BATON ROUGE - As TikTok's fate hangs in the balance, a Baton Rouge smoothie shop owner is still feeling the benefits of an influencer's shout-out of her small business over the summer. 

Heather Smith owns Dr. Feelgood with her husband and said her business was only a few months old when TikTok influencer Keith Lee visited her store in June. Six months later, she's preparing to open a second location. 

Before Lee stopped by, Smith said she was struggling to manage everyday operations with no employees and only a few customers. 

"We started off with just one blender, one fridge, one freezer. My husband was like you don't even know if this business is going to work!" Smith said. 

Then Lee posted a positive review of Dr. Feelgood on his account with 16.8 million followers. Before leaving the store, he tipped Smith and her husband $4,000 and told her to prepare for a crowd. The next day, Dr. Feelgood was packed to the brim with hundreds of customers, prompting Smith's family and friends to throw on aprons and help out. The store closed briefly that day due to the "Keith Lee Effect."

Approximately 170 million Americans use TikTok app. Many small business owners benefit from the free marketing tool and access to a widespread audience. Smith said it's unfortunate many entrepreneurs and small business owners will lose access to that opportunity with the impending TikTok ban that could take effect Jan. 19 but is hopeful something new will come along. 

"I know a lot of people use it, a lot of small businesses use it. It's a great platform," Smith said. 

While the experience was overwhelming, Smith said she was grateful for the much-needed boost on social media from Lee's review. She is still reaping the benefits with a steady flow of customers each day. 

"We don't have a line out the door anymore, but we still have a lot of new faces coming in. A lot of new customers, they'll come in like, 'Oh, we've seen you on TikTok!'" she said. 

The second Dr. Feelgood storefront will be located on Airline Highway near Highland Road in St. George. Smith is planning to open the new shop in February.