01x05 - The Final Pitch

[bunniefuu]

♪ Everybody's heads turn when

you walk in the room ♪

♪ Electrifying eyes burn ♪

♪ Making hearts go boom, boom,

boom. ♪

- What's up, queen of

everything?

- Hi.

- How are you? - I'm so happy to

see you.

- [laughs] You, too. - BOTH:

Mwah.

Mwah. - There you go.

- [laughing] - We're in the two.

We're in the two zone. I love

it.

Can you believe we're only a

week away from these final

pitches now?

- No. I'm nervous for the final

pitches.

- You are? - I'm nervous for

them.

We've been spending so much time

with our hustlers,

and now this is the

make-or-break moment.

- Yeah. At the end of the day,

we're gonna stand there, and you

got to choose your choice.

- Mm-hmm. - And they got to

sh**t their shot.

- We love these people that have

pitched to us.

We love these products.

We have done our due diligence,

and now it's time to fly.

- [laughs] - But can they?

- But can they? - [laughs]

Mama bird can only feed you for

so much longer, honey.

- Ooh-hoo. Yeah. We done.

- [both laugh]

[lively music playing]

so having someone else in the

house has been really helpful.

So I'm super grateful for the

Ally emergency fund

because we were able to get

Milene a ticket

- It's the birthday girl.

VALENTINA: I've been

trick-or-treating seven times.

- Yeah, and now it's my first

time.

- Look at this. - It's exciting

I'm doing with you.

That's exciting, and I'm happy

to help.

- Yeah. [chuckles]

- ♪ Woo-hoo, can make you a

believer ♪

♪ Time to testify I'm making you

my. ♪

- Hey. - [laughs]

- I'm back from Vegas. We had

the marketing event,

so now it's time for the final

push.

First things first, the

marketing event.

- Of course, Emma walks in.

- That's the big part. That's

the big news.

- And I think there was a couple

developments

through Emma's and I's

conversation.

One, I didn't realize she didn't

know that we were in mediation.

- Like, that was a year ago.

- I can just feel she wants to

make sure that we're aligned.

- Okay. - Like, that's her

thing.

She doesn't want a decision like

this to break

or cause any other situations to

occur. - Mm-hmm.

- At the pitch, Emma is gonna

ask,

"And I heard that you guys went

to mediation.

I heard about this. So what does

that mean now?"

Our answer, I think, to that

question

is gonna determine whether or

not Emma says,

"I can invest with them

confidently."

I don't even think we're selling

AMP as much right now

as we're selling ourselves. -

Absolutely.

SHANNON: Okay.

- Let's just go through. We can

do

some direct measurements. -

Yeah.

My last interaction with Ashley

wasn't super positive,

for her to really see Bonks as a

viable investment.

I'm working on a new silhouette.

I launched with a thong,

and now I'm gonna be unveiling

Hello. ALI: Oh, awesome. Hello.

SHANNON: Hello.

[wolf whistle] - Look at you.

- Looking nice. - [laughs]

I understand Ashley's point of

wanting to see multiple SKUs.

I can't be making that risk and

importing all those sizes.

only rolling out two different

combined sizes.

- Hello. How are you?

You just got back from Sweden?

- I have a talent agency, and

that agency has been really

successful,

It's just been hard to do that

and then also try to do

to take it to the next level.

So, for me, it's a no-brainer.

I know where my time is going

and where my time needs to go.

-

- Oh, my gosh.

Just feels like every single day

there's really something new.

And we started growing super

quickly and now, you know, we

have this mentor,

and she has us doing a lot of

task.

In a few days, we're actually

gonna do a big pitch to some

investors.

And the thing is

that I am gonna do Rif

full-time.

- I don't know. I feel like

that's really

It's been really hard to say

that to you.

- Okay, I'll talk to

you later. Bye.

But when I tell the investors

that I finally had the

conversation with my co-founder,

they're gonna know how real this

is for me

[intriguing music playing]

- Here it goes, girl. - Here

goes nothing.

- You're gonna have a great

meeting. - Thank you.

- I have absolutely no doubt.

I'm definitely interested in

investing in Kristyn's company,

but I also know it's gonna take

a lot more money to get it up

and running.

- Hi, how are you? - Hello.

- [overlapping chatter]

- It's so good to see you.

- Hi. Kristyn. - Hi. Jesse.

Hi. Nice to meet you. - So nice

to meet you.

- So glad to get you two

together.

Let's take a seat. - Yes.

- So, today, I'm introducing

Kristyn to a VC

with super high growth

potential.

