OPEN LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER
TARIFFTOGETHER — THE GORILLA IN THE ROOM

My name is Jeremy Dougherty, and I am the founder and CEO of Maroon Bell Outdoor. I’m writing to you this Sunday evening to ask for your help—by offering a 25% tariff discount we’re calling “TariffTogether.”

In nine years, we’ve overcome monumental challenges—from COVID to interest rate hikes to iOS14 data blocks. To date, we’ve never taken on investors—we chose to bootstrap our operations. We’ve leveraged ourselves and been pushed to the brink more times than I can count—and yet we’re still here.

Recently, the game changed again. We’re not afraid. We’re not complaining. We are not victims. And we absolutely refuse to quit. Our destiny was set years ago, and failure was never part of the script.

After all, we’re Americans. We’ll find a way. But we cannot do it alone.

Our Defining Moment

I’ve spent countless nights and early mornings trying to solve this “tariff” problem. Two days ago, while jogging in the foothills, the solution came to me. When I launched Maroon Bell Outdoor in 2016, I knew we’d have to be uncommon—maybe even unreasonable—to survive. So why should this moment be any different?

"Instead of adding fees, we’re giving you a 25% discount."

The only thing I ever wanted from my career was to be an entrepreneur. You gave me that dream, and I will never forget it. I’m an overtly optimistic and idealistic person who has always believed a glove could change the world. And I still do.

I also believe that ships in a harbor rise and fall together—regardless of their paint color. So now, in the darkest part of the night, in the face of what feels like certain defeat, we will not scream at the clouds. We’ll stand side by side—because the only way forward lies in the strength of our partnership with you.

Americans are stronger together.
#AmericaTogether

The Details of Our Fight

The impending tariffs have the potential to devastate our small company. When gloves arrive at our warehouse from Pakistan—where we manufacture—we must pay the U.S. government 14.9% of the order’s value before the shipment is released. If we buy $100 worth of gloves (including materials, labor, packaging, and freight), we pay $14.90 in tariffs—for a total of $114.90. Soon, it’s possible that the tariff rate could exceed 50%, increasing our cost to over $150 on the same order.

How You Can Help

The most direct way to help? Buy gloves—now at a reduced cost.

• Tell your friends and repost our Instagram and Facebook content
• Comment, save, and share to boost engagement
• Spread the word to local boutiques, hardware stores, fire departments, police stations, army surplus outlets, and hunting outfitters
• Mention our campaign “TariffTogether” to any media outlet that will listen
• Let organizations know we offer branded/white-label gloves and gear (Last year: Special Forces, Kenworth Trucking, Cisco Foods)
• Buy our boxing gloves for your office as a symbol of perseverance

The Story of Strength: Small Business in America

Since 2016 Maroon Bell Outdoor has fought to bring regard back to consumers. No guidebook, no investors, no safety net. Just grit—one glove at a time.

We manufacture in Pakistan because domestic glove production was impossible here. we tried for years. That single international partnership has kept us alive—and supports dozens of U.S. workers through our 3PL in Alabama. It lets us pay American content creators, pour hundreds of thousands into domestic carriers, pay U.S. sales taxes and subscriptions, and manufacture glove balm right here at home.

We’ve paid tens of thousands in tariffs over the years. We have injected millions into the U.S. economy all while enduring 47% interest on some loans and 30% on most others. Major vendors like J. Peterman Outfitters have refused to pay us for gloves delivered last December—knowing we can’t afford to sue them. This is common. We don’t have attorneys on retainer. We just figure it out.

In the driving rain, we've built an almost completely turnkey, vertically integrated international supply chain from scratch to deliver something truly unique: a reinvented leather glove that helps make ranching, motorcycling, firefighting, welding, hunting, and construction safer.

We have one employee—Stephanie—she is excellent. As the founder and CEO, I have always had other jobs in addition to Maroon Bell and I don't take a salary.

This is the story of small business in America. And we’re not complaining—we’re bragging.

Because this isn’t weakness. It’s strength. It’s fortitude. It’s grit. It was my dream—and we will not go quietly into the night.