Local TikToker says she would lose majority of her business if app was banned
A New Brighton woman is behind the account The Formidable Genealogist on TikTok. She says a ban on the app would mean she would lose a majority of her business.
Courtesy TikTok
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Many small business owners in Minnesota are concerned about what a TikTok ban could mean for their livelihoods. The social media app is currently fighting a ban that was upheld by a federal court Friday.
Around 70,000 businesses in Minnesota use TikTok for promotional purposes. And a third of the small businesses in the state say that using TikTok is at the crux of their business structure, according to an Oxford Economics Study released in March.
One of those small business owners is Jen Shaffer. She runs a genealogy business from her home in New Brighton called The Formidable Genealogist. Shaffer relies exclusively on connecting to clients using TikTok. She joined the program to talk about what a ban would mean for her business.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Many small business owners in Minnesota are concerned about what a TikTok ban could mean for their livelihoods. The social media app is currently fighting a ban that was upheld by a federal court Friday. Around 70,000 businesses in Minnesota use TikTok for promotional purposes, and 1/3 of the small businesses in the state say that using TikTok is at the crux of their business structure. That's according to an Oxford Economics study released in March.
One of those small business owners is Jen Shaffer, who runs a genealogy business from her home in New Brighton, called The Formidable Genealogist, and she relies exclusively on connecting with clients through TikTok. She's on the line now to talk about it. Jen, thanks for joining me.
JEN SHAFFER: Hello. It is lovely to talk to you today.
NINA MOINI: It's lovely to talk to you. I will admit, I do not have a TikTok. I'm one of the few. But I was able to watch some of your videos, and what a neat service that you provide. I understand you help clients to build their family trees, use DNA to reconnect maybe adoptees with their birth parents. So we're going to listen to a clip of one of your videos that has more than a million views. Let's take a listen.
JEN SHAFFER: People do not like to hear this one and get mad at me all the time, but your family tree back to the 1300s and 1400s, it's likely not accurate, and I do not believe you. I can shed doubt on some portion of it in five minutes or less. If you'd like a price quote for any family histories or mysteries, send me a message from my profile.
I'm going to rile up a lot of people here. Whenever I state that, no, your tree does not go back to the year 800 or 900, the response I get is, my royal lines are very well documented, or I'm missing a few generations, but--
NINA MOINI: I bet that does get people riled up.
JEN SHAFFER: It does.
NINA MOINI: A million views is no joke. I mean, that is serious stuff. Tell me the story about how you got your business started on TikTok, how it became such an integral part.
JEN SHAFFER: Yeah, so it was kind of, really, a turning point for my business. I started this business very, very part time in 2017. I tried paid ads on Facebook, print ads, in-person events, and just nothing gained traction. So on a whim in 2022, I just started a TikTok channel at an urging from a friend of mine. And it really resonated with people and the audience grew. And suddenly, here I was able to do this work full time just because TikTok did not fit my preconceived notions of what I thought it was. And really, I found just a huge audience for this type of content.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I'm curious if you ever saw this talk of a potential ban coming. I mean, why did you feel that TikTok was a stable enough place as a business to rely on? And then what was your reaction when you heard that it might be, essentially, banned here in the US?
JEN SHAFFER: Right. Well, when I first got started with it, I honestly didn't know very much about it. So like I said, it was basically just a whim, just an attempt to see if this would gain traction, which it really did. And it was all organic reach was the really interesting part of it. No paid ads.
So my business became very successful just because of that. And then obviously, I became very concerned once there was talk about a ban. There was one last year or two, and then that did not pass, and then the one in April this year. And I actually went out to DC to meet with Senate about that. I met with somebody from Tina Smith's office and somebody from Amy Klobuchar's office about it because I was that concerned.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and I don't think that you're alone based on the numbers that we were talking about at the beginning. What do other business owners who rely on TikTok say? Do you all support each other, or are there ways that you're talking to one another about this?
JEN SHAFFER: Yeah, it's really actually very cool. TikTok is extremely supportive of small businesses, and they have-- every couple months, they have a meet and greet network sort of event for small businesses on Zoom, where we get together, we get to hear each other's stories, we go out into breakout rooms and talk about ways to grow our businesses. And it's just been such a great community event, such a great way to connect with other people, especially those of us that just are sole proprietors of our own businesses and don't really get to network a lot.
NINA MOINI: Well, I'm curious, too, what is so special about TikTok, given that, I'm not a user at this point myself because folks might say, well, why don't you just get on Instagram or why don't you get on Facebook? What is it about TikTok that makes it so special and important to you? Why couldn't you just switch to another platform?
JEN SHAFFER: Well, the community engagement is so different. This is only my experience, obviously, so that's the disclaimer here. But I post the same videos every day about genealogy tips across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, and Instagram exactly the same. And on the other platforms, people kind of comment at you and engage at you or the video.