So, fingers crossed, that

Kristyn can make a positive

impression

- So, I have a prototype here

with us.

- Oh, my gosh. Can you put it

together?

- Um, yeah, absolutely.

- Okay. I want to see how fast.

Should we time her?

EMMA: T-Time her. Get your timer

out. - Let's time her.

Okay. Ready? - All right. Ready.

EMMA: Done. Turn your timer off.

- Oh, my God, that was two -

[laughter]

- That was two seconds.

I was not expecting that.

That was amazing.

EMMA: No pieces needed. KRISTYN:

Exactly.

JESSE: Well, let's-let's talk

about numbers then.

KRISTYN: Yeah. JESSE: Like, how

much does it cost to make one?

- So, right now, we have

projected unit costs, um, up to

7,500 units,

and that cost is $76 per unit.

- I know this space very well.

Dog is a massive industry.

- Mm-hmm. JESSE: It's growing

incredibly fast.

When you think ten, 20 years

down the road

because that's how I have to

think

what does this look like for

you?

KRISTYN: I've sat in rooms with

the biggest

valued pet companies in the

market,

and they're interested in

already purchasing this.

And I think that, in the next

five years,

there's a pivotal moment to

either be acquired

or go on our own and build out

our own tech stream.

But I do see an acquisition

occurring.

- Do you have, you know, a

number in mind of how big that

would be?

- I foresee this being a $500

million business.

- Well, you have a lot going for

you.

- Thank you. JESSE: You have a

unique product.

KRISTYN: Yeah. - You have a big

plan,

lot of opportunity. I'd love to

see your financials.

I'd love to see your five-year

projections.

And let's keep talking. This is

great. KRISTYN: Awesome.

Thank you. I really appreciate

that.

[lively music playing]

- Today, I'm meeting with Nic so

that we can go over

I feel our business is ready for

it,

because we really need this

investment. We really need this.

- Here you go.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

- Hey, where

are you at?

- You're barely leaving right

now?

Well, how far are you?

- You were supposed to leave

over an hour ago.

- Okay, Nic.

You were supposed to leave over

an hour ago.

- Okay, Nic.

[dramatic music playing]

So, now, it's left up to me to

figure it out. Like always.

You know, it feels like the

first pitch all over again,

[energetic music playing]

These final pitches will show

Ashley and myself

but you are the one that has to

put it

a mutual beneficial partnership.

KRISTYN: Profit margin

breakdowns. Year one,

we're looking at a 62% margin.

Year two, we're looking at a 65

in hardware.

- Presentation looks good here,

though.

ASHLEY: Mm-hmm. EMMA: Right?

ASHLEY: Mm-hmm. So good.

- Let's do this.

KRISTYN: I see we're all in

blue.

EMMA: Oh, there you go. You got

the memo. ASHLEY: Yes.

- [laughs] - Ugh. I know.

KRISTYN: Yeah, that's just, you

know, some info.

So, really amazing to see you

both again.

And, at Crate Away, we are

building the foundation

for a fuller life for you and

your pet.

And I started in this process as

the only company

that didn't have a product on

the market.

Now, some people might look at

that as a disadvantage.

I look at that as an

opportunity,

and I think you both do as well.

I know what you have been

telling me,

and I've been taking notes, and

I have been really

forging forward with trying to

find a path to make this

the best for the market.

ASHLEY: What's the marketplace

look like?

Are there other competitors? And

is yours still superior?

- Way superior.

The other crates do not collapse

the way that mine collapses.

The other crates don't have the

safety technology

that we have with our crate.

So, there is no - So,

basically,

I shouldn't get a dog until I

can buy one of these?

- Yes. [laughs] ASHLEY:

Understood.

- Exactly.

- What's your social presence

like?

- We have 500 followers right

now.

And, I mean, Emma has seen my

strong suits

and my not-so-strong suits, and

I'm very good at the business

aspects

the numbers, the projections,

all of that.

The branding is where I struggle

with the creativity of that,

so I need to bring in someone.

- I wouldn't put yourself down

to say you're not good at

creative.

You-you have less strength

there,

and you're really strong in so

many areas.

Like, that is what has really

impressed me.

But what we've got right now is

just an idea.

You are the only person here

that doesn't have a product

that is out there selling.

Then, if and when you get

that big order,

you're gonna need to make

thousands

because nobody's coming to buy

ten of these,

nor does it work in your

assumptions.

- Right. - So, I just wonder how

you're thinking

about that right now.

