Iowa creators forced to pivot after TikTok becomes unavailable in US [Video]

DES MOINES, Iowa — A recent report from TikTok shows that in 2023 the social media app generated $15 billion for small businesses across the country. That same year, just in Iowa, small businesses contributed $200 million in GDP through TikTok.

Iowa creators Linda Tong (@lindatongplanners) and Brittany Brown (@imperfectinspiration) both say the rewards of catapulting their business outweigh the privacy risks associated with TikTok, the main reason behind the ban. The two of them are looking at a plan B after the app became unavailable on Saturday night.

In 2020 Tong, who’s from West Des Moines, started sharing her hand-drawn planners on TikTok. After a couple of her videos went viral, she turned a hobby into a full-fledged business called Linda Tong Planners.

“It literally made me a full-time business owner during college,” Tong said. “Honestly, it was …