And on TikTok, people engage with you. They ask you more questions about what you have talked about in the video. They reach out and send you messages, just with encouraging things. It's just an entirely different vibe. It's really interesting what a big difference there is.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I'd love to learn a little more about that. How do you know that you're really doing marketing? What is your strategy behind TikTok? Because your videos are-- they're just you chatting. You're sharing information. It's not like you're like, here's this thing I'm selling right here. It's not necessarily tangible. So what is the thinking behind your marketing on TikTok?
JEN SHAFFER: Well, it was just kind of like throwing darts at a board and seeing what stuck in the beginning, as most of us small business owners do. But I found that just showing my knowledge about different things would resonate with people. It'd be similar to an issue they had in their own family tree that they were researching. And then just displaying my knowledge leads to clients.
Like right now, I am booked out with 150 people on my wait list, which is like nine months or more of full-time work.
NINA MOINI: Congrats, that's amazing.
JEN SHAFFER: Nearly all of them are from TikTok. It's just amazing. You don't really have to work to sell when it's a service-based business like this. People just see that you are knowledgeable and then they contact you.
NINA MOINI: I'm curious if you've ever had concerns-- obviously, the US government right now, parts of it feels like that there's potential user data collection on going on the part of the Chinese government, just concerns about information and the parent company of TikTok. Is that something, as a business owner on TikTok, that concerns you, or do you understand that reasoning?
JEN SHAFFER: Well, I haven't seen enough of the details of the concerns, really. There's not a huge overlap in genealogist and security for software. But as a user, I have never felt any concern with my data on there. I've never felt, I don't know, any misgivings about using it for my business.
NINA MOINI: And what about if there, indeed, is a ban, have you begun to think about other strategies, a backup plan? What would you do?
JEN SHAFFER: I would probably try paid ads, maybe, on other platforms. But as a small business owner, it's very nice to not have to pay for those things and to just have this free marketing organic reach through TikTok. And I would have to learn a little bit different techniques, I guess. But I'm very hopeful that this will not come to pass.
NINA MOINI: I'm also curious if, through your work, do you meet people in person ever? Have you met other Minnesotans or formed connections with people that go beyond the app?
JEN SHAFFER: I have, actually. Out when I was in DC back meeting in the Senate offices, I ran into a few other small business owners. There was a woman in Texas who runs a clothing shop for tall women, and I talked to her. And then another woman out of Ohio who makes wooden furniture, and we were there doing the same exact thing. So we were able to chat with each other about it. And then we've since corresponded more through TikTok, as well.
NINA MOINI: OK. Well, we would love to check in with you again as this process unfolds. And we really appreciate you coming on and telling us about your work, Jen.
JEN SHAFFER: Yeah, thank you so much.
NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Jen Shaffer, owner of a small business called The Formidable Genealogist out of her home in New Brighton.
One of those small business owners is Jen Shaffer, who runs a genealogy business from her home in New Brighton, called The Formidable Genealogist, and she relies exclusively on connecting with clients through TikTok. She's on the line now to talk about it. Jen, thanks for joining me.
JEN SHAFFER: Hello. It is lovely to talk to you today.
NINA MOINI: It's lovely to talk to you. I will admit, I do not have a TikTok. I'm one of the few. But I was able to watch some of your videos, and what a neat service that you provide. I understand you help clients to build their family trees, use DNA to reconnect maybe adoptees with their birth parents. So we're going to listen to a clip of one of your videos that has more than a million views. Let's take a listen.
JEN SHAFFER: People do not like to hear this one and get mad at me all the time, but your family tree back to the 1300s and 1400s, it's likely not accurate, and I do not believe you. I can shed doubt on some portion of it in five minutes or less. If you'd like a price quote for any family histories or mysteries, send me a message from my profile.
I'm going to rile up a lot of people here. Whenever I state that, no, your tree does not go back to the year 800 or 900, the response I get is, my royal lines are very well documented, or I'm missing a few generations, but--
NINA MOINI: I bet that does get people riled up.
JEN SHAFFER: It does.
NINA MOINI: A million views is no joke. I mean, that is serious stuff. Tell me the story about how you got your business started on TikTok, how it became such an integral part.
JEN SHAFFER: Yeah, so it was kind of, really, a turning point for my business. I started this business very, very part time in 2017. I tried paid ads on Facebook, print ads, in-person events, and just nothing gained traction. So on a whim in 2022, I just started a TikTok channel at an urging from a friend of mine. And it really resonated with people and the audience grew. And suddenly, here I was able to do this work full time just because TikTok did not fit my preconceived notions of what I thought it was. And really, I found just a huge audience for this type of content.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I'm curious if you ever saw this talk of a potential ban coming. I mean, why did you feel that TikTok was a stable enough place as a business to rely on? And then what was your reaction when you heard that it might be, essentially, banned here in the US?
