Main Street Action Highlights New Ad
Featuring Minnesota Small Business Owner
Beth Benike on Harmful Tariffs
Washington, D.C. — Main Street Action today is lifting up a powerful new ad via our partners at Unrig Our Economy featuring Minnesota small business owner, Army veteran, and Main Street Action member Beth Benike, who has been a leading voice nationally in speaking out about the impact of tariffs on small businesses.
Benike, founder of Busy Baby and the 2025 Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year, has worked closely with Main Street Action to elevate the voices of small business owners harmed by rising costs and broken trade policies. As part of that work, she has traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate directly with lawmakers, shared her story in national media, and joined fellow entrepreneurs at press events on Capitol Hill calling for relief from tariff-driven cost increases.
“Too often, when politicians talk about affordability, it feels abstract or disconnected from people’s daily lives. But when small business owners like Beth Benike speak out, they make it real. Beth is showing exactly how tariffs translate into higher operating costs for her business and higher prices for her customers. That’s what makes her voice so powerful—she’s not talking in talking points, she’s showing working families exactly why costs are going up and who’s responsible,” said Richard Trent, Executive Director of Main Street Action.
In the ad, Benike describes how tariffs supported by Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) have driven up her costs to an unsustainable level, threatening the stability of her award-winning business. Just days after being recognized for her success, her freight costs surged from $5,000 to $160,000, a dramatic increase that has upended her operations and long-term planning.
Benike’s advocacy with Main Street Action reflects a broader movement of small business owners organizing for change. She has warned that without action, tariffs could force layoffs, price hikes, or even business closures, and has joined calls for federal solutions to provide relief and restore fairness for small businesses navigating global supply chains.
In the ad, Benike also shares that she traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak directly with Rep. Finstad about the impact on her business, but his office ignored her.
Small business importers have paid an average of $306,000 in tariff-related costs, forcing many to raise prices, delay growth, or consider layoffs. Meanwhile, many small businesses face barriers in accessing refunds that larger corporations are already pursuing, further compounding the strain.
Benike’s story underscores a broader challenge facing Main Street businesses: rising costs from multiple directions, combined with federal policies that disproportionately impact small firms.
Main Street Action continues to call for policies that prioritize small businesses, lower costs, and create a more level playing field so local entrepreneurs can thrive.
Ad Transcript:
“I served my country. And then I built my company.
I was even named Small Business Person of the year for Minnesota.
But 9 days after that, the tariffs pulled the rug out from under us.
My $5,000 freight bill jumped to $160,000.
And my Congressman Brad Finstad voted to support these tariffs, while giving tax breaks to billionaires.
I flew to Washington to tell Finstad how it’s hurting my business face-to-face.
But he wouldn’t see me.
So Brad, I’ll tell you here.
Stop supporting tariffs.”
About Main Street Action
Main Street Action builds and deploys a bench of small business validators, trusted voices rooted in their communities, across key battleground states and districts. These leaders make complex economic issues legible, showing how rising healthcare costs, unaffordable childcare, and corporate concentration actually hit people where they live and work.
These validators do not just tell stories. They create permission structures. In local media, on social platforms, and in their own businesses, they make it easier for voters in contested races to hear, trust, and act on economic arguments that might otherwise get filtered out.
We deploy this validator infrastructure where it matters most, shaping narratives in competitive districts, holding lawmakers accountable for their votes, and influencing the outcomes of the races that will decide the direction of the economy.
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