Statewide View: Proposed data-privacy law would harm Minnesota businesses like mine
When I was laid off from my corporate job in 2001, I saw an opportunity to start my own company. With my experience in sales and marketing, an embroidery machine, some spare room in the basement, and a lot of determination, my wife and I started embroidering local businesses’ logos on hats and shirts. People loved our customized products and great customer service, and our
business took off. Fast forward to 2024. We have 28 employees and a facility just outside Jordan, Minnesota, from which we ship hundreds of thousands of custom-embroidered backpacks, fleece tops, and other items to businesses and organizations nationwide.
To keep our business growing, we need to market our specialty service effectively. Like many small businesses, we use data-powered digital advertising because it is less
expensive and more effective than TV or radio ads. This helps us make more sales and gives us more money to invest in our equipment and employees. We partner with digital ad providers
that use thousands of different data points to put our ads in front of the right audience — that is, people most likely interested in logo-embroidered apparel.
This is why I’m concerned about a new bill in Congress called theAmerican Privacy Rights Act. The APRA would strictly regulate the data that powers digital ads, making them less effective and hurting thousands of small businesses like ours. Lawmakers need to understand that data-powered digital ads really make a huge difference. Without them, more than two-thirds of Minnesota small businesses would have to raise prices to make up for falling sales.
