Connecticut Entrepreneurs Win with TikTok

TikTok isn’t just about dance trends, music, and influencers—it’s transforming how small businesses connect, grow, and thrive.

“We’re living in the first era in human history where people are buying from people and not businesses,” Oma’s Pride director of ecommerce Bryan MacDonald says.

MacDonald was one of four small business leaders featured at a Dec. 3 CBIA event that brought policymakers and business leaders together to share stories about how the platform has helped drive growth.

MacDonald’s family-owned Oma’s Pride has been manufacturing specialized all-natural pet food for decades in Connecticut.

MacDonald said the company’s product has been consistently strong, but the team discovered its true potential once it started sharing content on TikTok.

“I think Tiktok has sort of unlocked the distribution element of having a great product,” MacDonald said.

National Brand

Oma’s Pride is just one of the success stories.

A study by TikTok and Oxford Economics found small businesses who used TikTok added $310 million to Connecticut’s GDP in 2023.

The platform has taken business to a whole new level for a Stamford diner that opened in 1987.

“TikTok helped us catapult our business,” Elm Street Diner owner John Moshos said.

Since joining TikTok, they’ve gained over 220,000 followers—making them the most-followed business in the state.

Moshos and his team regularly post videos featuring extreme milkshake creations and other decadent menu items.

Their popularity helped the diner open a second location in Norwalk and they’ve become a destination spot for people from across the country.

“TikTok has helped us grow our family business into now a national brand,” Moshos said.

He said part of that has to do with how quickly a video can take off.

“TikTok is pretty much the only platform where it doesn’t matter how many followers you have,” Moshos said.

“Overnight, you can become a household name and then a bigger part of your community.” 

Taking Off

That was part of the story for Bumpa Built, a Somers-based company that creates 3D-printed toys.

Owner Adam Rivard said TikTok helped turn a hobby into full-time business.

“One day, my son asked me to print him a little dragon,” Rivard said. “So, I printed him a dragon and it just took off.”

Rivard said after getting interest from friends and family, he joined TikTok shop in 2023.

“We would not exist today if it wasn’t for TikTok.”

Bumpa Built’s Adam Rivard

“I will never forget it,” he said. “I posted a video of a little dinosaur. All of a sudden, we sold 30 or 40 of them that night.”

“Same thing next week. Now we’re selling 300 not 30, and it just kept replicating.”

Revard said they went from one 3D printer in his basement to 70 in the span of just four months.

He said TikTok even reached out to him—connecting him with help to grow his live streaming and other content.

“I can say we would not exist today if it wasn’t for TikTok.”

Power of Community

Serial entrepreneur Chris Allen said he has seen the power of TikTok before his new restaurant business has even opened.

He is in the process of launching Gas Burgers, a retro-style burger restaurant at a former gas station in North Haven.

Allen, who used TikTok with other ventures in the past, said he started posting videos about his plans for the restaurant on the platform.

“It really just resonated really quickly across the platform,” Allen said.

“It allowed me to interact with people and actually help them build the restaurant with me.”

Gas Burger’s Chris Allen

Since then, he’s been able to create a community around the business which has yet to open its doors.

“It allowed me to interact with people and actually help them build the restaurant with me, so that they feel they’re part owner in it,” Allen said.

Allen his audience has voted on everything from menu items to the restaurant’s décor.

“We’re not even up and running, but we have this whole following of day one-ers that are going to be standing at the door waiting to get into our restaurant before we even cracked it for the first time.”

‘Behind the Brand’

Like Allen, Oma’s Pride has used the platform to not only showcase their product, but go behind the scenes.

Some of the company’s more popular videos stem from the team putting their own spin on the sitcom The Office.

“They’re able to fall in love with the people behind the brand,” MacDonald said.

“They’re able to fall in love with the people behind the brand.”

Oma’s Pride’s Bryan MacDonald

“Ultimately, that brings them down the funnel to buy the product that the person that they fell in love with is selling.”

While the thought of joining the platform may seem overwhelming for a business, MacDonald and others suggest starting small.

“You can’t be afraid to fail,” said MacDonald. “Just pull your phone out and start recording.”

“We can post for free and go viral today and change the course of our life or our business’s trajectory.”

Authenticity

For businesses who are looking to improve their performance, small businesses said they have found the key is to be consistent and authentic.

“We spend a lot of time trying to edit and make certain videos perfect, and those don’t take off,” Rivard said.

Allen said he thinks a lot of people overthink the content they are putting together.

“I think the best videos that I’ve done are the most engaging videos I’ve done have just been off the cuff,” Allen said.

“I think the best videos that I’ve done are the most engaging videos I’ve done have just been off the cuff.”

Allen

That authenticity helps the audience feel part of the community and helps businesses with their bottom lines.

“People say, ‘I drove eight hours to come see you guys when they passed thousands of restaurants on the way,’” Moshos said.

“That means the world to us, and this platform has essentially made it possible.”

“We’re not just making toys for kids now,” Rivard said. “We’re making a product that actually helps people around the world.”