02x01 - Back to Business

[bunniefuu]

EMMA:

What is it gonna take for you

to make this your main hustle?

♪

Let's do it, girls.

Here we go.

(whooping)

NARRATOR:

Welcome to Side Hustlers,

an exciting business challenge

for hopeful entrepreneurs

ready to ditch their day jobs to build

the businesses of their dreams.

I'm hyperaware of the fact that

I'm a small business trying to grow.

NARRATOR:

With a mentorship

from two of the world's

top businesswomen on the line.

Ladies, remember,

it's not just about the numbers for us.

We're investing in you.

NARRATOR:

Emma Grede, one of the richest

self-made women in America.

Businesswoman,

entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Cofounder of some of this generation's

biggest consumer brands.

You ask for half a million dollars,

you've got to expect the question,

"How are you gonna spend it?"

NARRATOR:

And Ashley Graham,

supermodel, body activist,

TV producer and host.

An entrepreneur who has invested in

Knix, Bobbie, and Carta.

If you were given literally everything

your heart desires right now,

you still wouldn't be ready for it.

NARRATOR:

Which female founders

will have what it takes

I'm three years in on no income.

I just don't feel like I can breathe.

NARRATOR:

to move their business

to the next level?

EMMA:

I really believe in you.

You are literally the American dream.

NARRATOR:

Every part of these businesses

will be tested finances, marketing,

customer outreach, social media.

FAY:

I've never been like this before.

This is just the beginning.

NARRATOR:

Some will flourish

and some will fail.

Unfortunately, I don't think that

I'm gonna be able to mentor you.

Your current plan is trash.

NARRATOR:

Whose business will receive

a life-changing investment?

I'd love to give you $100,000.

NARRATOR:

And who will remain a side hustler?

I'm sitting here with billions of dollars

in shareholder value.

Just listen to me.

ASHLEY:

Succeeding with your own business

is definitely not a guarantee,

and not everyone has

what it takes to make it happen.

But when you take control

of your own destiny, there is

no better feeling in the world.

Do it like a girl. ♪

NARRATOR:

This is Side Hustlers.

("Expensive" by KayJayy playing)

Yeah, yeah ♪

-Cheers. To investing.

-Cheers, darling.

Here we go.

Oh-oh ♪

Oh. ♪

Oh, hello!

-Hi.

-ASHLEY: Come on in. Hi. Ashley.

I'm Emma. Nice to finally meet you.

My name is Emma Grede,

and I am a serial entrepreneur.

How are you? So nice to meet you.

Come this way.

Right now we're meeting with entrepreneurs

from across the country,

and they're gonna pitch to us today.

You look so appropriately pink right now.

Thank you. I love pink.

Promotes girl power.

Yeah, yeah.

It really is girl power, isn't it?

And if they can prove

that they have a viable business,

Ashley and I are willing

to put up a sizable investment

to really help them

accelerate their growth.

Are you excited to pitch?

I'm so excited to pitch.

Do you feel nervous at all,

or you're just excited?

Yeah, but it's like good nerves

-Yeah.

-because, like, I just think

these are amazing women entrepreneurs,

and I just think

we're so much better in a room together.

-Yes.

-Yes.

Cheers.

-Cheers.

-Hey! Hey!

I'm so excited.

I'm Ashley Graham,

and I am a mother, an author,

a model and an investor.

I'm always enthusiastic

when I see women building brands

and creating their own legacies.

Everybody's is so different,

-so this is gonna be so great.

-Yeah. It's cool.

And I honestly just can't wait

to dive in and learn more.

This is your second business?

Yes, it is. Yes.

How much did you sell your first one for?

I would consider it

a successful exit, I guess.

-Great.

-Yeah.

That's all we can hope for, right?

(laughs)

Ashley's so comfortable,

so confident in her own skin,

has gone through

the entrepreneurial journey

and built herself.

She's a force to be reckoned with.

I'm so happy to have

you guys all here today.

I cannot wait to find out more

about all of your businesses.

-We're gonna grill you.

-So excited.

We absolutely love Emma Grede.

I'm a big fan

of her career and where she is today.

It's so nice for us just

to have this opportunity

to sit around with such a

incredible group of like-minded women.

-Yeah.

-So I love it.

We admire her so much,

and we would love the opportunity

to work with her.

Ladies, welcome to Side Hustlers.

(cheering)

EMMA:

I have to say,

it's so exciting for us

to have so much talent,

so many incredible female businesswomen

all in one room.

ASHLEY:

In season one,

we helped female founders'

dreams come true.

We helped them take

their business to the next level,

and we are ready to do it again.

-Whoo!

-(others whoop)

-(laughs)

It's a sad fact that less than two percent

of female-founded

businesses get VC funding.

But the benefits of female leadership

in business are clear.

ASHLEY:

Emma and I both know a thing or two

about investing in our own careers.

We're really passionate about

supporting women entrepreneurs

and helping more

female-founded companies grow to be

the multimillion-dollar companies

that they should be.

So today, ladies, you are gonna

pitch your side hustles to us.

And then we're gonna choose

some of you to mentor,

but not all of you.

EMMA:

If we choose to mentor you,

then we are gonna be all in.

For the next few weeks,

Ashley and I will be hands-on,

working with you to get

your business to the next phase.

You're gonna turn that

side hustle into your main hustle.

(cheering and applause)

And at the end of this process,

we will have some

very important decisions to make.

EMMA:

We have to decide if we're gonna make

an investment in you and your company.

