Small Business Owners Fear Uncertainty as TikTok Ban Looms in US

As the clock ticks down for TikTok in the US, millions of users, including small business owners like Brandon Hurst, are left uncertain about their next steps. Hurst, who operates a plant delivery business and has seen his life transformed by TikTok’s live features, is among them.

Since launching his plant selling business on TikTok a year ago, Hurst, also known as “Brandon the Plant Guy,” has seen his company grow threefold. He proudly mentions that his company is just one of an estimated seven million small businesses on TikTok, and TikTok claims to support over 224,000 American jobs. Hurst emphasizes that his business employs a team of eight people whose livelihoods would be at risk if TikTok were banned in the US.

The looming ban was recently signed into law as part of a foreign aid package, giving ByteDance, TikTok’s owner, until September 15th to sell the platform to an American company. If no deal is struck before then