A New Jersey small business owner said she was approached by a major running shoe company about producing 30 custom carabiner kits for an influencer brand trip. According to the owner, the company wanted the kits to feature its branding and be given to influencers attending the trip. The situation left her frustrated after she said the proposed collaboration did not include payment for the handmade products.
The story was shared by the business’s official TikTok account, JUJ, using the username juj.junction. The video received several hundred thousand views within hours of being uploaded, bringing attention to the owner’s experience with the proposed brand collaboration.
The owner said she was preparing to launch the customizable carabiner kits as a new product. She planned to sell each kit for $22, which would have put the value of 30 kits at $660. She said the products are handmade and that she makes them herself as part of her small business.
The owner said she proposed adding personalized details for the influencers, such as a name, pet name or nickname. After sending the company her pricing, she said the brand told her it was still interested in collaborating but was “only really looking for in-kind collaborations.” She said the company also suggested cutting the order to 15 kits if that would be more manageable.
She interpreted the proposal as a request for the kits without payment. The owner said she had expected to be paid and had planned to spend a weekend assembling the order, potentially with help from her partner. She said the experience made her question why larger companies would expect small businesses to provide handmade products or labor without compensation.
The owner said she could have chosen to donate the products herself, but said that was different from being asked to provide them for free as part of a larger company’s campaign. She maintained that her concern was about being fairly compensated for the work and materials involved.
New Jersey Business Owner Gets Support Online
The comments quickly filled with support for the New Jersey business owner, with viewers criticizing the alleged request and questioning why the $660 order could not be paid for. One user wrote, “So tacky to ask a small business for a donation as a million-dollar brand spending tens of thousands of dollars to send influencers on a brand trip.”
Other small-business owners shared advice and similar experiences. One recommended charging extra for custom work, giving a rough quote early and waiting for a deposit before becoming too invested in a potential deal. Another commenter said they had recently lost a $3,000 event they believed was confirmed.
Several viewers also focused on the phrase “in-kind collaboration,” joking about what it would mean to pay bills through the same arrangement. Others said the company should have made it clear from the beginning that it was seeking donated products.
For the New Jersey owner, the situation became less about one $660 order and more about where small-business owners should draw the line when larger brands come calling.