ASHLEY:

And you have to decide

if you're gonna quit your day job.

So this is not a typical contest.

You're not gonna be

competing against each other.

Your true competition will be yourself.

EMMA:

And it's not just about

the numbers for us.

We're investing in you.

And so we've teamed up with Ally

to provide resources

as you work on your finances

and your customer strategy

for your business.

Ashley and I are gonna be

just over there in the living room,

and we plan to meet with

each of you one by one.

And we cannot wait to meet you properly.

Let's do this.

(cheering and applause)

Are you nervous?

A little bit, but I'm excited to, like,

share my brand, share my story.

I think that there's

so much that we can share,

that there's a lot of commonality,

even if it's my story.

My very first pitch was

to a man who was like,

"Okay, I'm gonna give you $50,000,

and I want 30%."

-(laughs)

-You out your damn mind.

30%? Are you out of your mind?

So don't assume,

because I'm a little woman

and I happen to take care of home,

that I'm not savvy about

how I run my business.

So, can you tell us,

what is your side hustle?

Yes, my side hustle is Amour Propre.

"Amour propre"

means "self-love" in French,

and all of my products

embody that feeling.

I feel that the world

is missing love right now.

One in four women don't know

where their vag*na is

-Oh.

-and 85% of people have issues

with low self-esteem.

So I decided to start

One second.

You're gonna have to go back.

-(laughs)

-EMMA: Who are these that

don't understand where their vag*na is?

Can you clarify that?

Yeah, so, many women have utilized

their mother's information,

their friends' information,

false information, Internet,

to tell them how to

take care of themselves

or just based on a feeling, not fact,

science and information.

-EMMA: Mm-hmm.

-So what I do is educate women

about their bodies.

So what's selling the best?

My yoni oil and my yoni wash.

And yoni is "vag*na,"

for those who don't know.

-You're making this on your own?

-Yes, ma'am.

And do you have a factory you're doing

Mm-hmm, yeah. The factory is

at my house in Mission Viejo.

-(laughs)

-Whoa!

-In your kitchen at home?

-Yes, ma'am.

I've made over 10,000 products

-Are you kidding?

-by myself.

You made this at home, in your kitchen?

Yes. Literally.

And how much have you sold to date?

As of right now,

we've sold about $250,000 in total sales.

Okay. And what have you

spent to get you there?

-Oh, God.

-(laughter)

I would say about $300,000.

♪

So that 300 grand essentially

came from your savings?

-Yes, ma'am. Yes, it did, yeah.

-Wow. That's a bold move.

I'm pretty bold.

I'm a hustler, baby,

I just want you to know.

I've got the excitement.

I'm the cheerleader for this brand,

and I believe that people want this.

And as a result,

I'm the best spokesperson to

kind of get it out there

and push it to the public.

-You 100% are.

-I believe you.

-Yeah. Yeah.

-I mean, seriously.

-Thank you.

-ASHLEY: Yeah.

Thank you. Thank you for caring about

-me and all my bits.

-All your parts, girl.

-So nice to meet you. (laughs)

-You, too.

-EMMA: Thank you.

-ASHLEY: Bye.

I see a lot of promise with Tahera.

She's got a really cool,

interesting product,

but she's making it out of her home.

I don't know how you can

take this to a broader audience

without a proper facility.

TANIA:

How did it go?

I feel just as nervous as I did going in.

-Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

-Because I don't know, right?

-Yeah.

-And the unknown is kind of like

that thing that's just

looming over your shoulder,

but I gave them my best,

and I was sincere,

and I was myself.

That was all I wanted to do.

-That's all you can do.

-Exactly.

-Yeah.

FAY:

I have been preparing,

and I'm just ready to

blow them away. (laughs)

-Yeah.

-That's awesome.

FAY:

It's pitch time, guys. I got to go.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Okay, so welcome to the world of Bonbuz.

Alcohol-free

for the buzz without the booze.

So, am I getting buzzed off of this?

It's a natural buzz to enhance your mood

but also give you a sensory experience

that isn't just ethanol-based.

We're here to challenge the status quo.

My name is Fay Behbehani.

I'm 36 years old,

and I'm from London.

I am currently working for

a sustainable spirits company, vodka,

but my passion lies in

changing the narrative

around drinking culture.

My side hustle is Bonbuz,

an alcohol-free functional drinks company

that's pioneering the future

of how we get buzzed.

For me, following

convention is really boring.

To do something

people really connect with,

sometimes you have to break the rules.

MAN (on speakerphone):

You're fending off

big beverage manufacturers

that are backed with a ton of money.

To start with, we're pitching,

like, a social tonics program

in some of these premium groceries.

In my previous roles,

I haven't had the autonomy

that I've wanted

to properly do my job

in the way that I would,

which is maybe why I started Bonbuz,

so I could be my own boss

and not have to answer to anyone.

I just never want to clip people's wings.

I want people to shine.

That's the point of Bonbuz.

Whatever floats your boat.

I'm gonna make something that's like

-a spicy margarita.

-ASHLEY: Yeah. Cheers.

Cheers.

FAY:

This is a sugar-free

passion fruit mezcal replacement.

It's thick.

-Uh

-(Emma coughs)

Damn. (coughs loudly)

You good?

♪

The flavor is not for me.

Well, can I get you

a little passion fruit, like, tea blend?

-I love it.

-Crack it open.

EMMA:

Oh, I'm into tea. It's so English.

-That is good, I'm sorry.