Like, what does it look like for

you from today

to take this to the point where

you're making

that first delivery to some type

of retailer?

- To get this to the market,

it's going to take a lot of

uplift,

it's going to take capital, and

I will do whatever it takes.

I think that, you know, when

you're investing in a business

at this level,

it's not the business, you're

investing in the founder.

And if you believe in that

founder

and if you believe in their hard

work ethic,

if you believe in their vision

and what they see

and how they are servicing a

huge hole in the market,

and that's what Crate Away is.

[suspenseful music playing]

- I think there's one thing when

you can turn

your passion into some kind of

business,

but what I love is that you have

taken a problem,

like, a real problem that exists

in the marketplace

and you have turned it into a

business opportunity,

and it's just better than

anything else out there.

And guess what. You made it.

You made that product all by

yourself.

And I am really, honestly so

willing to take a bet on you. I

just am.

- [laughs softly] - So what I'd

like to offer to you today

is $100,000.

And I will give you that money

on the basis that,

as we start going out to VCs and

figuring out

how we're actually gonna fund

this business on the go forward,

you can value my investment

at whatever that first

participation check looks like.

- Hmm. KRISTYN: Got it.

EMMA: How's that sound? - I

think that sounds great.

- Then that's exactly what we're

gonna do.

- Wow, that's awesome. - Do we

have a deal?

- We have a deal. - [whoops]

- [laughter]

EMMA: I feel so happy,

and I want to let you know that

I really believe in you.

You're someone I'll put a bet on

any day of the week.

- You're amazing.

- Crate Away. - Thank you. Yes.

All right.

Thank you both so much. - I love

it. You're so welcome.

so until Kristyn's seed round

happens,

where the initial fundraising

will take place,

in her company actually

represents.

- Job well done. - Thank you.

- [chuckles] - I love her.

[upbeat music playing]

MATT: All right, you seem happy.

- [chuckles]

How'd it go? KRISTYN: It went

well.

I can just, like, breathe a sigh

of relief.

Oh, I'm so tired. [laughs]

who sees your potential,

[optimistic music playing]

- ♪ We've been through too much

♪

♪ To give up on it now. ♪

- And Montré. - From AMP Beauty

LA.

And today is our big pitch

with Emma and Ashley.

So when you see this video, when

we share this,

this is the moment that -

It's the moment. This is it.

- that changes everything. -

Yes.

And this process has really

helped us refocus

and find that fire again for why

we're doing this.

- We got this.

- I'm good. No, I really feel

good. - Okay.

- No, I really feel good do

you really feel good?

- No, I do. I do.

But stop asking me, 'cause I'm

gonna get nervous. - Okay

I'm not gonna look you in your

eyes, either.

I'm not gonna look you in your

eyes. Okay.

- Going into this pitch, we are

bringing our A game.

and really just execute and put

our best foot forward.

- Oh, my gosh.

["My Lifeline" by Lee Richardson

playing]

♪ I feel the rush ♪

♪ I'm coming alive ♪

ANGEL: Oh, my gosh. MONTR♪: Oh,

my gosh.

- Oh, hi. - [laughter]

ANGEL: Hello.

EMMA: There they are. Look at

you two.

- So, we are ready to tell you

about AMP

and also our journey on this

amazing experience.

So, as you know,

access to inclusive shoppers and

diverse shoppers is broken.

Black women in particular spend

nine times more

on beauty and personal care than

any other demographic

but remain underserved.

We really want to be the

destination for all textures,

all genders and all shades.

MONTR♪: And through this journey

with Emma

and beyond the grief

of, you know, our losing our

sorority sister and business

partner,

we came to the stark realization

that our business model was

scattered.

So we sat down, brought it back,

reeled it in,

and realized that we need to

double down on e-commerce.

- So, with your help, we

identified some growth levers.

We added some, we took some

away.

So the first is our newsletters,

which we've employed an agency

to help us set up our strategy

and our framework.

So that'll help us generate

money and revenue

without having to be in it every

single day.

- And do you have information

from all of your previous

clients and customers

that you're gonna be able

- Yes. Yes. - Okay, so you kept

all that.

- Yes. - We can capture all of

that.

And also, we thought we only had

access to about 10,000,

but we really have access to

about 13,000 customers and

subscribers.

- And our second revenue driver,

or growth lever,

would be our website

optimization.

We realized we needed to fix our

customer journey

and our user experience.

So that is gonna help to

increase our conversions

on our website.

- So these initiatives are gonna

help us

reach our goal of $100K at the

end of the year.

