A Stylish Way to Carry Lunch
Sherika Wynter and her business partner Shallon Thomas have worked together since 2014. One day, Shallon realized he had no stylish way to carry his lunch into the office and wanted something better. In 2018, he and Sherika created a new company called T|W Tote, which makes fashionable lunch bags.
Sherika and Shallon use the power of digital tools to sell their products. For a minor cost, they boost social media posts on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn and reach thousands of people. Their free Google Business Profile makes it easy for potential customers to search for their business, view photos, and read reviews. Inexpensive Google and YouTube Ads are also extremely helpful in bringing people straight to their Shopify-powered website. And free Google Analytics provides data that shows the effectiveness of each advertisement and how they can be improved. Sherika and Shallon learned so much about their audience from Google Analytics that they expanded into the women’s market through targeted ads.
Sherika worries that the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S.2992), which some in Congress are pushing, could force Google Ads and Analytics to become separate business offerings instead of integrated services. This could force Google to charge money for the analytics services that are free today, and that would make it harder and more expensive for T|W Tote to find customers.
“Legislators need to think long and hard before passing laws that make digital tools more expensive and our lives more difficult. Congress should focus on lowering inflation and gas prices, not messing around with the business tools and services that help us succeed,” says Sherika.