-I really like it.

-That is really, really good.

-Bonbuz.

I like saying that. Bonbuz! ♪

It's clearly working.

(Ashley laughing)

I'm just saying, it's just facts.

I love it.

So what's exactly in here?

-EMMA: Yeah.

-So, we use 50 milligrams of caffeine

per two-ounce pour.

That kind of just gives you

the immediate stimulating effect.

5-HTP, which works

on the serotonin system,

-where the dopamine center is.

-Right, right.

We also have nootropics, adaptogens,

and functional mushrooms.

Really, things to help you

immerse you into the present moment.

ASHLEY:

I'm really curious about the numbers.

So talk to us a little bit

about the money.

Uh, well, we just cleared

100,000 last, uh, in July.

And where are you gonna

finish the year at?

Uh, so the goal is

a million for this year.

-A million?

-Yes.

-Whoa.

-Whoa.

What we've seen in the past few years

is the low- and no-alcohol category

hit $11 billion in sales.

Gen Zs aren't drinking, and so

they are kind of driving this category

in a big way.

It's a movement.

I feel really good.

-I'm so happy

-Is it me or is it the drink?

-Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

It was so nice to meet you.

-You, too. Thank you, guys.

-EMMA: So good to meet you.

Thank you, my dear.

(slurping)

Ah!

Bonbuz tastes incredible.

Her ingredients and the flavor

totally sets her apart.

This is us. We are All Better Co.

It's everyday plant-powered

first aid and personal care.

The aha moment

that launched the whole thing is this,

which is our Don't Scratch That patch,

which is basically a pimple patch

-for mosquito bites.

-Nice.

And then the next thing that came

was our Don't Scratch That pen.

-Oh, I love a pen.

-Which is like our answer

to hydrocortisone.

The goal, ultimately, is for us

to recreate Mom's first aid kit,

-driven by plant-powered products.

-I love that mission.

We will do for first aid

what the Honest Company

-did for baby products.

-EMMA: Oh, I love that.

I'm gonna start

putting everything together.

And it looks like

he did send me the quote.

We have several full-time jobs. (chuckles)

But the first number one job is mom.

Felix is gonna miss me.

-'Cause I'm a mama's boy.

-SISTER: We all know.

-I'll take it.

-(laughter)

I'm also a marketing consultant working

for other female entrepreneurs.

And then my background's in education.

No.

GIRL:

Oh, my God, you're a pain in the butt.

-MERAV: Hey.

-BOY: You're a pain.

MERAV:

Let's just be clear,

you're both pains in the butt.

STACY:

I feel like, as moms

who work,

we are building this for our families.

The opportunity to work with Emma

and Ashley would be incredible.

ASHLEY:

So, who have you all tested this out on,

and what's been the reaction?

Or not reaction?

We think about everything

with our families first.

My daughter was in terrible discomfort

from mosquito bites.

Merav has a son

who also has really sensitive skin,

and we just thought there's got

to be something cleaner, better

out there for our families.

-No smell.

-Smells good, like,

it smells medicine-y,

but it smells, like, herbal.

We have to think, like,

when you're planning

and creating something for your family,

it can't smell weird.

-No. Kids are fussy, yeah.

-It can't feel weird,

it can't leave a residue, it can't burn.

Ladies, I'm trying to understand

these ingredients.

Like, does this actually

like, does it work?

Yeah, we that pen

actually just won an award

-for Best Skin Care in 2023.

-ASHLEY: Oh, which one?

-Parents.

-Parent magazine.

-Congratulations.

-Wow. Good for you two.

Okay, so what are the sales like?

What have they been so far?

♪

Is there any profit?

STACEY:

Merav and I, you know, we're self-funded,

but before we launched, we also are, um,

really motivated by women as investors

and we've really talked a lot

about how women

are not empowered to invest,

and that a lot of that is due

to just lack of opportunity.

EMMA:

These two are really coy

around sharing the numbers.

I think a lot of people are strange

when it comes to money, but I'm here.

You're gonna need to give me

the information.

Tell me this: if we were to invest in you,

what would you do?

What are the next steps?

What we're looking for is mentorship

and people that know how to build a brand

and make All Better Co. a household name.

-I love that.

-So it's really not just about money,

it's really about, for us,

we've always said

it is about collaboration.

My favorite trait in any entrepreneur,

-I'll tell you that.

-Yeah.

It's so good to meet the two of you.

Ladies, it was such a pleasure.

Thank you so much.

MERAV:

All right, thank you.

EMMA:

I just love the idea

that they have, like,

this big vision, right?

They want to be, to mums and parents,

what Honest Company was in their space.

It's, like, so cool.

What are you looking to gain

from talking to Emma and Ashley?

One thing for me is, I often feel like

I'm really young in this business,

and I don't have a lot of guidance

in my circle

to really reach out to people

to get that mentorship.

So I'm really just looking

for that opportunity to learn

from others' experiences.

You're gonna do great.

-ASHLEY: Hi, Rhea.

-Hi.

Well, don't you look wonderful?

Thank you. It's actually my own brand.

-Ah, very clever, my dear.

-I love it.

She wore her own product.

-RHEA: Always.

-I do love a girl in her own product.

So tell us, what is your side hustle?

About two years ago,

I realized that shopping

for sustainable South Asian

contemporary and traditional wear

was really difficult.

So I decided to create Khattoi.

We focus on traditional and contemporary

wear, and then weddings as well.

We work one-on-one

with the bride and groom

to custom-create outfits for their events.

