Amid Tariff Uncertainty, Re:Mind Launches as a Decision-Making Toolkit for a Volatile World

What happens when your first big product launch collides with a global tariff spike? For one founder, a deck of mental models became the difference between failure and clarity.

LOS ANGELES, May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- When U.S.-China tariffs surged this spring, Juan Carlos was on the brink of a costly misstep. A wrong move in manufacturing could derail timelines, upset backers, or sink the margins of his first product launch. But instead of panicking, he turned to the exact thing he created to help others make better decisions: mental models.

Re:Mind, a decision-making deck and app, wasn't just theory—it became his lifeline. Freight quotes from Shenzhen, tariffs for printed goods, and the chaos of global logistics became real-world test cases for the very principles the deck was built to teach.

"The whole reason I made Re:Mind was to become a better thinker," said Carlos. "Not just in theory, but in practice—when it's hard, when you're stressed, when everything's uncertain. That's when you need these models the most. I built the deck as a way to train my intuition, so in moments of crisis, I don't have to guess—I have a mental backbone to lean on."

Carlos, a filmmaker turned entrepreneur, relied on tools like the Circle of Competence, Inversion, and Second-Order Thinking to navigate production, pricing, and delivery choices.

"Circle of Competence helped me realize what I didn't know and seek help where needed. Inversion helped me flip the question. Instead of asking, 'How can I make this launch go well?' I asked, 'What's the fastest way this could fail?' That surfaced hidden risks—like unexpected delays, quality control issues, and losing margin flexibility just to avoid tariffs. Second-Order Thinking forced me to consider how a manufacturing delay would hit my backers. These weren't just abstract ideas—they are my survival tools," he said.

It is more than a business decision. It's a crossroads between values and viability. "Every creator hits that moment where their ideals meet real-world friction. That's where Re:Mind proved itself to me," said Carlos.

That moment shaped the final form of Re:Mind: a 100-card deck paired with an interactive app designed to help others navigate their forks in the road. Each card represents a mental model, from systems thinking to cognitive bias, and comes with real-world prompts and examples to put clarity into action.

In a climate of rising costs, economic instability, and AI-driven disruption, Re:Mind offers more than productivity tips. It's a compass for clarity—a way to pause, reflect, and choose better.

About Re:Mind
Re:Mind is a deck-and-app system that uses mental models to help professionals, educators, and coaches make smarter decisions. It was created by Juan Carlos, a health tech executive and creator focused on better thinking. It's now live on Kickstarter.

Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/readjuancarlos/re-mind-mental-models-deck-for-smarter-decisions

SOURCE Re:Mind