How Tariffs, Insurance, and the K-Shaped Economy Hit Small Businesses, With Special Guest Jonathan Thurston From Lanex Yachting, Episode 19

In this Episode of CIC's Small Business Intelligence, hosts Joe McCaffrey and Louis Silva welcome Jonathan Thurston, CEO of Lanex Yachting in Jamestown, Rhode Island, to discuss how current headlines are affecting small businesses. Thurston explains Lanex’s yacht cordage and splicing services and describes severe uncertainty and margin pressure from shifting tariffs on imported marine products, including a shipment of French-made steel shackles where tariffs nearly erased profitability. The conversation covers how small businesses decide whether to absorb or pass through higher costs by tracking competitors, the K-shaped economy and rising price sensitivity among boat owners, and broader cost pressures such as insurance, mooring fees, and fuel. Thurston also shares that he has sold the company to distributors and reflects on the complexities of small-business exits and succession.