-That's amazing.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-EMMA: Talk to me about

the actual business.

I'd really love to know

what your sales are.

So, year to date right now,

we're at 50,000.

But in April we outgrew

our production unit in India.

So I went to India, redid our production,

and now we've closed down

our production house

and have a bigger production partner.

And are you having reoccurring customers?

Yes. We actually take

customer experience really seriously.

So I'll design silhouettes

depending on customer feedback,

then we create that collection.

-What do you really need?

-Okay. I was gonna say.

-Mentorship.

-Oh, interesting.

So, for me, one thing is, I'm 25, and I

-Oh, wow. Good girl!

-You're 25?

I think that you have a business

that you just explained so beautifully

-Oh, I'm glad.

-and you look fantastic,

and I think it's very clear

that you are

-Thank you.

-the real deal.

-ASHLEY: Nice to meet you.

-Thank you so much.

Nice to meet you, too.

All right, I'll see you guys later.

-EMMA: Thank you.

-Bye.

-I totally would wear that outfit.

So cute.

-That outfit was gorgeous.

She's so wonderful.

She really has her sh*t together.

MARCY:

We're the only people here

doing what we're doing.

We're the only people here doing anything

in the plus-size world.

-Yes.

-Which, Emma being, like, the owner

of an inclusive brand,

and then Ashley being Ashley, like,

both of these investors

are perfect for us.

♪

-You look so cute.

-Thank you.

Here to drive you to your dreams.

I'm Marcy Guevara-Prete.

My name is Jen Wilder.

Jen and I opened The Plus Bus Boutique

in 2015, and that has been

our side hustle ever since.

Oh, this one's cute.

Legs. We love some legs.

The Plus Bus is L.A.'s premier destination

for plus-size fashion.

JEN:

We really aim to take the shame

out of shopping

in a plus-size body.

The Plus Bus really has

healed people

from the trauma.

What I've learned as I've grown up is that

there wasn't anything wrong with me.

It was literally everyone around me

telling me that I should act different

because of my body,

that I shouldn't want as much,

or that I didn't deserve

to be treated with respect,

and it's just not true.

(sniffles)

MARCY:

This business has been

an emotional experience for us.

We know, in our hearts,

that this thing is huge.

It is an octopus of possibility

that we just need somebody

to help us really create.

EMMA:

Hey, ladies.

-JEN: Hello.

-Tell us about your side hustle.

We run L.A.'s premier plus-size fashion

shopping experience

The Plus Bus.

-Is it on a bus?

-Is it a bus?

-Yes.

-ASHLEY: What?

-There is a bus.

-And we have a brick-and-mortar

retail space and we have a thrift store

and, of course, we're selling online.

We have been doing it

for almost eight years now.

Like, what's the size range?

Like, if somebody

comes in and brings you a U.S. size eight,

are you like,

"Sorry, we just don't carry that"?

We say we start at size 12 and go

all the way, as big as we can find it.

-Okay.

-So, for us this is not

just a retail store.

This is so much more than clothes.

Talk to us about the business.

I really want to understand,

-what are your numbers?

-Yes.

-You said you've been doing this

for eight years.

-Yes.

So, what's the business look like today?

We're like at $480,000 for this year,

projected to do $870K.

And are you profitable?

-We're close.

-We would be if we didn't hire

so many people to run our store.

♪

ASHLEY:

I am curious,

how much have you actually invested

in the company?

MARCY:

To be honest?

Like, probably $350,000.

Oh, wow.

And do you have any debt in the company?

We have been a victim

of some predatory loans.

What does that look like in terms

of total debt to the company?

Total debt right now is $150K.

MARCY:

I have been very actively pursuing

some, like, financing options.

But we need mentorship, we need help.

We have done what we can

with what we call bra-strap capital.

You know, we need that fire on this fuel.

We've already got the kindling,

we've already got the matches,

we've already got this little flame going,

we just need that megaphone.

MARCY:

We need the fuel on the fire.

-Okay.

-Okay.

It's great to meet you guys.

-ASHLEY: Thanks, Jen.

-Thank you.

-MARCY: Thank you so much.

-So nice to see you.

-So nice to meet you finally.

-Yes, I know.

EMMA:

So nice to see you.

At the end of the day,

they're 150 grand in debt

-Yeah. Yeah.

-they've been in business

for eight years.

-They ain't making it work. It's

-Hmm

-just facts.

-You're right.

The first thing I'm looking for in a pitch

is someone that can convey

their idea with impact.

If I don't get it in 30 seconds,

I've already lost interest.

So, leveraging the power of A.I.,

we are building a personalized styler

and shopper called Arête.

A lot of the investment

that we're asking for

is going to be leveraged

towards A.I. engineers.

That ain't cheap.

Beebizy is a simple

and easy-to-use mobile app

that connects parents

to party vendors in one place.

And how are you making your money?

Is it an affiliate model?

Our average order value is $650.

-Okay.

-And so we take 22% of that.

The next thing is

a really passionate founder

with storytelling abilities

and the ability to sell to me.

SARA:

This is my side hustle Superfy

allergen-friendly, vegan,

gluten-free ingredients

that you use for baking.

ASHLEY:

Okay. And how much money have you made?

We need numbers.

Well, you know. Okay.

I'm-I'm gonna be honest.

I haven't started.

I haven't pushed the button yet.

That's what I need help.

EMMA:

There needs to be something special

about how they're delivering it,

their business model,

or just about them.