- And then, year two, we're

projected to do $842,000,

which, you know, is where we

double down and really start

optimizing our growth.

EMMA: We know how devastating

it was for you two and your

relationship

when your third business partner

sadly passed away.

BOTH: Yeah. - Felicia.

[somber music playing]

And one of the things that I

really wanted you guys

to talk to each other about

and to begin to work through was

working with her estate.

And I just wonder if, in the

weeks that we've known each

other,

you've been able to have any

conversations

to just move that issue,

that elephant in the room -

Yeah.

- like, how do you get past

that and move forward?

- Yeah, so we met with an

estate-planning attorney

who really walked us through the

process.

She's reviewing our shareholder

agreements and our operating

agreements

to see what protections we had

in place prior to.

ASHLEY: And once you guys

have figured out the other

portion, I highly suggest doing

a really good locked-in contract

between the two of you.

You should have your business

relationship

and you should have your

friendship relationship,

because that's how you're gonna

be able to save it at the end of

the day.

ANGEL: Felicia, she was more

of the, I think, neutral party

and the person that was, like,

the glue and the person who

initiated mediation.

[suspenseful music playing]

- I think finding the balance in

these relationships is really

difficult.

No business partnership is

without its complications.

What has shook me in this

situation

is the thought that outside

intervention

would be needed for you guys to

resolve conflicts.

And that really did worry me.

You know, success doesn't lessen

the complexity of things, right?

Actually makes it way more

complex.

And if you guys could fight

about a business

that hadn't yet reached 100

grand

- Mm-hmm. - God help us when

you're making millions.

And so, I do think that that's

something

that we have to think about

really, really carefully,

and it's been a key

consideration of mine.

So here's what I'm offering you:

it ain't money today.

And that's the truth, because I

don't think that is where you're

at.

But I would love to continue

mentoring you,

'cause I believe in you two as

tastemakers

that really understand the

business that you're in.

And you will get my attention on

your business where you need it,

because you're right there.

You've just got a few things

that really need to be figured

out.

- I would rather walk away with

you on our team,

you know, rooting for us,

guiding us, than you giving some

arbitrary check,

and we never hear from you

again. - 100%.

- So I really appreciate it. -

I'm really

like, even the way that you

react to that makes me so happy,

because I know the value that I

can bring to you guys.

And I honestly think, in used

in the right way,

we'll be great partners

together.

And then, you've, you know, you

got my number,

so you can hit me up for money

down the line.

- [laughs] We will. - I love

that.

- Oh, we we're coming back.

We're coming back to you - I

know you will, Angel.

I know you will. - [laughter]

- I'm really excited for you

guys.

- Yes. Thank you for your time.

- Thank y'all so much.

- Bye. - See you later.

- Bye. EMMA: See you later.

ASHLEY: That was so nice. - It's

nice.

- Yes, but also, like, they're

just awesome.

- Bless them. I hope they're not

too disappointed.

ANGEL: We've been here for three

years, through the mediation,

with losing Felicia,

like, we're still here, and I

think that's important.

- ♪ I'll be there for you ♪

♪ Always. ♪

[upbeat music playing]

♪ Mm ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

- ♪ Ooh ♪ - ♪ Oh, yeah. ♪

I really gave her some tough

love.

But I am super hopeful

So I'm excited to hear her pitch

and what her plan is

- Ladies, it is an absolute

pleasure

and a privilege to stand in

front of you today.

Thrilled to explain why Bonks is

poised

for investment as a brand and

with me as its leader.

Ashley, you've really pushed me

on the product itself,

growing the assortment to

enhance

how it fits our customers and

how it feels.

I met with my factory.

I got the nude colorway

and the brief in two different

sizes churned out.

In terms of getting rid of

excess inventory,

I've met with two new

distributors

that I hope to engage with by

year's end,

who would hopefully be taking

large quantities.

- Did you end up lowering the

price point officially?

- Not yet. - Okay.

- But I have run costing on

that.

The margin is only gonna change

by about two to three percent,

because my duty rates are so

much better with my new

production.

- Okay. - And then obviously,

with economies of scale, the

more I sell, then the margin

will only get better.

Right now,

you see Bonks as one silhouette,

four colors, one size.

But they're I don't have the

ability to scale if I end right

here.

Within the next year, I will be

doubling my SKU count.

And that's really important,

because that's why you're gonna

see

such a huge revenue growth in my

projections.

So I'll be adding another size

of the thong,

I'll be adding a nude colorway,

and I'll be adding a brief

in two different combined size

ranges and two colors.

