One afternoon while new mom Beth Benike was out with friends, she came up with a clever fix for her baby’s nonstop toy-dropping routine: a suction placemat with tethers to keep everything within reach. It worked so well that others wanted one too. That spark soon grew into Busy Baby, a brand now trusted by parents nationwide for products that make daily life easier.
Today, Busy Baby is a growing global business, expanding into new markets while navigating supply chain hurdles, rising costs, and shifting consumer demands. Through it all, the company continues to grow — and thrive — with adaptability, creativity, and a relentless problem-solving mindset.
How a parent-inspired solution became a multimillion-dollar brand
Encouraged by early reactions, Benike formalized her business in 2019 and began selling at local events, through e-commerce, and on Amazon. The first year brought in nearly $100,000 in revenue. That number grew dramatically during the pandemic in 2020 as homebound parents discovered new ways to use the product — not only in restaurants but during Zoom calls and homeschooling sessions.
“I had to pivot,” Benike told CO—. “I was marketing a product that I had invented to take to restaurants, so … I pivoted all of my use cases to using the products at home versus using them out.”
In 2021, a national TV appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank” further boosted the brand’s visibility. Although Benike ultimately declined a deal from investor Lori Greiner, the national exposure propelled sales and helped the company expand its product line with new bundles and improved suction.
By 2023, Busy Baby had grown into a multimillion-dollar brand with placement in major retailers like Target and Walmart. But just as the business hit its stride, shifting trade policies and supply chain disruptions pushed the team to rethink its strategy once again.
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Tackling tariffs and thinking globally
When new tariffs took effect in 2025, Busy Baby was suddenly facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexpected import costs. To stay afloat, the company delayed shipments, reengineered container packing to reduce costs, and began reevaluating its entire distribution strategy.
“When something comes out of nowhere that affects you so profoundly, you have to think outside the box and come up with different ways to overcome this giant bomb that felt like it was dropped in our front yard,” Benike shared.
One of the most impactful outcomes of that shift was international expansion. Busy Baby partnered with a woman-led startup in South Korea, granting them distribution rights and supplying inventory bound initially for the U.S. Around the same time, the company launched a storefront on Amazon Australia and began laying the groundwork for additional partnerships in Europe.
When something comes out of nowhere that affects you so profoundly, you have to think outside the box and come up with different ways to overcome this giant bomb that felt like it was dropped in our front yard.Beth Benike, Founder and CEO of Busy Baby
To support its broader strategy, the team upgraded its silicone material to meet more stringent international standards, surpassing those required in countries like the United States, Canada, China, and Australia.
“The EU uses a one-step higher grade of silicone, which is obviously a little bit more expensive to [produce],” Benike explained. “Because of all the uncertainty … we upgraded to the food-grade silicone so that, should we be unable to pay tariffs to bring in the products, we can sell them in Europe, where we have a lot of demand now.”
Beyond expanding its reach, the international model gave Busy Baby a financial buffer: distributors paid upfront, often before the company even owed its factory.
[Read more: Tariff Impacts on Small Business]
Building community through openness and adaptability
As Busy Baby faced challenges like supply chain disruptions, shifting demand, and the complexity of international expansion, Benike leaned heavily on one of the company’s most valuable resources: the small business community.
Rather than treat competitors as threats, the team built meaningful relationships across the industry, learning from established peers and offering guidance to newer startups. These connections became especially important when navigating new distribution models and regulatory requirements abroad.
“Even though we're competitors, essentially, we're in the same space,” Benike said. “We're all dealing with the same hardships … We all have the same goals, and we can all learn from each other.”
That openness — along with a willingness to ask questions and adapt quickly — helped Busy Baby avoid costly missteps and stay nimble during periods of uncertainty.
Now operating with a lean team out of Zumbrota, Minnesota, Busy Baby is focused on long-term growth backed by a stronger foundation, a growing global footprint, and a product line that continues to expand. Through every pivot and pressure point, the company has stayed true to the same values that sparked its start: creativity, collaboration, and the confidence to figure things out along the way.
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