Do you have any pitching experience?

This will actually be

my first experience pitching,

so I'm very nervous.

Don't be nervous.

You've got this.

-You're gonna be great.

-I-I would invest in you.

-(laughs): Yeah.

-Aw, thank you.

(chuckles) Thank you.

ASHLEY:

I'm hungry.

Yes. I brought snacks.

Wonderful.

So, this is Gloria's Shito.

Shito means "spicy pepper" or "hot."

EMMA:

One of my favorite things in the world.

-I'm just gonna get stuck straight in.

-ASHLEY: Oh, my gosh.

And you can simply drizzle this on hummus.

-ASHLEY: Oh, my God.

-That's some spicy goodness right there.

-ASHLEY: Oh, my God.

-GLORIA: Yes.

-Yeah, yeah.

GLORIA:

So, my vision is, shito

is the gateway to Ghana,

no passport required.

Shito is that condiment that we add

to anything and everything.

And it adds, like, spice,

depth of umami

EMMA:

Oh, my God.

to the Western world.

-It has a little after-kick here.

-GLORIA: Yeah.

-EMMA: This is medium?

-It's medium-high.

This feels so, like-like, well-traveled.

(Emma coughing)

Oh, are you okay?

(laughs) It's really

-It gets you.

-I took a big old sip of the oil.

It's a very, very interesting

flavor profile, actually.

GLORIA:

Absolutely. Other cultures have done

such a great job.

When you look at

European cuisine, Asian cuisine,

Latin cuisine.

And I feel like my culture does not do

a great job representing our food.

How much are you selling at the moment?

I am in 11 stores across the country.

Do you also sell it direct to consumer

or just through the stores?

Direct to consumer

and also farmers markets.

And I've sold out 600 units.

You sold out?

I sold out. I am actually

traveling next week to the facility

to oversee the third production batch.

This is the gateway product.

This is my hero product,

but the vision is Gloria's Shito

Compound Butter,

Gloria's Shito Spicy Cream Cheese.

Oh, I love butter. I think

there's a big space for butter.

-Absolutely.

-Now, what is the shelf life?

-GLORIA: Two years.

-Oh.

Because it's, um, it's a chili oil.

What is it gonna take for you

to make this your main hustle?

So, I'm a cosmetic chemist.

I've been in the industry

for over 15 years.

I love creating products,

I love putting products out there,

but shito is that one thing

that has given me joy.

My whole life, I've never had stability.

I lost my mom at the age

of four years old.

EMMA:

Oh, I'm so sorry.

But I've been working

since I was at the age of 16

stocking shelves, babysitting,

whatever I can do

to just take away that pressure

from my family.

With a supportive mentorship,

the vision for me

is putting a jar of shito

in people's grocery stores here,

being able to grab that taste of home.

I am hoping that I can

bring shito to the next level,

to just take it to places

I've never seen it.

Gloria, I love you.

I love, I love everything.

And then the product was, like

-ASHLEY: That's it.

-icing on the cake.

-Thank you. Thank you, Gloria.

-Icing on the cake.

-k*lled it.

-Thank you so much.

Gloria, please leave us

-the chili oil.

-It's yours.

(laughs)

(mouths)

-Back off, Ashley Graham.

-(laughs)

You're gonna take my little dream from me?

-That is all mine, boo-boo.

-No, no, no.

Let's see who she wants.

(both laugh)

What does this investment mean to you?

Honey, if they would give me

an opportunity,

I'd quit my job in a heartbeat

because I believe in myself.

-BOTH: Yeah.

-FRANCES: Because, again,

I can do the work.

I'm not afraid of working.

Hola.

-Hi!

-I see some big kahunas coming.

-(laughter)

-Mine or in here?

EMMA:

Those bras, no, no, they are not for me.

-(laughs)

-Wow.

So, ladies, this is Hanging Secrets.

And what is Hanging Secrets?

Hanging Secrets is

a bra and lingerie organizer

that hangs in the closet or over the door.

This is the travel version.

-Travel version?

-Travel version.

If you have, like, molded bras,

-it's so they don't get smooshed.

-FRANCES: Yes.

Okay.

How much are you selling

of these products?

Since we launched till now,

it's been $27,000.

So, that's eight years.

-Wow.

-Eight years you've been doing this?

-Yes.

-EMMA: You've been doing this

for eight years as your side hustle?

FRANCES:

Yes.

EMMA:

And you've had relatively low sales.

Yes.

So what keeps you going?

Why do you keep doing this?

It's in my DNA. I don't give up.

I don't give up.

Just show me what to do,

and I will get it done.

And I don't know if you know

about patents, but

Love a patent.

She brought the patent.

Only seven percent of patents

issued in the United States

are issued to sole female inventors,

and patents issued in the United States

to sole Latinas are less than one percent.

-ASHLEY: Wow.

-Well, bravo to you.

-That's really, truly impressive.

-ASHLEY: Yeah.

FRANCES:

Thank you.

EMMA:

I love that you're trying to do things.

I think there's so much

to be said about that.

I understand where you're

coming from. I really do.

And I think that you're an amazing woman.

Maybe this is not the idea for me,

but I admire the tenacity

and I admire someone that comes on

-and doesn't give up.

-FRANCES: Thank you so much.

Really, I do.

-FRANCES: Thank you.

-Thank you, Frances.

EMMA:

Here's the thing

with Frances and Hanging Secrets.

it's just not an investable opportunity.

It is not working. It's never gonna work.

