Every Business Has a Story to Tell

But not every business knows what that story is or where to tell it. Sarah Segal has some suggestions.

Good Morning!

Here are today’s highlights:

• For some businesses, the tariffs represent a big opportunity.

• But for many Amazon sellers, the tariffs are an existential threat.

• The trucking industry is already seeing a collapse in demand.

• A son who struggled to read was the inspiration for Mike Wood to found LeapFrog Enterprises.

THE 21 HATS PODCAST: DASHBOARD

Every Business has a Story to Tell: But not every business knows how and where to tell it? This week, Sarah Segal talks through what business owners should know about public relations: How can they get better at explaining what they do? How can they figure out what others will find interesting about their business? Should they share their story themselves or reach out to a journalist? If they decide to reach out to a journalist, should they do it themselves or hire a PR person to do it? If they decide to hire a PR person, how much should it cost?

• You can subscribe to the 21 Hats Podcast wherever you get podcasts.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

For certain businesses, the tariff turmoil is a big opportunity: “Ellwood Group, a maker of forged steel, nickel, and aluminum products, saw sales jump 35 percent from the fourth quarter to the first, driven in part by tariffs that only came into effect in mid-March. One reason: Large construction projects that use finished steel are diversifying away from Asian suppliers to U.S. companies that buy Ellwood’s raw materials. ‘Customers want to get ahead of the tariffs,’ said David Barensfeld, chairman of Ellwood, a Pennsylvania company that has roughly 2,000 employees. ‘They are diversifying, reshoring, because they want to de-risk foreign supply chains.’ The Trump administration imposed 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum in March. Ellwood is currently adding 50 people to its staff; it hopes to bring on another 50 to deal with increased orders.”