--- title: "Small Business Owners Express Tariff Concerns" url: https://burnaze.com/article/bec4fa4f-5c05-4292-8b86-f5ab7e14025d source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/_small_business_owners_express_tariff_concerns.html author: "M. Scott Morris" category: "Finance" topics: ["Finance & M&A","Regulation & legal"] published: 2025-03-12T08:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:09:53.868Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/9372_plate.jpg --- # Small Business Owners Express Tariff Concerns **TL;DR:** Alignable's March Tariff Report found that 41% of small business owners expect revenue losses due to tariffs, with 18% anticipating significant declines. Small businesses drive 44% of U.S. GDP, but many are now focused on simply staying afloat due to tariff concerns. *By M. Scott Morris, originally published in Franchising.com on 2025-03-12. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/_small_business_owners_express_tariff_concerns.html).* ## Story Alignable's March Tariff Report reveals that 41% of small business owners expect revenue losses—an 11-point jump from 30% last month. Of those, 18% anticipate significant declines due to tariffs These findings are based on 5,288 responses from randomly selected small business owners polled between Feb. 7–28 by Alignable, the largest online networking platform for small businesses. Why this matters: Small businesses drive 44% of U.S. GDP, but instead of planning for growth in 2025, many are now focused on simply staying afloat. - Manufacturers are under increased pressure: Now, 54% fear tariff-related financial trouble—a 29-point surge from last month. - Other industries expecting revenue declines include retailers (54%), science/technology (51%), transportation (49%), restaurants (45%), and automotive (43%). - Most concerned states: Georgia (51%), Minnesota (49%), Colorado (48%), Illinois (47%), California, Massachusetts, and Washington State (46%), and New York (45%). - However, 19% of small business owners believe tariffs will ultimately boost their income and will strengthen the U.S. economy down the road. - Get Started in Franchising - Franchise Rankings & Awards - Franchise Sales & Development - Featured Franchise Stories Franchising.com is produced by Franchise Update Media. Franchise Update Media has its finger on the pulse of franchising with unrivalled audience intelligence and market driven data. No media company understands the franchise landscape deeper than Franchise Update Media. 1201 New York Avenue NW, Suite 300A Washington, DC 20005 PH. (408) 402-5681 - Franchisee Financing & Lending - Site Selection & Real Estate - Supply Chain & Procurement - Annual Franchise Development Report - Multi-Unit Franchising Conference - Franchise Growth & Marketing Conference - Franchise Leadership & Development Conference - Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine - Franchise Update Magazine - Franchise Update Franchisor Report - Franchising Express Report - International Franchise Report - Multi-Unit Franchisee Report The multi-unit franchise opportunities listed above are not related to or endorsed by Multi-Unit Franchisee or Franchise Update Media Group. We are not engaged in, supporting, or endorsing any specific franchise, business opportunity, company or individual. No statement in this site is to be construed as a recommendation. We encourage prospective franchise buyers to perform extensive due diligence when considering a franchise opportunity. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - General (sector) - franchising (topic) - Multi-Unit (company) - M. Scott Morris (person) - Alignable (company) - small business owners (topic) - tariff concerns (topic) - revenue losses (topic) - us gdp (topic) --- Originally reported by M. Scott Morris, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/_small_business_owners_express_tariff_concerns.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/bec4fa4f-5c05-4292-8b86-f5ab7e14025d).