And that can be so difficult

for any entrepreneur to deal with.

Quite honestly, the best advice

I can give her is to walk away.

My sales were not there.

-Aw.

-Well, you inspire us, so

-Yeah. Definitely.

-Well, thank you very much.

Thank you. And I wish everybody luck.

-You did it.

-(cheering)

(chuckles) Yeah. Thank you.

Keep making me believe in magic ♪

Okay, we're all duos,

so I want to know highlights,

lowlights of having a partner.

Best part is, when you want to give up,

-you have someone that can talk you down.

-Yeah.

TANIA:

For the low lows and the high highs,

-it's great to have someone with you.

-Yeah.

Our side hustle is Clean Coats.

So, it is a performance pet care brand,

and it has odor-neutralizing ingredients

in there,

so there's no fragrance.

ASHLEY:

I get pitched different ideas

all the time.

The first thing I ask myself is,

"Where is this business going?"

What's this other bottle?

Okay, so this is our prototype

for our next product

that's not launched yet.

Oh, good girls bringing the prototype.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

EMMA:

There you go.

And what's the age range

of people that you're selling to?

It's mostly, like, millennials, Gen Z.

ASHLEY:

Then I ask about the product landscape.

What are the barriers to entry?

Do you have any competitive advantages?

I want to see that

they have already mapped out

their risks and challenges.

How much does it cost

for you to make a bag like that?

So, for this particular style, at cost,

it's $35.

But this doesn't include the cost

of shipping and packaging.

Our margins need to be better.

ASHLEY:

At the end of the day,

sometimes the idea is great,

but it's just a bad investment.

-I'm really curious about the numbers now.

-Yes.

How much have you invested?

How much have you made?

Where are we?

We started off with our first, um,

SKU being, um, hydrogel masks.

I love a mask. I'm a sucker for a mask.

I'm a huge masker. I love them.

I love 'em.

I've been working on,

like, the R&D part of it

for the last two years.

I bought out all the stock, everything.

How much stock did you buy?

40,000 units.

I've invested almost $100,000 into this.

-(Emma gasps)

-Yes.

And you'd never sold a unit before?

I never sold it, but I truly believe in

Where'd you get that money from?

I worked four or five jobs at a time.

That's the standard I'm setting

for myself.

ASHLEY:

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Here's the thing that is k*lling me

as we go through this.

Half the people here

-don't even need our money.

-No.

They need the mentorship.

You're wearing blazers, so, like,

I know this is not your first rodeo,

but I don't know,

have you guys pitched before?

We are lawyers, so we've done some, like,

oral arguments and things like that,

but we have not pitched to investors yet.

Ooh.

This is the first investor pitch.

EMMA:

Welcome. Welcome.

So tell us your business.

We are the co-founders of Brune Kitchen.

My name is Tania Sweis.

And I'm Jahan Shahryar,

and we're both currently attorneys

working at the same law firm.

TANIA:

When we are not dedicating time

to our day jobs,

we are running Brune Kitchen,

and we make the first and only

tahini-based cookies on the market.

I was watching my mom and my grandma make

some of my favorite

Middle Eastern desserts

in our family kitchen,

and they were using tahini.

That was my "aha" moment.

So this is Maldon salt.

Kind of increase the flavor.

And people generally really love the play

between sweet and salty in the cookies.

JAHAN:

If Brune Kitchen doesn't succeed,

I would be heartbroken.

Growing up as an Afghan woman,

I always felt like

I needed to prove myself

and to prove my intelligence.

And a lot of that is why

I became a lawyer,

which is what everyone's parents

wants them to become.

But now, with Brune, my family would have

a little bit of hesitation

if their child decides to leave

a stable job

to pursue this passion project,

as they call it.

But this means a lot to us.

It's something that

we really wanted

to put out into this world,

and this could be really successful.

We really are the best.

(laughs)

We are the best.

We make the first tahini-based cookie

on the market.

Our cookies are made

to be gluten-free, vegan,

refined sugar-free, and so many

other good-for-you upgrades.

I'm not waiting any longer.

I'm gonna take a cookie.

-Get me, get me a cookie!

-Come on. Come on!

Mmm!

That's why we started Brune.

Are you selling these delicious cookies?

We've sold $100,000 to date.

We've established a solid retail presence

in Southern California.

And getting into retail,

getting on the shelf is one thing,

-but staying on the shelf is

-EMMA: 100%.

-Different ball game. (chuckles)

-It's a different ball game.

We know you can get kicked off as,

you know, faster than you got in.

What's the shelf life on this?

It lasts for at least

four months in the fridge.

-Oh, wow. Really?

-But one year frozen.

So our distributors can keep our cookies

for at least one year.

It's really tough to make money

in the food space,

so I want to understand

a little bit more about

the economics behind this.

How much does it take you

to make these cookies,

and how much are you selling them for?

Each cookie is $1.20 to make,

and we retail them at $3.99.

-Okay.

-And we're scaling. They'll get better.

I'm excited. I want to eat more of these.

I'm really excited.

-Thank you so much.

-(laughter)

-Great to meet you both. Thank you.

-Thank you. Thank you.

-So good.

-Thank you so much.

-Bye.

-That's a delicious cookie.

I can't finish it, though. It's so big.

Yeah. Th-There's opportunity here

because you could

scale that back a little bit.

They can probably improve their margins.

EMMA:

So, ladies, let's talk about today.

