Eighteen months ago, our family moved to Colorado. We wanted to live outdoors, enjoy the mountains, and send our kids to great schools. As a digital entrepreneur who can run my businesses from anywhere, I am very lucky to have the freedom to choose, and we chose Colorado.

Since arriving here, I have started my fifth digital business. Once I decided on an idea, the birthing process was straightforward. I raised money on Kickstarter and built a simple, elegant website on Shopify. When the product, packaging, and shipping were ready, we launched a specialty tea company. Thanks to the power of digital advertising and marketing, we had paying customers a few hours after turning on the website. Our business is growing, and if we execute well, then we will soon be hiring local employees and renting space in a commercial kitchen. Next summer, I hope to be selling our tea at the local farmers market, and I hope it will soon be available in stores.

But I do have one big concern. Many people in our government, including many members of the congressional subcommittee that recently held a hearing in Boulder on the practices of the largest tech companies, seem to think that our digital marketing partners like Google and Facebook should be restrained by new laws. As a serial small business owner, I know that our digital partners are a huge reason for our success. I would be very worried if new laws limit how they can support our businesses and millions more.

Digital marketing and advertising use the power of data to put our product before our target audience — tea lovers. It seems simple, but the data and science are so powerful that they can quickly make a money-losing business profitable. I know businesses that previously spent $100,000 advertising in the Yellow Pages and $50,000 printing and mailing catalogs, but they had no clue if these investments were generating sales. By switching to digital, they could track the results of every advertisement and promotion and focus investment on those that are successful. 

I am living the 21st century American dream: bringing a new idea to life with the help of funders who love it, and digital technologies that let me live here while reaching customers nationwide. So why are Congress, seemingly the entire federal government, and several state attorneys general trying to handcuff my digital partners?

Some worry that Facebook and Google collect lots of data, and as a protective mom, I would worry if companies share my data. As a marketer, I know that I don’t receive user data from our partners, but that the data and analytics make my advertisements and promotions more effective.

There are also concerns that these companies are too big, but I see their scale as enabling more low-cost and free services to my small business. To be clear, I’m happy to work with any partners that help my business succeed, but I should make those choices rather than the government. If new laws force my partners to change the way they operate, their small business tools will be less effective, and my costs will increase.

Being an entrepreneur is challenging, but it is much easier with digital partners that help small businesses start, grow, and operate. Why would our elected officials make it harder for these partners to work with small businesses? I hope Congress and all our public officials will keep small businesses in mind when they consider actions against our digital partners or legislation that could make our partnership more difficult and less valuable. From the small business point of view, if it isn’t broke…

Victoria Wise is CEO of Uppa Tea and Madeworthy Media. She lives with her family in Crested Butte.