JEN SHAFFER: Right. Well, when I first got started with it, I honestly didn't know very much about it. So like I said, it was basically just a whim, just an attempt to see if this would gain traction, which it really did. And it was all organic reach was the really interesting part of it. No paid ads.
So my business became very successful just because of that. And then obviously, I became very concerned once there was talk about a ban. There was one last year or two, and then that did not pass, and then the one in April this year. And I actually went out to DC to meet with Senate about that. I met with somebody from Tina Smith's office and somebody from Amy Klobuchar's office about it because I was that concerned.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and I don't think that you're alone based on the numbers that we were talking about at the beginning. What do other business owners who rely on TikTok say? Do you all support each other, or are there ways that you're talking to one another about this?
JEN SHAFFER: Yeah, it's really actually very cool. TikTok is extremely supportive of small businesses, and they have-- every couple months, they have a meet and greet network sort of event for small businesses on Zoom, where we get together, we get to hear each other's stories, we go out into breakout rooms and talk about ways to grow our businesses. And it's just been such a great community event, such a great way to connect with other people, especially those of us that just are sole proprietors of our own businesses and don't really get to network a lot.
NINA MOINI: Well, I'm curious, too, what is so special about TikTok, given that, I'm not a user at this point myself because folks might say, well, why don't you just get on Instagram or why don't you get on Facebook? What is it about TikTok that makes it so special and important to you? Why couldn't you just switch to another platform?
JEN SHAFFER: Well, the community engagement is so different. This is only my experience, obviously, so that's the disclaimer here. But I post the same videos every day about genealogy tips across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, and Instagram exactly the same. And on the other platforms, people kind of comment at you and engage at you or the video.
And on TikTok, people engage with you. They ask you more questions about what you have talked about in the video. They reach out and send you messages, just with encouraging things. It's just an entirely different vibe. It's really interesting what a big difference there is.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I'd love to learn a little more about that. How do you know that you're really doing marketing? What is your strategy behind TikTok? Because your videos are-- they're just you chatting. You're sharing information. It's not like you're like, here's this thing I'm selling right here. It's not necessarily tangible. So what is the thinking behind your marketing on TikTok?
JEN SHAFFER: Well, it was just kind of like throwing darts at a board and seeing what stuck in the beginning, as most of us small business owners do. But I found that just showing my knowledge about different things would resonate with people. It'd be similar to an issue they had in their own family tree that they were researching. And then just displaying my knowledge leads to clients.
Like right now, I am booked out with 150 people on my wait list, which is like nine months or more of full-time work.
NINA MOINI: Congrats, that's amazing.
JEN SHAFFER: Nearly all of them are from TikTok. It's just amazing. You don't really have to work to sell when it's a service-based business like this. People just see that you are knowledgeable and then they contact you.
NINA MOINI: I'm curious if you've ever had concerns-- obviously, the US government right now, parts of it feels like that there's potential user data collection on going on the part of the Chinese government, just concerns about information and the parent company of TikTok. Is that something, as a business owner on TikTok, that concerns you, or do you understand that reasoning?
JEN SHAFFER: Well, I haven't seen enough of the details of the concerns, really. There's not a huge overlap in genealogist and security for software. But as a user, I have never felt any concern with my data on there. I've never felt, I don't know, any misgivings about using it for my business.
NINA MOINI: And what about if there, indeed, is a ban, have you begun to think about other strategies, a backup plan? What would you do?
JEN SHAFFER: I would probably try paid ads, maybe, on other platforms. But as a small business owner, it's very nice to not have to pay for those things and to just have this free marketing organic reach through TikTok. And I would have to learn a little bit different techniques, I guess. But I'm very hopeful that this will not come to pass.
NINA MOINI: I'm also curious if, through your work, do you meet people in person ever? Have you met other Minnesotans or formed connections with people that go beyond the app?
JEN SHAFFER: I have, actually. Out when I was in DC back meeting in the Senate offices, I ran into a few other small business owners. There was a woman in Texas who runs a clothing shop for tall women, and I talked to her. And then another woman out of Ohio who makes wooden furniture, and we were there doing the same exact thing. So we were able to chat with each other about it. And then we've since corresponded more through TikTok, as well.
NINA MOINI: OK. Well, we would love to check in with you again as this process unfolds. And we really appreciate you coming on and telling us about your work, Jen.
JEN SHAFFER: Yeah, thank you so much.
NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Jen Shaffer, owner of a small business called The Formidable Genealogist out of her home in New Brighton.
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