When I launched Ken-Do Spice, I wasn’t trying to build the next big food company. I was trying to solve a problem.
As a caregiver for my mother, who was living with dementia, I started looking for ways to add more flavor and beneficial ingredients to everyday meals. What began in my kitchen eventually became Ken-Do Spice, a Delaware-based seasoning company built around healing herbs, bold flavor and the belief that food should nourish both body and soul. What started as a labor of love eventually became Ken-Do Spice, named in honor of my father, Kenny “Ken-Do” Bond, who first inspired my love for cooking.
Today, my products reach customers across the country. The surprising part? I don’t have a storefront. I don’t have a massive marketing budget. What I do have is access to digital advertising.
Digital advertising has allowed me to connect with people who are actively looking for products like mine. Instead of hoping someone happens to come across my business page, I can introduce Ken-Do Spice to customers nationwide who would never have discovered it otherwise. For a small-business owner, that’s a game changer.
I’m not alone. Small businesses across Delaware rely on digital advertising to compete, grow and create economic opportunity. Recent research from Internet for Growth found that 91% of voters say personalized ads help them discover local businesses. As a business owner, I see that firsthand every time a customer places an order after finding my business online.
In May, I joined other entrepreneurs in Washington, D.C., through the Internet for Growth coalition. We met with lawmakers to discuss the importance of protecting consumer privacy, while ensuring that small businesses can continue to access the digital tools that help us grow.
For Delaware businesses, the issue is especially important. We operate in a region where crossing state lines can take just a few minutes. Many of us serve customers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and beyond. If every state adopts a different set of privacy regulations, small-business owners will be forced to navigate a complicated patchwork of rules that can be expensive and difficult to manage.
Large corporations have teams of attorneys and compliance specialists. Most small businesses do not.
A clear federal privacy standard would protect consumers, while giving entrepreneurs a practical framework to follow. It would reduce confusion, lower compliance costs and allow business owners to spend more time serving customers, growing their companies and creating jobs in their communities.
Delaware has long been known as a place where businesses can thrive. As lawmakers consider the future of privacy legislation, I hope they remember that digital advertising isn’t a luxury for small businesses. For many of us, it’s one of the most important tools we have.
Sometimes, the secret ingredient behind growth isn’t found in a recipe. It’s having access to the tools that allow small businesses to be discovered in the first place.
Shani Smith of Wilmington is the founder and CEO of Ken-Do Spice.