By Women Who Influence | The Influence
October 28, 2026 · Global business analysis
A business does not need an overseas office to be connected to international trade. Packaging, ingredients, equipment, and components can link a neighborhood company to conditions far beyond its own market.
What the Federal Reserve found
In a March release accompanying the 2026 Report on Employer Firms, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland said 48% of respondents had sourced at least some inputs from outside the United States in 2024. Among those firms, 84% reported that the inputs had become more expensive. Within that group, 76% passed along at least some of the increases and 60% absorbed at least some.
Those last two figures overlap: a business can raise prices while also accepting a smaller margin. The findings describe businesses’ reported experiences, not a measure of how much any one tariff or policy caused prices to change.
The underlying survey was conducted from September through November 2025 and received 6,525 responses from employer firms with one to 499 employees. It is a nationwide convenience sample, not a random sample or a New York-specific survey. Publication in 2026 does not make the responses a snapshot of conditions this October.
The WWI perspective: growth depends on what remains after the sale
A higher sales total can look encouraging until the owner asks what it now costs to deliver the same product. If packaging and ingredients become more expensive while selling prices stay fixed, more sales may create more work without creating the expected room to invest.
For entrepreneurs building toward wholesale or larger contracts, this becomes a question of resilience as well as demand. Can the business fulfill a larger order at the quoted price? How long does a supplier guarantee that price? How much time separates paying for inputs from receiving customer payment?
Questions to take into the next supplier conversation
- What changed in the quote? Ask suppliers to distinguish product, shipping, handling, and other charges where they can.
- How long is the price valid? A quote for a future order deserves a clear time frame.
- What alternatives are realistic? Compare quality, minimum quantities, delivery times, and reliability alongside price.
- What happens at a larger order size? Check whether the apparent discount still makes sense after storage, waste, and cash timing.
These are planning questions, not a recommendation to move production or switch suppliers. A cheaper input that arrives late or changes product quality can create a different cost.
For WWI, the broader economic issue is who has the information and negotiating room to adapt. Global business coverage belongs in an entrepreneurship publication because local ownership is affected by decisions and prices that cross borders.
Sources and reporting note
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, March 3, 2026; 2026 Report on Employer Firms, including survey methodology. Reviewed October 28, 2026. This article combines sourced survey findings with original WWI analysis.
