Beth Benike, Minnesota’s Small Business Person of the Year, is fighting to keep her company alive—and her house—from collapsing under the weight of rising U.S.-China tariffs
When Beth Benike accepted her award as Minnesota’s Small Business Person of the Year last month, she couldn’t have predicted she’d be launching a GoFundMe campaign weeks later—just to keep her company from going under.
Now, she’s asking for $229,000 to pay what she calls a “ransom”—tariffs imposed on her products stranded in China, unable to ship unless paid. Without that payment, her company, Busy Baby, could be out of business within months.
A Small Business, Crushed by Big Policy
Busy Baby—co-founded with her brother, Eric Fynbo—sells silicone placemats and tether systems for infants. The products are manufactured in China, like many consumer goods, and for years, that system worked. Until now.
The U.S. doubled tariffs on Chinese imports recently, and for Benike, that meant her entire inventory—three months’ worth of product—was stuck overseas, held until she could pay the tariff. The cost? Nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
“This isn’t just a customs fee,” she said. “It’s a wall. A massive, sudden, unpredictable wall that could wipe out everything I’ve built.”
Crowdfunding Survival
With traditional funding options off the table, Benike turned to the internet. She launched a GoFundMe campaign on Sunday, April 13, writing:
By Monday afternoon, the campaign had raised just over $11,000—a fraction of her target, but a sign that the public is responding.
From SBA Honors to Desperation
Benike’s story reads like a classic American small business success:
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A mom frustrated by dropped toys at mealtime
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A clever, simple solution
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A side hustle turned real business
Busy Baby found early traction and grew fast. Her company had scaled up, taken warehouse space in Zumbrota, Minnesota, and created jobs. Then the tariff increase hit—doubling her costs overnight and effectively cutting her off from the products she’d already paid to manufacture.
“This Isn’t Just About Me”
For Benike, this isn’t just a personal crisis—it’s a broader reflection of how trade policy can destabilize small businesses with little warning or support.
“I’m not a giant corporation,” she says. “I can’t absorb this and move on. This hits directly at my livelihood, my team, my family.”
She’s now exploring international markets, alternate supply chains, and even domestic production—but all of that takes time. Time she doesn’t have if she can’t get her inventory released.
What’s Next?
The GoFundMe is still live, and Benike says she’s committed to transparency—every dollar raised will go toward clearing the tariff and getting product to customers.
In the meantime, she’s running operations, taking care of her kids, and holding out hope.
