SmartSolve exists for a reason that goes beyond profit margins and market share. Our purpose — stated plainly, lived daily — is to glorify Christ through our character and actions as we faithfully steward His creation and resources. It is a purpose that shapes how we innovate and how we lead when the ground shifts beneath us. Purpose driven business.
SmartSolve’s Purpose: To glorify Christ through our character and actions as we faithfully steward His creation and resources.
In May 2026, journalist Harvest Prude published “Trusting God Through a Year of Trump’s Tariffs” — a feature in Christianity Today exploring how Christian small business owners have navigated the sweeping tariff landscape of the past year. Among the voices she sought out was our CEO, Jonathan Jakubowski.
A Calling That Doesn’t Change
The tariff environment of the past year has been, by any measure, disorienting. Average effective tariff rates have swung dramatically, supply chains have been disrupted, and small businesses — without the lobbyists and legal teams available to major corporations — have been left to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape largely on their own.
Jonathan’s response, as described in the article, was characteristically grounded. Prude writes that he is “bullish that his American manufacturing company will ride out the tariff challenges” — and his reasoning cuts straight to the heart of what it means to run a purpose-driven company.
My calling as a business leader does not change. If tariffs raise my costs, I will innovate around them. …The economic environment is a variable; my mission is a constant.
— Jonathan Jakubowski, SmartSolve CEO and Co-founder
That posture — firm without being brittle, confident without being naive — reflects something deeper than business strategy. It reflects what SmartSolve was built on. Listed on the walls of our offices are six core values, each paired with a Bible verse. They are not decorations. According to Jonathan, they serve as a daily reminder that no matter the economic headwinds, the focus remains on faithful, innovative stewardship.
Faith, Tariffs, and a Prudential Question
Jonathan was characteristically thoughtful on the politics of trade policy itself. He told Christianity Today that he aligns with a Milton Friedman view — that tariffs are essentially a tax that raises costs for consumers. But he was equally careful to note that Christians of genuine faith land on both sides of the debate.
Scripture does not prescribe a tariff rate.
— Jonathan Jakubowski, SmartSolve CEO and Co-founder
He called it a “prudential question, not a confessional one” — a distinction that reflects the kind of measured, theologically informed leadership that has defined SmartSolve’s culture from the beginning. The tariffs are real, and their effects on raw materials costs and suppliers are real. But they do not rewrite the mission.
Born from Stewardship, Purpose Driven Business
It’s worth remembering where SmartSolve came from. Jonathan couldn’t unsee the piles of plastic waste he encountered while living as a missionary in Guatemala. That experience — of witnessing creation bearing the weight of human carelessness — became the seed of a company. He cofounded SmartSolve to make water-soluble, plastic-free packaging materials: products used today in everything from first-aid kits to feminine health care products to instant coffee packages that dissolve completely in water.
The vision is straightforward: make packaging no longer trash. The purpose beneath it runs deeper — to care for what God has made. That origin story is inseparable from how Jonathan leads through uncertainty. This is not a company that stumbled into its values during a branding exercise. The values came first.
What Being Featured in Christianity Today Means
Christianity Today reaches over 40 million readers annually, with nearly 40% of its audience outside the United States. It is a voice that holds the line on theological integrity while engaging seriously with the complexities of the world. Being featured in its pages — alongside a story about economic hardship, faith, and resilience — is meaningful to us.
It is a reminder that the way SmartSolve operates is worth something beyond what shows up on a balance sheet. That a company can face real, material challenges and respond not with fear or expedience, but with clarity about what it was made to do. We are proud of Jonathan for representing that well — and grateful to Christianity Today for telling stories that the church, and the world, needs to hear.
Also Featured in the Article
SmartSolve was one of several faith-driven businesses highlighted in Prude’s feature. The full article is well worth reading — each story is a different window into what it looks like to run a business anchored in something bigger than the bottom line.
Be A Heart — Erica Campbell, Phoenix, AZ
An online shop selling Christian-inspired products designed to bring small reminders of God’s presence into the lives of busy families. Campbell navigates overseas manufacturing constraints and unpredictable tariff swings on her Advent and seasonal product lines.
Caputo’s Market and Deli — Matt Caputo, Salt Lake City, UT
A family-owned specialty food institution known for artisan cheeses, tinned fish, and rare ingredients sourced from small producers around the world. Caputo’s Orthodox faith shapes a business philosophy that puts people — including irreplaceable overseas artisans — before profits.
Read the full Christianity Today feature: Trusting God Through a Year of Trump’s Tariffs
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