are...
