Congressman Horsford Moderates Roundtable with Local Small Businesses

LAS VEGAS - Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) yesterday joined local TikTok small business owners and creators at a roundtable event in Nevada’s Fourth Congressional District. The event highlighted TikTok’s economic impact in the state and featured a panel of local small businesses discussing how they use TikTok to expand their business and reach new customers. 

“You all are helping to drive job creation; you’re helping to drive wealth generation for families, not just here in Nevada, but all across the country,” said Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) to the business owners. “If you are an entrepreneur, creator, small business owner, I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities and all the unique tools that TikTok provides.”

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The panel included a diverse mix of women-owned, Hispanic-owned, and Black-owned small business owners and creators sharing their experience on the platform and success stories, featuring: 

• Alexandra Lourdes, creator and owner of several Las Vegas businesses - Café Lola, Saint Honoré, and 3LC
• Jen Gay, tourism creator behind Vegas Starfish, the go-to source for food, entertainment, gaming, resort and attraction recommendations
• Kari Garcia, owner of Tsp Baking Company, a bakery serving fresh mini cupcakes, cakes, and cookies
• Marsean Nelson, owner of Taste Budz Creole Kitchen, a food truck turned viral brick and mortar restaurant serving gumbo, alfredo, famous crab boils, shrimp and grits
• Vanessa Barreat, owner of La Vecindad, a Mexican restaurant where each dish is a celebration of flavor, tradition, and the artistry of Mexican cuisine.

“TikTok gives you all the resources for you to have so you don’t have an excuse,” said Marsean Nelson, owner of Taste Budz Creole Kitchen. “When I first started my business, we didn’t have money, but if you go to TikTok, TikTok is your billboard; TikTok is your delivery vehicle; TikTok is your staff; TikTok is your customer base; TikTok is your high school, your college, your honors courses. So everything that you need is right there for you to begin and flourish.” 

“I never expected the success that we have right now,” said Vanessa Barreat, owner of La Vecindad. “COVID closed our doors, but at the same time, TikTok opened the door to success for us. And thanks to TikTok, I’m proud to say that I can pay for college for my son.” 

TikTok has been a powerful economic engine across Nevada -- driving growth, creating wealth-building opportunities, and strengthening community connections for the 1.1 million Nevadans and 70,000 businesses on TikTok. According to a report from Oxford Economics, Nevada small and midsize businesses (SMBs) use of TikTok contributed $200 million to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), generated nearly $46 million in federal, state, and local tax revenue, and supported 1,900 Nevada jobs. The report says for small businesses, the impact of the platform is significant -- 50% of SMBs in Nevada say that their business needs to continue to use and improve upon TikTok marketing content in order to stay competitive.