It takes a lot of courage

and a lot of brainpower

to come here,

give us your numbers,

give us your ideas

and really spill everything,

even the nitty gritty

of the things that aren't really working

in your business,

so kudos to all of you.

This was an amazing day of pitching.

It isn't gonna work out,

as you might hope,

for each and every one of you,

but don't let that deter you.

I cannot tell you

how many times I have failed.

And because you don't get what you need

or what you expect

out of one situation,

it doesn't and it isn't a judgment

on your entire business.

So with that said,

we'd like to thank you guys

for all coming here today.

We have a lot to discuss, and we'll be

back in touch with you guys tomorrow.

ALL:

Thank you.

I'm seeing all of these women

who have built

these incredible businesses,

and I don't know

how I compare to them,

but to be able to work

with Ashley and Emma

will really help scale Bonbuz

to the next level

and just make us a huge success.

ASHLEY:

All right.

So we've got a lot to discuss, girl.

Khattoi is really interesting.

EMMA: You know, I thought

she was really interesting.

-She's so young.

-Yes.

And she ticks so many boxes.

I couldn't agree with you more.

-Plus, the outfit was cute AF.

-So cute.

I need her to make that for me.

I knew that you were thinking that.

For sure, for sure, for sure.

ASHLEY: What about Marcy and Jen,

with The Plus Bus?

I know how emotional it is.

I know what it is like.

Well, you know it firsthand.

When you go into a store,

and there's nothing there for you

100. There's a reason women cry.

-It's so emotional.

-Exactly,

but I know that

I-I can't actually invest my own money.

There's debt. They actually don't

-really have a plan.

-I know.

-And it's a little scattered right now.

-I know.

They need to rein it in.

ASHLEY:

If anybody understands

the plus-size community and the fashion

and the emotion behind it, it's me.

The problem that I had

with The Plus Bus is that

any investment would go

straight to all of the debt

that they've accumulated

over the years.

It's just too big of a risk

to invest in them right now.

Okay. Another one that I am obsessed with

from today

and I know I'm obsessed with it

because I actually cannot stop thinking

about it, and I quite like it now

is Brune Kitchen.

That's an expensive cookie.

They just need pointing

in the right direction,

but I can help them.

Bonbuz, the non-alcoholic spirit.

-She knows what she's doing.

-That drink was amazing.

That is such a profitable business.

And especially because she's got

Gen Z locked down. I love that.

Okay. I'll do you one better than that.

All Better Co. is mine.

-No. (laughs)

-Yes. I have a clean cleaning brand.

I can help these girls so much.

It's like, I understand the ingredients,

I know the bottling.

It's all here. I mean,

it's-it's basically a Safely product

-in a different brand.

-Okay. Okay. Okay.

I'm really excited about Gloria.

-Shito.

-No, no, no. One second.

-Gloria's Shito is mine, honey.

-You know

-No, no, no.

-No, I want that hot sauce on my eggs.

-No. What?

-I want it on my bagels.

I want it in a pasta dish.

Well, how are we gonna work this out?

-Rock paper scissors?

-No.

♪

We'll figure it out.

Blowin' up my phone,

if it ain't about the money ♪

I ain't answering the messages ♪

Come-come through with the check right ♪

Book another trip,

gonna hop on the next flight. ♪

ASHLEY:

Emma and I have made

some difficult choices

and narrowed down our pool

of entrepreneurs.

Next, we will drop by

for an unplanned visit

to take a peek behind the scenes.

We need an honest assessment

of each business

before we can make a smart investment.

-Hello!

-(laughing)

-(laughter)

-Oh. It's you. What are you?

Oh, my gosh! Hi.

I can't believe Ashley Graham

is sitting in the Bonbuz HQ warehouse.

This ethereal creature that

shouldn't be in warehouses. (laughs)

I'm having a little Bonbuz, honey.

(laughs)

Okay, so first of all,

Tomorrow Things is my favorite.

Yeah, you tried this one yesterday.

-Do you remember? You were like

-This is so good.

(imitates Ashley):

"This is thick."

-(laughs)

-It is. It's thick! You remember.

I, literally, all night, I was like,

"That's a really thick drink,

but it was good."

-Oh, I'm so happy.

-"It was a thick drink. It's good.

"I need to go back,

and I need to tell her

that I need to know more."

Is this where

you actually make the drinks?

Yeah. Where the drinks are made.

We do all of the packing, the fulfillment.

This is where the magic happens.

ASHLEY:

On a normal day,

how many boxes are you shipping out?

We do between like 150 to 300.

-A day?

-A day.

-Wow.

-Yeah. Yeah.

How much is your revenue?

Revenue in July was 100K.

-Wow. I'm

-(chuckles)

That's a big deal.

There's a lot of competitors,

but if Bonbuz is

as different as I think it is

We got the "buz." (chuckles)

I think that there's potential

to scale here in a really big way.

Okay, let's go talk business.

I want to look under the hood a bit.

I love the idea of all the ingredients.

How else are you gonna be expanding?

Are there gonna be more flavors?

Are you adding more additives in?

(sighs) Working on it. Um

Still R&D,

'cause we're constantly like

-Right.

-That's just an ongoing process.

We just need, like, capital

-to be able to purchase it, essentially.

-Mm-hmm.

What are you gonna do

if-if I come on and mentor?

-Like, what would you do?

-(chuckles softly)

I would cry.

(laughter)

Okay.

That's why I'm here.

I'm gonna mentor you.

(laughter)

Mwah.

FAY:

I'm in disbelief.