So, utilizing Ashley's advice of

honing in on neutrals

and adding a size - You're

only adding one size?

- For right now.

For the current projections. -

Okay.

- And it'll be XL, uh, double

XL? - Yes.

- Okay. - I'm valuing my company

at $1.5 million,

and that is based on 3.7 times

my projected next-year revenue.

[dramatic music plays]

at $1.5 million,

and that is based on 3.7 times

my projected next year revenue.

It's a lot compared to where I

sit today.

- Where are you getting the 3.7

from?

- From some VC friends.

They told me that the

appropriate way to calculate,

three to four times my projected

next-year revenue.

[contemplative music playing]

Happy to go into this more,

or we can open up Q&A.

ASHLEY: Okay. ALI: Lot to

digest.

ASHLEY: Yes, this is. Wow, wow,

wow.

You know, when you first

pitched,

I was like, this is so needed in

my life.

And then we got down into the

nitty-gritty

of the actual product.

There's too many SKUs.

Uh, the quality wasn't exactly

what I thought.

The sizing wasn't my size.

This is brilliant that you're

listening,

and I'm really I'm thankful

for that.

You're not going as fast as I

would like,

but you're also doing this alone

and I recognize that.

My problem is, I'm just looking

at your deck

and I'm looking at your

projections, and, honestly,

the numbers aren't adding up,

and I really don't know if Bonks

is

scalable based off of these

projections.

I really don't.

I feel like you have a great

idea,

but a fully-fledged business I

don't see it quite yet.

So I am gonna be your biggest

cheerleader,

but I'm not gonna be able to

invest in you today.

- Ali, if I could give you any

advice, it would be:

you've got to make sure that

when you put information

into a presentation, that it's

100% correct

and can be validated. - Okay.

- And what I would want to see

is a more realistic valuation

for where you are in the

business.

And I am absolutely

someone who likes to look in the

future

and go, "Do you know what? We're

going to be here."

But you've got to have

some kind of basis for that. -

Yeah.

- Those VC friends that gave you

those valuations,

they ain't your friends or they

ain't very good VCs,

because for you to come in here

without valuation,

it's bananas in pajamas.

ALI: Thank you so much.

This journey has just been so

positive

and I've really enjoyed getting

to know you.

- Same. - And you both are

incredible women leaders and

mothers, and you know,

we can do it all, right? - Yes,

we can.

- Thank you so much.

All my best.

the investment be anything to

discourage me

or keep me from going forward.

Now it's really up to me to

and take what I've built in

these past few weeks

as a side hustler and take it to

the next level.

[optimistic music plays]

♪ We gon' bring the rain ♪

♪ Here comes the thunder ♪

♪ Here comes the thunder, oh. ♪

- How you feeling about the

labeling and everything?

- I like the new labeling. -

Yeah?

- I have Nic here with me.

we were able to get together, we

were able to,

- You know, Emma's gonna be

excited to see what you got in

that box.

She might think it's chicken or

something.

- [both laughing] - Yeah, that's

what I bring every time.

No chicken today.

Here goes nothing.

- [stammers] Here's the big

moment.

You need to go out there and

represent for Ma Duke's.

just believe in myself and just

know that I'm worth

and, you know, I get some type

of investment.

I'm back.

- [laughs] - There she is.

- And I brought a surprise for

you guys.

- Oh, you did? LESHEKA: Yeah.

I have to show you, you know,

what we've done so far.

- Okay.

I can't wait. [gasps]

- Voil♪. - Oh, my gosh.

- So, it's the official

rebranding of it,

of the sauce itself.

EMMA: It looks good.

It looks good. ASHLEY: This is

amazing.

- We took what you said into

consideration because

that's why we needed your

mentorship.

You see things different than we

saw.

We saw this label, and that's

what stuck out to us.

You know, but in so many words,

it was basic.

[chuckles] So we're trying not

to be basic.

[mid-tempo dance music playing]

We revamped the sauce itself,

so it probably tastes a little

different

- It does taste different. I put

it on my tongue.

- It's better. ASHLEY: It's kind

of

It's less watery.

- Yeah. Fresher. ASHLEY: And it

has,

it has more of the sweet and the

tang at the same time.

- We went back to the kitchen,

we figured it out,

and we finally launched it on

the truck.

We purchased 156 bottles.

We sold over 100 of them,

plus some. EMMA: Amazing.

- And we've been out, what, for

a week now?

So we just went out there and we

sold it.

And people are loving it.

