What started as a small hobby making pinback buttons at home eventually became a small business, I was proud of. I wasn't trying to build a corporation — I was simply making things I enjoyed and selling them to people who appreciated them.
Then came the Canada Post strike.
As a small home-based business, I depended on reliable shipping. The strike caused delays, disrupted orders, and created problems that were completely outside my control.
Once I finally got through that, the tariffs came along.
Suddenly, the cost of materials, supplies, and getting products to customers started climbing. For a small business, those extra costs matter.
One disruption followed another, turning something that started as a simple hobby into a much more difficult and expensive business to keep running.
For someone working out of their home, it's money coming directly out of your pocket, your time, and sometimes your ability to keep doing what you love.
So yeah, I got screwed.
Not because I was running some massive business. Quite the opposite. I was small. I was independent. I was doing this from home, trying to make something work on my own terms — and I ended up getting caught in the middle of decisions and disruptions that had very real consequences for me and my company.
Richard Comely created a variant cover involving Captain Canuck denying Donald Trump's attempt to implement hefty tariffs on Canada.
