With the impending ban on TikTok in the United States, millions of users, including small business owners, find themselves in a state of uncertainty, searching for alternatives to sustain their livelihoods. Among them is Brandon Hurst, whose plant delivery business has flourished on the platform.
As cited by CBS News, Hurst, known as "Brandon the Plant Guy" on TikTok, expressed how the app transformed his business model. "It allows me to go live, share who I am, but it also makes it easy for people to buy," he stated. Since joining TikTok last year, Hurst claims his business has tripled, boasting sales of over 57,000 plants.
His success story is not unique. TikTok asserts that it hosts around seven million small businesses, supporting over 224,000 American jobs. For entrepreneurs like Hurst, a TikTok ban would not only jeopardize their own income but also impact the livelihoods of their employees. "This is a team of eight other people that would lose their jobs," Hurst emphasized.
The ban, signed into law by President Biden as part of a foreign aid package, gives TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, nine to 12 months to sell the platform to an American entity. Failure to comply would result in TikTok's expulsion from the US market. In response, TikTok plans to challenge the ban in federal court.
Analysts speculate about the potential repercussions of a TikTok ban on small businesses. Jasmine Enberg, an analyst for eMarketer, highlights TikTok's unique ability to drive product sales, which could be challenging to replicate on other platforms. Enberg suggests that Meta, the parent company of Instagram, stands to benefit the most from TikTok's absence. However, she acknowledges that while platforms like Instagram Reels may offer similar features, they cannot replicate TikTok's distinctive culture.
For entrepreneurs like Hurst, the uncertainty looms large. While exploring alternatives like Instagram, Hurst admits, "There's just not that many places you can live sell. So I haven't thought about it yet, to be honest."