You know, we're on the-the road

just selling it in our truck

to make, um, $27,000 by the

year's end with a takeaway of

$17,000 of that.

- So let's talk about this,

right? - Yeah.

- Because we've really got to

think about this

as a business case.

You're standing here because you

want something.

Lesheka, when you think about

this business

- Mm-hmm.

- from today, where do you go

from here?

- Our long-term goal is, you

know, getting it put in,

you know, the big stores.

I've been at my job for the last

13 years,

and I officially went part-time.

- Wow. - Because I want to focus

full-time on getting the sauce

out there

and really, you know, making my

dreams come true.

I was scared, but I'm, like, you

know,

if you guys are willing to

believe in me,

I need to believe in myself.

When I first came into this, I

didn't believe

I can do anything, so I've

stayed at this job.

And, you know,

if I was to be gone tomorrow,

I want to leave something to my

kids.

Working the job that I have, if

I was to be gone,

my kids would be left with

nothing.

So that's played a part in me

going part-time at my job and

really just putting

my all into this, because I want

this to be

something that lasts forever.

I want my grandkids to walk in a

store

and be able to purchase this.

- I love your drive and I love

your ambition.

This is awesome. - Isn't it?

- Wow. I literally feel like I'm

meeting a new Lesheka.

Like, this is a new person.

- You are, because this is a

person that,

you know, when I met you,

you had a chicken truck.

Let's just not get this twisted

for a second. - Right. It was a

truck.

- You were standing here with

this display,

with this bottle of sauce, and

just a dream.

Between then and now,

not only have you bottled the

sauce,

but the journey to get there is

unbelievable.

You didn't even own this

business when I met you. - No.

- You went out, she contracted a

lawyer.

You came back after I asked you

to go and get that business in

writing and make it 50/50.

She came back with 51% of the

business. - Yep.

- You will remember, we were not

called Ma Duke's.

- No. It's a new name. - In the

beginning.

That could have just sent you

through

an absolute spiral.

But not only did you change the

name,

you changed it to a much, much,

much better name for retail.

You went and perfected the

recipe

'cause let's just remember, when

you're on the truck

- We're making in small batches.

EMMA: you're not making this

in bulk quantities.

You were making small batches.

To say that you are someone

that can meet a challenge

head-on and conquer it.

And not only just that,

but you can conquer all the

fears, all the self-doubt,

everything that we think about

when we say impostor syndrome,

'cause you didn't think

that you could do this, and you

did it

over and over and over again.

Like, I am so proud of you.

It's stupid. Like, literally, I

could cry.

Like, beyond. - No, this is

epic.

I love this story.

EMMA: Because it's the truth,

right?

And, you know, I am not someone

who's going to blow smoke.

- Right.

- I have, from the beginning,

loved working with you.

But I want to be honest.

You know I'm gonna keep it 100

with you, right?

The way I look at this business

today,

Lesheka, is that

the fact remains that this is

not actually

an investable opportunity.

♪

[intriguing music plays]

- When I look at this business,

you are right at the beginning.

You haven't started talking to

grocers yet.

You're gonna have to eventually

align with a distributor.

You're definitely gonna have to

look at scalable production.

So, how do you go from where you

are now,

where you're bottling hundreds

of units

to thousands of units

eventually?

There's definitely a lot that

sits in front of you.

What I really want to do today

is offer you something

that I think is just really

realistic.

Here's what I want to do.

I really want to take a bet on

you.

I'm gonna give you $35,000

and you should think of it like

a business loan.

I think at the end of the day,

what you need is just

some breathing space so you can

get Ma Duke's really tracking.

And what I'd love to do is

stay working with you because I

know that you and I work

really, really well together.

And I just know

that you are going to do what

you came to do.

You're gonna change your life.

You're gonna change your life

for your kids.

- There's no going back.

I could never go back to what

I was going through

or living the way that I was

living.

I'm sorry, but

You know, I have a big passion

for this.

You know, there's I just

cannot fail,

and I won't give up on myself.

And I'm gonna make it happen for

my kids any by any means.

- I've no doubt.

- So I thank you for believing

in me

and helping me, because I need

that.

- So if you want to do a deal

with me

- Most definitely. - I'll

offer you that now

and you can [clicks tongue]

take the money,

and go and get back on it.

- All right, that's It's a

deal.

We got a shake on that.

Or can we hug on it?

- We'll hug. - [laughs]

Aw. Congratulations.

- I'm so happy. - Thank you.

- Well done, my darling. You

deserve it.

You really deserve it. - Aw.

