The final entrepreneurs into the Shark Tank this week were presenting their business Naturally Perfect Dolls. They were seeking a $200k investment in exchange for 20% of the business. They have developed a line of dolls that feature multicultural skin tones and body structure. They were made to show little girls that they are beautiful no matter what they look like.
As for their numbers, they got their business going with a $25k crowd funding goal on Kickstarter. They hit that goal in around 48 hours and more than tripled the number by the end. They currently retail for $85. This is because their cost is $35 per doll, but as of the filming of their episode they were in contact with a manufacturer that could get the cost down to $10.30.
Let me get started here by saying that I really love the cause and purpose of this brand. Obviously I am far disconnected from the reality of this situation. I am a “straight, white, male” who has never dealt with prejudice or had unrealistic expectations of beauty thrust upon me. Despite that, I was raised with the believe that all are create equal and the fact that the image of beauty has been made so standard and narrow has frustrated me for a long time. I definitely have my own personal aesthetic preferences in the women I find attractive, but I still believe that everyone should be comfortable and proud in their own skin.
The story that these entrepreneurs told about their decision to start this business broke my heart. The fact that their little girl came home from school crying because she thought she needed yellow hair and white skin to be beautiful is nothing short of a tragedy. I know a lot of people who dismiss the concept of a lack of cultural representation, and some who even criticize anytime it seems to them like the media is trying to force diversity. They accuse individuals of having some kind of alternate agenda by forcing diversity, but there is no arguing around this one. This is an innocent little girl with no agenda who simply looked around at what was being presented to her and developed a perception of beauty that did not look like her. That needs to change.
The Sharks were definitely on board with the purpose and the cause, but all of them were concerned about the business side of things. There is a lot of competition in the doll market and there are even other brands that are currently testing this same kind of concept with their doll lines. All of the Sharks but Daymond dropped out for reasons relating to the competition they would find in a retail market.
When it came to Daymond, he got really honest with them. He said that he really wants to be involved but he sees retail as a mistake for this business. At this point, the entrepreneurs really impressed me.
Earlier they had shared their dream of a little girl being able to walk down the toy aisle and see one of their dolls that actually looks like her on the shelf. However, they admitted to Daymond that they know this goal is ambitious and they are more interested in running a sensible business than immediately chasing after that dream. They love their direct to consumer model and are comfortable doing that as long as it takes to build the business, but in the future if they have the means they want to see a shelf full of Naturally Perfect Dolls. This answer was so perfect! It showed humility and understanding. It showed a strong knowledge of their business and their market. It showed that they would be perfect partners to work with!
I am so excited for these entrepreneurs! They waded into a market where so many people had failed in the past and started something that I think could actually make a difference. Little girls all over the world need to know that they are perfect just the way they are. They don’t need to be wasting their precious younger years worried about being someone else. They need to be proud of who they are and start building the confidence they need to face this crazy world we live in!