Tiktok’s famous user Keith Lee built his platform by doing honest food reviews from local restaurants in Las Vegas and that resulted in a positive uptick for sales and business prospects for most of the locations. Eventually his reviews prompted other businesses to reach out and he and his family began touring all over the country to spotlight small businesses with quality offerings.
But even outside the food industry, other Black businesses and its owners have blossomed thanks to help of the “clock app.” So that’s why we felt it fitting to highlight a handful of booming businesses that you need to keep an eye out if the ban goes into effect. Hopefully, these success stories will inspire you to bet on yourself and go after your dreams.
The Puddery
Before the Lee made his review of the restaurant The Puddery—a Black woman-owned pudding and dessert shop—on TikTok back in the early part of Dec. 2024, the store barely saw two customers a day. Owner Janel Prator even tearfully pleaded for Lee and other customers to visit her store so she could stop struggling to pay her bills. After Lee’s video, The Puddery saw an explosion of support and a major boost in sales, which led her to move out of her small storefront and into a bigger location just a few weeks later.
Canvas Beauty
Created by Stormi Steele back in 2018, the body and haircare brand began growing a devoted following on social media thanks to consistent posts and humorous videos that showed the behind-the-scenes of her business. Per Business Insider, the following year, Canvas Beauty earned 30,000 monthly orders after going viral on Tiktok. In 2020, they raked in $20 million in sales. Fast forward to 2024, Steele and her business made history when she became the first creator to ever have $1 million in sales on a single TikTok Live session.
IEMBE
Though Travis Terry, the creator of IEMBE, began his handbag designs back in 2019, it wasn’t until a Christmas promo video of his mom went viral on Instagram and TikTok that his brand started receiving major eyeballs. Fast forward to 2024, and Terry/IEMBE have received cosigns from celebrities and influencers like Cardi B., Bia, and Kai Cenat. He and his mom continue to build their bond all while building a profitable brand at the same time.
Coco Asante
It’s not often that you see a Black-owned chocolate company, but that’s exactly what you get with Ella Livingston’s brand, Coco Asante. Though she started her business back in 2018, it would take five years and the introduction to TikTok before her chocolates would really take off with the masses. After Keith Lee made a video reviewing her desserts in March 2023, giving them one of his highest ratings of a 9.5/10, sales for Coco Asante jumped from under $1,000 to nearly $25,000 in just 45 minutes. Since then, Livingston was able to quit her job as a teacher to focus on her business full-time.
Cleo’s Southern Cuisine
When Keith Lee and his family pulled up to Cleo’s Southern Cuisine back in 2023, he gave a plate of catfish, candied yams and cornbread the coveted 10/10 score. Since then, business became booming for owner and chef Kristen Harper so much so that they had to expand to not one but two more locations in the greater Chicago area. One year later, Cleo’s is still just as popping as it was in the initial months after Lee’s reviews went viral and if you’re wondering about the quality of the food? Well, we’ll let Lee’s reaction speak for itself.