Oronoco, Minnesota – Beth (Fynbo) Benike planned to publish marketing videos of occupied professional social media this week.
Then, the climbing of prices on China – which increased import costs for an offer of three months of manufactured products from $ 31,000 to almost $ 200,000 – put it in front of other cameras: the objectives of CNN, BBC and New York Times.
This is not how Benike, who was recently appointed owner of the Minnesota year, hoped to become the face of owners of small American businesses.
Now it is the face of companies injured by the prices announced of 125% of President Donald Trump on the goods of China. She prefers to film segments on social networks to promote sales of her 8 -year -old baby product company.
“Talking does not take advantage of me financially because I don’t see thousands of people going to my website and ordering my products to support my small business,” she said. “What I see are people who contact me with words of support or gratitude that I speak in the name of them and everyone.”
Benike, who is a veteran of the American army, is the founder of Busy Baby, that she is in condominium with her brother Eric Fynbo. The company manufactures and sells a variety of equipment related to the baby, including its patented signature product, the busy baby carpet. The silicone dismissal has subcontracting cups to stay in place with stretch lips to attach baby toys.
Despite Benike’s best efforts to make its products in the United States, the eight occupied baby products are made of factories in China. And now, three months of occupied babies products – worth $ 158,000 – sit in stock in China rather than traveling in a ship in the United States to be wrapped and shipped to Zumbrota, where the five employed baby employees are ready to pack them.
For the moment, products can wait safely.
“The inhabitants of China are different from the inhabitants of America. In America, we really rely on contracts and legal terms. In China, they really focus on relationships. We have created excellent relations with humans with whom we work in China,” said Benike. “The inhabitants of China feel for us. They care about us. They are also invested in our success. My factory put my things in stock and will keep me free before I can understand what to do afterwards. ”
Benike had initially planned $ 31,000 to cover the pricing costs on the shipment. Then, the price in China increased to 54%, which causes costs at $ 85,000. Although this has presented a challenge, she believes that Bank Baby could probably have scratched enough friends and family to cover this additional amount.
The president then announced that the price would increase to 104%, which increased import costs on sending to around $ 164,000. An insurmountable challenge.
Finally, President Trump interrupted all of his prices for 90 days, with the exception of a rate now at 125% on goods from China. This calculates costs of $ 187,500 in $ 150,000 in product. (And later, Benike said, a 145% rate increased his import costs to around $ 229,000.)
This derailed an agreement that Benike had with Walmart which was to be finalized this week. Walmart as Target offers occupied babies products.
However, Walmart is “incredibly favorable” and “a dream of working with it,” said Benike, so the agreement could survive if the busy baby can remain afloat.
An emotional video published on social networks Monday evening on the situation suddenly made Benike the face of small American businesses struggling with the new prices in China. Its history appeared for the first time in the Minnesota reports, then crossed oceans in the United Kingdom and beyond.
Benike has some experience in front of the camera as a former competitor of the start -up television show “Shark Tank”. However, she prefers to focus on busy baby growth than to talk about prices that she sees many small businesses of us.
She envisages other options, such as the shipment of her China products to the partners in Australia, or works with a distributor in Korea, among other possible angles. Benike speaks to legislators such as the American senator Tina Smith and the American representative Brad Finstad, as well as state experts like the retirement manager of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (and former representative of the Congress), Tim Penny.
She traveled with her 8 -year -old son to Washington, DC, in early May for a ceremony of small American businesses where she will receive a prize for the small company of the Minnesota year for 2025. Benike hopes to meet civil servants during her short trip to discuss the tariff situation in person.
The difficult game to find a path to maintain your business afloat with only three months of product at hand is the uncertainty of how the rules could change again in the coming days.
“Everything changes so quickly that everything I could find may seem like a good idea right now, but any change in the next announcement could make a bad decision,” she said.
Benike answered a question that is often asked about his political ideology.
“You see in the comments of my videos, people say,” If you voted for Trump, you deserve this. “It is only the affairs of anyone for whom I voted, but I did not vote for Trump.” However, as a veteran of 10 years of the army, I see the president of our country as our commander -in -chief. Whether I vote for him or not, it doesn’t matter. He is the head of our country. I may not agree, but I’m not there saying Trump is fucked up my business. I’m not going to do it. “
