When I sat down with Beth Benike on Rise to More, I expected we’d talk about business, tariffs, entrepreneurship, and the challenges she’s faced as the founder of Busy Baby. And we did. But what stayed with me wasn’t just her business story. It was who she is underneath all of it: the woman, the mother, the inventor, and the person who keeps showing up no matter what.
Beth is an Army veteran, a mom, and the inventor of Busy Baby. The idea came while she was out at lunch with friends, their babies were tossing toys, grabbing everything, making a mess like babies do. And she had that thought so many people have: there has to be an easier way.
The difference is, she didn’t stop there. She went home and started figuring it out, playing with silicone molds and creating a prototype, which at the time she called just a “mom hack”.
So many of us notice problems and talk about them. We say someone should create something for this. Beth actually went home and started figuring out a solution.
Busy Baby wasn’t just about spotting a gap in the market. It came from her own experience as a mom who felt overwhelmed and just wanted something to make daily life a bit easier. The business boomed, she ended up on Shark Tank, didn’t take the deal and he business still continues to grow and expand. Everything was going well, until the tariffs almost destroyed everything.
In 2025, when tariffs surged, her business took a huge hit. The timing couldn’t have been worse. She had just gotten into Walmart and Target, had invested heavily into her product, had inventory ready to ship. And almost overnight, the numbers shifted so much that bringing her own product into the country didn’t make sense anymore.
From the outside, people talk about things like tariffs and supply chains in very abstract ways. But behind all of that are real people and real consequences.
She had to leave her inventory in China. She lost momentum, lost sales, and still had a business to run with employees, bills, and responsibilities that don’t pause just because things get hard.
This is where her story became bigger than her company.
She started speaking openly about what was happening, not because she planned to be a voice for others, but because she was willing to be honest. To say this is hard. This is breaking people. And that kind of honesty matters, especially when so many people stay quiet out of fear or shame.
But that honesty also came with a cost.
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation was when she talked about her mental health. At a time when her business looked successful from the outside, she went through a severe breakdown. Later, she understood it was situational depression. She had gone through pregnancy, postpartum, fertility struggles, rapid business growth, family dynamics, and constant stress without enough space to recover.
At her lowest point, her mind convinced her everyone would be better off without her. That’s hard to hear because the people who seem the strongest are often the ones struggling quietly. When you’re capable and high-functioning, there’s a lot of pressure to keep it together. A lot of shame around admitting you’re not okay.
Beth didn’t hide from that. She talked about it openly, and that takes courage. She made it clear that strength isn’t about never breaking. It’s about recognizing when something’s off, asking for help, and learning how to take care of yourself too.
And the truth is, she’s still in it. This isn’t a finished story. She’s still navigating risk, still talking to banks, still trying to hold everything together for her family and her business.
But even in that, she doesn’t come across as a victim. She keeps coming back to one question: what’s the next step? Not how do I fix everything forever. Not how do I undo what already happened. Just, what’s next?
And she comes back to this idea often: do the best you can with what you have, where you are. Not where you wish you were….not with someone else’s resources…just with what’s in front of you right now. There’s something very grounding about that.
That’s why her story matters. It’s not just about business. It’s about being human. It’s about building something from care, dealing with the weight of ambition, navigating mental health under pressure, and continuing anyway.
I walked away from that conversation feeling grateful. For her honesty, for her willingness to say the hard things out loud, and for people like her who keep showing up even when it would be easier not to.
She calls herself stubborn. I’d call her resilient. Honest. Human.
And in a world that loves polished success stories but avoids the reality behind them, this kind of story feels necessary. Because strength doesn’t always look impressive. Sometimes it’s just taking the next step when you’re unsure. Standing up to what is right even when it feels hard. Asking for help when you need it. Admitting things are hard and continuing anyway.
And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
Learn more about Busy Baby: https://busybabymat.com and https://www.instagram.com/busybabymat/
Follow Beth on IG: https://www.instagram.com/bethiebooper/
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