Perspective: Small businesses will suffer if Congress dismantles Big Tech
I started a tabletop gaming business out of my home four years ago and have since operated every aspect of the business online. We sell our products on online marketplaces like Amazon and use the power of digital advertising to reach customers globally.
Through hard work, the magic of digital technology, and some luck, our games became best sellers. Just as our business is taking off, Congress could knock us off track with new legislation intended to target our bigger digital partners, but instead could hurt small businesses like mine.
Like many entrepreneurs, my business started off as a hobby. My wife and I enjoyed hosting game nights with friends, but got tired of playing the same games and started creating our own. We went on YouTube, learned everything we could about graphic and print design, and brought our ideas to life. We invested what we had into the first manufacturing order and quickly began selling on Amazon.
Our sales early on were slow, but one day within a few months of selling online, our game went viral on Twitter and we sold more units in just two hours than we had in the prior seven months.
Handling this surge would have been impossible if we weren’t leveraging Amazon’s fulfillment service. We send all our inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers and they handle the packing, labeling and delivery of all our games — whether it’s one unit sold or a hundred thousand, the entire process is easily scalable.
With the shipping and delivery logistics handled by Amazon, we can focus on growing the business. One way we do this is by promoting our games through digital advertising platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google and Twitter. We’re able to efficiently spend our marketing dollars by targeting different demographics and interests to find people who would actually be interested in our games.
Legislators lack expertise
When considering the extraordinary success that digital platforms have brought to small businesses like mine, I’m confused why Congress is quickly pushing through such consequential legislation. Policymakers often lack the expertise in the areas they try to legislate, and in this instance, trying to “break up Big Tech” in the pursuit of helping smaller players shows that all too clearly.
Digital platforms’ size and scale are a significant reason why small businesses are able to leverage them with so much success. For example, Amazon’s fulfillment service allows me to ship my products in just one or two days to Prime members. It’s not only great for our customers, but it also lifts a huge financial and operational burden from our shoulders.
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