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After her viral tariff video drew CNN, the BBC, Bloomberg, and The New York Times and landed Busy Baby in Harvard Business School's curriculum, this Army veteran and Shark Tank alumna became the most documented face of U.S. trade policy's toll on small manufacturers in 2025.
Beth Benike founded Busy Baby in 2017 in Oronoco, Minnesota.
The company's signature product, the Busy Baby Mat, is a patented silicone placemat with suction cups and stretchy tethers. A U.S. Army veteran, Benike appeared on Shark Tank, scaled Busy Baby into Walmart and Target, and was named 2025 SBA Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year. After her manufacturing costs from China spiked under U.S. tariffs in 2025, her viral video led to coverage from CNN, The New York Times, and BBC.
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