♪ Spin me one more time. ♪

- Now that I've given Lesheka

the $35,000,

- This tastes so much better. -

It's 500 times better.

all she needs is the

reassurance, to be pointed in

the right direction.

- What happened?

♪

LESHEKA: She's gonna work with

us.

- [chuckles] - I was crying.

They're gonna give us $35,000.

- Oh, snaps.

- [laughs] That's what I said.

- That's great news.

- Yeah. - You ready to take off?

- Oh, we got to ain't no

playing now.

I feel like I'm on top of the

world, and I've made it.

You know, I made it as far as,

you know, other people seeing

me,

and that makes me feel amazing.

We celebrating tonight.

- Yeah, let's go.

[upbeat music plays]

VAL: A few weeks ago, when we

came in,

we were looking for someone to

believe in us.

- We've been doing this for a

little over a year, and

Uh

- [laughs]

- This is actually good

practice. - It's okay.

-

[laughs softly]

Hi, girls.

- There they are. REBECCA: I

love it,

you guys match our display.

VAL: I love it. - [chuckles]

- As you know, a few weeks ago,

we came to pitch you two,

and really, we were looking for

two things.

Someone to believe in us and,

also, someone to take us to the

next level.

- And we've been doing this for

a little over a year,

and feeling overwhelmed but

optimistic about the future of

Rif Care.

And one thing has become

extremely clear, that something

has to give

in order to make this our main

focus.

- By the end of this year, we're

gonna do about $300,000 in

business,

and we'll also be in 150 stores.

Next year, with the launch of

our tampons and period underwear

into the retailers and also,

adding 350 more retailers

to bring us to 150 stores we

think we can do $1.6 million in

sales.

- Where are you getting the

numbers? - So, on average, per

store,

we make $228.87.

And we imagine that if we keep

doing that in every single

store,

plus, we launch our new SKUs

which sell a little bit slower

than the pads that adds plus

25%

- Mm-hmm. - onto all of those

purchases.

- And we truly envision Rif Care

becoming a recognizable brand on

thousands of retail shelves,

helping millions of women all

across the world.

- Rebecca's actually been logged

onto the social media,

and posting and making videos

for us,

which was something I was trying

to get her to do

for such a long time, and then

Ashley comes in,

and just immediately is like,

"Look" - "Hello."

- "if we want to do this,

Rebecca's gonna have

to get on camera." REBECCA: I

was comfortable

in that space, but it's like,

no, you have to be uncomfortable

and put yourself out there.

ASHLEY: First of all, kudos to

that,

because that takes a lot.

I am so proud of how far you've

come.

VAL: We've made some big changes

over the past few weeks.

So I actually had a call with my

business partner

in the agency last week, and I

let her know

that I was gonna be stepping

away from the agency so that

I could do Rif Care full-time,

because - Ooh.

- I'm confident that we're

gonna get investment.

- You did? - Yeah.

- That is huge. That is huge,

Val.

- Yeah. - I have never been so

happy

for someone quitting their job.

- We've done what we needed to

do in that industry,

and we made a lot of change, and

it's time for us to move on.

- You're doing it. You're

actually doing it. - Oh, that's

big.

- You're gonna turn your side

hustle into your main hustle.

VAL: We're ready to make Rif

Care - Wow.

- our main hustle, and what

we want to know

is if you want to be on this

journey with us.

[suspenseful music plays]

- Good question.

I'm so glad that I've been in

this space for a long time,

and that I understand it, and I

think that you both understand

it.

I think that there is more

knowledge in both of your heads

than you've actually released to

the world.

And that's why I keep pushing

you to put more on social media,

to explain more to your

customers, to have more of the

education around it.

And I think that you're

listening.

And I do feel that there is a

lot of growth

that can happen at Rif Care.

♪

I would like to invest $100,000

for ten percent equity within

your business.

You're not just gonna get money

from me.

What comes with me is a seal of

approval.

VAL: We really appreciate that

offer,

but I think we're gonna need a

minute

just to discuss between us about

it. - Yeah.

Good. Yeah. - All right. We'll

be back very soon.

♪

- They need a minute. Okay.

- I'm surprised.

we can't give her that much

equity

without it making sense for

everyone who's in our business,

everyone who owns a piece of our

business, it has to make sense

for them.

- Yeah, I was worried about

that,

'cause, like, you kind of take

care of the cap tables.

- Yeah. - Can we just take 50K

and then, like, go down?

Do you know what I mean?

- I mean, it's like, sure, we

can take 50k,

but that's not solving any of

the problems.

