There are 170 million American TikTok users awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. A ban on the social media platform is set to potentially go into effect on Sundays unless the High Court intervenes. Many North Texans who say their livelihoods depend on the app are anxiously awaiting a decision. Juan Florido says it all started with his late mother making his lunch for work. Florido then started making fresh tortillas and selling burritos to his co-workers. They were so popular that he took to TikTok and his life has changed. “One day I just decided to go live while I was making the tortillas and that day, I remember I got like a thousand followers in one day,” he said. “So, I just kept doing it every day.” Florido’s following on Tiktok skyrocketed from 300 followers to more than 57,000. “All of this is thanks to TikTok, you know people were watching me and started following me,” he said. “They’re like hey, I was watching you on TikTok and I had to come and try your food.” The social media platform has propelled Florido’s business, allowing him to purchase a food truck. TikTok has also proven to be invaluable to Britany Guereca’s coffee shop, Café Ciro. “We use TikTok as a way of marketing for our business,” Guererca said. “We actually went viral through TikTok and we were able to witness how amazing, making one video can change your life.” The app is especially important to her success, she says because Café Ciro is a pop-up coffee shop. She is active on the site, posting the latest location for customers to find her shop. Both entrepreneurs feel anxious about the app possibly being banned as soon as Sunday. “I’ve been very stressed out these past few days,” said Guereca. “It’s getting closer to the day that they say TikTok is going to go away.” Florido fears interest among customers will drop off. “I don’t think we will get the same customers,” he said. NBC 5 asked Dallas College Professor of Marketing Wade Hyde for insight on the importance TikTok in particular, plays for business owners and the potential fallout of a ban. “Let’s just say the Supreme Court decides to uphold the ruling and that TikTok goes away, at least temporarily in the United States. The businesses and companies that survive will have to adapt,” said Hyde. “Regardless of what happens to the Supreme Court in the next couple of days, I would advise those companies to begin diversifying now just in case something else happens in the future.” Hyde suggests considering other avenues such as YouTube Shorts, Google, and Snapchat, all based on short content. The idea is called ‘investing in multi-platform influence marketing.’ “They can’t just rely on TikTok anymore because if that goes away and they have no other alternatives, then they’re going to be sunk,” said Hyde. He also notes what makes TikTok stand out above the rest when it comes to marketing. The platform is based on the idea of ‘unmated viral potential’ based on engagement. This tends to lead business owners or ‘social media influencers’ to begin their marketing strategy ‘more efficiently and quickly,’ and that’s why young entrepreneurs seek out the app, he said. “They monitor the success of a video based on a small group’s engagement, and so, if this small group watches the video a long time, or they like it, or they share it, the algorithm TikTok spreads the word, so to speak,” he said. “The TikTok platform and their algorithms make it really easy to penetrate those audiences. The other platforms, at least as of today, aren’t, so it’s going to take some more work.” For now, both Florido and Guereca are trying to ensure their customers know where else they can follow them. “I start telling them Instagram and Facebook,” said Florido. “You guys can follow us on social media through Instagram, through Facebook,” said Guereca.