A TikTok Ban Could Mean Millions Lost for Small-Business Owners

Tiktok禁令可能意味着为小企业主损失了数百万美元

WSJ Your Money Briefing

2025-02-03

9 分钟
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From clothes to candy, TikTok has become a storefront for a growing number of small businesses. WSJ reporter Ann-Marie Alcántara joins host Ariana Aspuru to break down how a possible ban could impact those who rely on the app to make a living. Plus, we hear from a North Carolina based shop owner who has turned her floral-inspired art designs into a million dollar business.  Sign up for the WSJ's free Markets A.M. newsletter.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Here's your money briefing for Monday, February 3rd.

  • I'm Mariana Asburu for the Wall Street Journal.

  • I really started posting on TikTok during the pandemic and my business just completely blew up.

  • That's Elise Burns.

  • She's a 27-year-old small business owner in North Carolina.

  • She's been selling floral-inspired art goods like stickers, stationery, and laptop sleeves online, since she was 18.

  • I had been on Instagram for a while, but TikTok is really kind of what got me a lot of traction.

  • That is what really took my business to like the next level of being possibly like a full-time job for me.

  • So I did $20,000 in revenue on Etsy in 2019, and then I did $360,000 in revenue on Etsy in 2020 after I got on TikTok.

  • So that was just this huge, huge jump that made me think it could be a full-time job.

  • And then 2021, I did $1.2 million.

  • 2022, I did $1.8 million.

  • 2023, I did $2.9 million.

  • And then in 2024, we hit $4 million in revenue.

  • Behind the viral memes and trendy dances, a growing number of shop owners, like Elise,

  • have capitalized on the platform, and created lucrative businesses by connecting with customers on TikTok.

  • But the looming threat of a possible US ban on the app would be a serious hit to her income.

  • Elise said 25% of her sales come from TikTok shop, with the bulk coming from direct website sales.

  • I was like, Dean, if this is gone for even a week, that's $10,000, $15,000 that could be just kind of evaporated.

  • The circumstances of the whole thing is still just like keeping me pretty nervous.