And if she's gonna be coming in

and endorsing us as a celebrity,

that is worth a lot of equity

- Yeah. - but we still can't

sell

that much of our business.

- Right. Is it like, all or

nothing?

- It's basically all or nothing.

If she can't meet that, then

we're just

I don't really know what we're

gonna do, honestly.

- Yeah.

-

We just have to be firm about

what we need,

and know that we could walk away

with nothing.

-Yeah.

[upbeat music plays]

- Yeah.

♪

- So, we've had some time to

discuss,

and

we have an entire round of-of

funding to raise,

and we were hoping to sell 20%

of our business at $1 million

between a multitude of angel

investors and VC investors.

And we obviously know that what

you bring to the table is more.

So you wouldn't be coming in at

that valuation.

We understand that, and we're

willing to do that,

but the most that we could do

is $250,000 at ten percent

which is coming in at a

previous convertible note that

we've had.

And since then, our valuation

has changed,

according to one of the people

who's invested.

[dramatic music plays]

- What has your valuation

changed to?

- To $7 million.

♪

EMMA: I am gonna just, like, uh,

decouple myself from this a

little bit

- Okay. - because I feel

like, you know,

it's like, I want to actually

counsel you guys right now.

I know a thing or two about

investing

alongside talent, working with

talent,

sitting side-by-side talent in a

company.

Because, ladies, with Ashley on

your cap table,

you could credibly say

that you have a $7 million

valuation.

Right now, I find that really

hard to justify.

- And we understand that. I

think the major thing, too,

is that if we raise that much

and give that much away from our

business,

we can't really fundraise more,

'cause that'll put us in a

really bad position.

So we'll be in a worse position

than when we started.

- I don't want that for you. I

don't, at all.

Okay.

Even though you're more than a

start-up,

you guys have-have a track

record that's been proven.

It's still there's a lot of

risk.

[suspenseful music plays]

I

♪

would never do this

but because I have a lot of

faith in you guys

this will be my final

offer

but I'll go in $100,000

for five percent.

Because I really believe in you.

So, do we have a deal?

- We have a deal.

- Whoo! EMMA: Yeah!

[laughs]

- Come here, girls. I'm so

excited!

- So good.

-

to invest in Rif Care because I

believe in the products,

I believe in the founders, and

it feels like a win-win for me.

REBECCA: I can't tell what to do

with my emotions. [laughs]

- [laughs] We did it.

[laughs]

[upbeat music plays]

I'm, like, shocked, excited,

happy, like just - Yeah.

- This is exactly what we

wanted - Yeah.

- from the beginning, and

it's like

I can't believe she's part of

our company right now.

- I know. - [laughs] Like

Like, this is gonna be so-so

life-changing.

♪

- This is what I'm talking

about. ASHLEY: Love it.

I'm really glad that we got to

get that done.

- Me, too. - Yeah.

[laughs]

REBECCA: You're at my house?

- Because we women, we are

amazing.

We have grit, we have tenacity.

We have fight in us to make the

world a better place.

I love your drive,

and I love your ambition. This

is awesome.

from what they believe in.

- This is what I'm talking

about.

[laughs]

This whole process has been so

rewarding.

Watching these women come

through, they've literally

transformed.

She's like a real genius

American inventor.

- [laughs] -

And I just can't wait to see

what they do in the future.

- [laughs]

[upbeat music plays]

♪ She's a force of nature ♪

♪ To be reckoned with ♪

♪ Got the kind of charm some

would call a gift ♪

♪ Watch her rise above, no, she

won't ever quit ♪

♪ Yeah, hey ♪

♪ She's dancing through the

storm ♪

♪ She ain't afraid of a little

bit of rain ♪

♪ Yeah, she's about to transform

♪

♪ Ain't nobody gonna put out her

flame ♪

♪ Whoo-hoo-hoo ♪

♪ When she's in the wild, she's

a lion ♪

♪ You gonna hear her roar ♪

♪ Whoa-oh, whoa-oh ♪

♪ She'll do it with a smile ♪

♪ Got the kind of high you can't

ignore ♪

♪ Whoa-oh ♪

♪ She's dancing through the

storm ♪

♪ Dancing through the storm ♪

♪ She ain't afraid of a little

bit of rain ♪

♪ Yeah, she's about to transform

♪

♪ She's gonna transform ♪

♪ Ain't nobody gonna put out her

flame ♪

♪ She's dancing through the

storm ♪

♪ She's dancing through the

storm ♪

♪ Oh-oh ♪

♪ Oh-oh. ♪