Tim Riegel, a business owner in Lamar, Missouri, had a eureka moment when reviewing his monthly earnings half a year ago. Despite strong sales from his side hustle, Mozark Fire Pit Studio, the profits seemed to be dwindling.
The culprit was that the company got bit by the inflation bug.
From its launch in 2021, Mozark Fire Pit Studio’s momentum was initially unstoppable, he told CNBC. Beginning with crafting heavy steel fire pits for his local community, Riegel expanded to shipping the products via Etsy Inc (NASDAQ: ETSY), in both the U.S. and Canada.
Within five months, his company brought in $50,000 in sales.
But then came the sting of inflation, ...