Online Entrepreneur Shares How Social Media Helped her Small Business Achieve 10-Fold Growth

At a time when side gigs are becoming an essential way to live beyond the paycheck and to maintain savings as well as financial stability, social media has empowered small businesses, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs to reach millions of customers worldwide. In the past couple of years, TikTok has emerged as one of the most powerful marketing platforms for small businesses. One of those who made the most of it with a small investment is the founder and CEO Canvas Beauty, Stormi Steele.

Building a $200,000 business from her kitchen

Steele founded Canvas Beauty with her handmade hair and body products which she made in her modest 100-square-foot kitchen, and with the help of her TikTok Shop, trademarked Body Glaze Body Butter and Full Bloom hair products gained popularity overnight. Soon, Steele sold products worth $200,000 in a single live stream, and the brand is now on track to see $6 million in monthly sales while her company has grown from six to 60 employees within a span of six months.

How TikTok boosted Canvas Beauty

Speaking to Blavity, Steele says that her business blew up overnight after they got on TikTok and TikTok Shop. The platform’s powerful algorithm combined with its content allowed the brand to tell its authentic story to millions through a viral bloom.

Launched in 2022, TikTok Shop has become a game-changing addition to the platform. It transformed it into a one-stop shop for both content and online shopping. Integrated within the app, the TikTok Shop allowed creators to sell their products through their content, live stream, and by running ads on the platform.

It also allows users and viewers to discover new brands and products that they can directly purchase from their favorite creators. Steele told Blavity that after getting on TikTok, her business could barely keep up with demand and the way they grew from six to 60 “still blows her mind.”

The brand’s strategy has always been to deliver high-quality products at an affordable price point as a part of its mission to help women everywhere feel their best. TikTok helped them supercharge their reach while keeping their product strategy the same.

“We haven’t seen this kind of success on other social platforms in years, and we’re so thankful to have seen it through TikTok Shop,” Steele told Blavity.

Steele also adds that TikTok Shop’s generous promotions gave her long-time customers take advantage of great deals like a 50% discount on their products.

Monetizing engagement on TikTok

Steele mentions that they love seeing user content about their Body Glaze products and they have spent “countless nights scrolling through, reading, listening, and watching” what other creators and customers had to say about their products. This has helped the brand get some positive feedback which boosts their confidence and morale.

Future after TikTok ban

While businesses are leveraging TikTok’s algorithm and reach, the future of the platform currently hangs in limbo. Over the weekend lawmakers in the U.S. passed a bill that would ban the app unless the Chinese owners of TikTok’s parent company ByteDance sell the platform to American business.

The House of Representatives passed the legislation by a margin of 360 to 58, as per The Guardian and it will now go to the Senate where it could be voted through this week.