I've worked so hard

for a really long time

for a moment like this to happen.

The fact that someone of Ashley's stature

is wanting to work with me

is beyond my wildest dreams.

There's a few benchmarks

I want you to think about marketing.

I want you to think about

how can you tap in

to a different age group

and a demographic.

Also, I want you to educate,

because in any new brand,

no matter what it is,

especially when it has

this many ingredients,

education is key.

And I think that

you're really missing that here.

So what I want to do is give you $15,000.

Amazing.

And what you're going to do with that

is pour it into the business.

I want you to meet those benchmarks

with this $15,000.

But this is gonna be really hard,

and it's a very crowded space,

but I really feel like

you have what it takes,

and I feel like Bonbuz has what it takes.

So I'm ready to rock and roll, baby.

-Yes. Yes.

-Let's do this. And get me

I need some Bonbuz.

I need to walk out with some Bonbuz.

-Let me get some. Oh! I'm ready.

-I'm so excited.

♪

Reaching for the stars ♪

STACY:

Merav.

-MERAV: What?

-Now that you've slept on it

-(sighs) God.

-(laughs)

-Yeah?

-How do you think it went?

I feel like I'm dating again.

You're like,

"Did they have a good time?

-'Cause I had a good time."

-(laughing)

"Do they want to call me?

Will I see them again?

I don't know."

It's the part that I hated about dating.

-The anticipation?

-(chuckles) Yeah.

Reaching for the stars ♪

♪

Hi.

(laughter)

-Hey, it's just me, popping in.

-Oh, my God.

I don't understand. Wait.

-This is my home.

-(laughter)

This is your home. I'm here.

Hey, All Better Co.

I had to come back.

Honestly, I was so blown away by you two.

Two mums have just sat at home

and created this company.

-I was like, "I need to" Don't cry.

-(laughs)

I was like,

I actually needed to just come,

and see you and dig in.

I have 500,000 questions.

-(laughs)

-You've created something amazing,

and I genuinely just want to help you.

I want to help you take it

to the next level, so

-We're-we're comfortable with that.

-(laughs)

I still can't believe it.

(laughter)

How are you at my house?

Yeah. This is private property.

That's breaking and entering.

(laughs)

Let's start with the actual juice.

Like, I want to understand

much more about the formulations.

Mm-hmm.

And how do you know

that they actually work?

I mean, at this point,

we know that they work

because we've tested them ourselves

and on our own friends and family,

anecdotally.

We don't want to make

everything about finances,

but we've had no money

to get a dermatologist to do that.

I have put a fund together

specifically for this project,

and so I'm going to mentor you ladies.

We're just gonna go headfirst into it.

I can't believe

this is really happening. (laughs)

No, it's happening.

We're gonna, we're gonna do it.

Because over the weeks

that we work together,

we want to try some stuff.

And so I want to be able

to give you guys $15,000

-to be spent on the brand, specifically.

-Okay.

And I have the opportunity

to introduce you to our team at Ally.

We have this incredible woman

called Jack Howard,

who's the head of Money Wellness.

She's a woman that literally works

on your relationship to money,

because there's so much

at this stage of the business

that you guys need to do.

You can create an incredible brand here.

If you guys are ready to come to work

-So ready.

-and really share

and work with me,

I'm gonna work with you.

I'll give you my all.

-That's what you get.

-100%.

-Absolutely.

-And we are really

This is a dream. This is amazing.

And your business acumen,

and your ability to bring brands to life

and what you've done

is exactly what we need.

-I'm in. I'm in if you two are.

-(cheering)

-Absolutely.

-Let's do it.

STACY:

We believe in this so much.

And now seeing that

someone like Emma believes in it, too,

it's a huge, huge win for us.

And, um

-(laughs)

-Now it's you.

Now you're the one crying.

So, let's just think about next steps

as it relates to our partnership together.

We have to figure out

where is this business going.

So the question is: what's next?

Like, what's on the horizon?

When you think about building out

this whole product range,

what do you want?

Well, I want to make sure

that we're answering this.

Do you have a thought on it?

I-I know another thought.

You can just tell me about

the products you want to see.

No, we're not gonna say that.

First and foremost,

we like to be clear that,

honestly, at this point,

we're not sharing

what we envision the plan to be

based on what we think is important

for right now.

So, in your mind, you feel like

you have g*ng-busting products

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yes. Yes.

-that you would add to this

-that can make it amazing?

-MERAV: Yes.

Oh.

I was a little bit surprised

that Stacy and Merav

don't want to share straight out the gate.

Now that might just be them being cute

and they need me to fight for it

a little bit,

but that, for me,

was a massive red flag.

You have secrets up your sleeve

-that you're not telling me?

-Yes, I do. I-I do.

How fun.

Just tell me what's going on.

♪

I'll draw you in

like a moth to a flame ♪

Reckless abandon is my middle name ♪

Deadly and accurate, true as my aim ♪

I'll sell you make-believe,

mess with your brain ♪

Take you to heaven, then steal it away ♪

Put you to death

with the games that I play ♪

It'll be worth it

for pleasure and pain ♪

The sweeter the pleasure,

the greater the gain ♪

If you think I'm a candy in life ♪

Take a look for the clues in my face ♪

I could die

for the thrill of the chase ♪

I get high on the taste,

high on the taste of disgrace ♪

I get high on the taste,

high on the taste of disgrace ♪

I get high on the taste,

high on the taste of disgrace. ♪

♪