The social media site has boosted businesses across the country, including some in Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS — TikTok announced the app will be unavailable overnight after the United States government passed a law banning it. The social media app posted a message to its users this evening.
Owner of Fuzzy Loon Designs, Sarah Fitzgerald, said the app changed her print business’s trajectory after they joined in 2020.
“We had a Christmas ornament, it was a little sassy, go mega-viral, and we had to hire almost all of our friends and family to help make products,” Fitzgerald said.
One video was all it took.
“It gave us the financial leverage to buy more equipment and actually pursue the business as a business, you know, it wasn’t a hobby anymore,” she said. “If it wasn’t for TikTok we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
She said TikTok got their business out of the basement and into a building where they have a store in Waite Park. They have also hired five employees.
“I want people to understand that this isn’t just a kids’ app. I’ve seen pretty nasty comments saying ‘Well, now you got to get a real job.’ There are businesses that rely on this, we have employees, our employees rely on TikTok,” she said.
Fitzgerald said they don’t post all of their content on a single app, but TikTok propelled their business forward.
“I really think that it’s going to hurt small business, it’s going to hurt content creators, and I don’t even know what the implications are going to be if this does stay banned and we don’t see TikTok next week,” she said.
According to an Oxford Economics study, 72,000 Minnesota businesses actively use the social media site. In 2023, small Minnesota businesses (SMBs) on TikTok contributed $430 million to the state’s GDP, supported over 4,000 jobs, and generated more than $99 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue in the state.
The study also reported 91% of SMB sales increased after promoting their products and services, including Jen Shaffer’s business.
“I love TikTok. It has absolutely launched my business from just an idea I had in my head to something I honestly can’t keep up with because it’s doing so well,” Shaffer said.
On TikTok, she’s the Formidable Genealogist and has connected with clients from around the world.
“I started posting on TikTok in summer of 2022,” she said. “TikTok allows me to reach people from across the country and across the continent. I’ve had many clients from Canada, all aspects of the U.S. have been covered in my client base, and the U.K., and even one in Australia.”
She posts on other social media sites, but those sites haven’t given her the same traction as TikTok.
“I’ve done exactly the same things across all platforms, and I’ve posted the exact same videos and it’s only the TikTok ones that bring me clients and right now I am booked out about a year for clients for full-time work and genealogy is typically an industry where people struggle to make a living,” she said.
Shaffer said TikTok has been an integral part of her business for years. She was about to go back to work full-time and decided to join TikTok on a whim.
“I had these preconceived notions about Tik ok that it was entirely entertainment, but I found a wealth of information out there and very supportive people which turned into clients,” she said. “I feel like people are misunderstanding what a valuable tool this is for so many people, especially myself that does not appear to be the typical person you would expect on TikTok.”
One of the things she loves about TikTok is the community she’s built. She’s connected with other small business owners through meetings the social media has hosted for small businesses. The app has helped foster a sense of community and positive feedback. When she posts on other sites, she often gets comments about her appearance.
Fitzgerald said she’ll also miss the community.
“It’s the community that TikTok created. It’s a totally different feel than maybe Instagram reels or YouTube,” Fitzgerald said. “TikTok gave us that voice it connected us to people, and I don’t even know how to feel right now because it’s kind of just a blur of everything coming together. I don’t know what’s going to happen.’
Both Fitzgerald and Shaffer are hopeful January 19 won’t be the end and hope they’ll be able to reconnect with their TikTok community again.
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