'Coming up on Shark Tank season 2 this week'
'are some extraordinary and unique entrepreneurs.'
PadCare is the world's first such technology
that can process sanitary napkins and absorbent hygiene products
including diapers.
Did you design and manufacture the complete machine yourself?
Design, R&D and trial are done internally.
- We outsource manufacturing to Pune vendors. - Wow!
This mission you've chosen is an important one.
OLL provides skill development classes
to students of grades one to ten.
I am 18 years. My net margin is Rs. 18 lakhs.
- Is that a profit? - Yes.
Gosh!
You're a champ!
My routine from 4 to 6 am is
that I drop a message on all the free groups on Facebook.
When people wake up at 6 am and check their notifications,
it'll strike them to replenish flour at home.
We harp on about marketing, but this is true marketing!
I want to introduce you to a modern-day scrap merchant
called ScrapUncle.
This scrap merchant doesn't holler.
It's accessible through the ScrapUncle app or the website.
It is so responsible
that it dispatches the scrap for recycling on its own.
We present to you
India's smallest and most economical electric tractor.
- Hey! - Where is the brake?
It has been designed specifically keeping small fields in mind.
Our tractor will cause no damage to the land or the crops.
You'll inspire many people in India.
I want to become one of you, sir.
You will become one of us.
- I'll make you an offer. - Whoa!
- Wow! - Oh, my!
I'll give you Rs. 60 lakhs for 10% equity.
8%.
Rs. 60 lakhs for 7% equity.
- Wow. - My offer is 6%.
- Wow! - Whoa!
- Rs. 60 lakhs for 5% equity. - Whoa!
This offer is driving me nuts!
[Sharks laugh]
[theme music playing]
[theme music fading]
Greetings, Sharks. My name is Himanshu Gakhreja.
Indians are extremely cheesy!
[unanimous laughter]
We're not fond of boring and plain things.
We are fond of cheesy statements, songs,
cheesy movies and food!
[chuckles]
But I am Mr. Gakhreja's vegetarian son
and I got addicted to cheesecake.
How do I eat a cheesecake that has no egg?
Whoa!
We came up with a cheesy hack
so that no one with a love for cheesecake has to forgo it!
So, Sharks, presenting to you Cheesecake & Co.
[pleasant music playing]
Cheesecake is a yummy fusion of tart and cake
that originated in Europe and became popular in New York.
[pleasant music playing]
Sharks, our mission is
Our ask is Rs. 1 crore for 2% equity.
If it were established in 1918,
Actually, the intent wasn't it being a four-year-old company.
- I took a resolve in 2018 and began working on Cheesecake. - Okay.
I dropped out of college.
- I... - You dropped out.
- Yes. - What grade?
In twelfth grade.
[sentimental music playing]
Cheesecake is not just an art, it's everything to me.
We make the base with biscuits.
[uplifting music playing]
We finely crush the biscuits
and then set them in a mould.
[uplifting music playing]
We mix the cream and cheese well
and pour it into the moulds.
[uplifting music playing]
Then we bake it at an even temperature.
Then finally, your art is ready.
[euphoric music playing]
When someone takes a bite of the cheesecake
and it melts in their mouth, you know it's authentic.
My cheesecake journey began with Chawla Bakery.
I worked in this bakery for 2.5 years.
I worked hard for 2.5 years and gained knowledge of cakes
and then moved on.
But before I knew it, my father posed a hurdle for me.
He forbade me.
[sentimental music playing]
He had me handling his raw material business.
When I handled dad's work, I would literally feel suffocated.
I tried hard to convince my dad for a long time,
but I did not succeed.
[sentimental music playing]
Then we got married.
Shreya convinced my father to let me pursue my passion.
I convinced him saying that his son was married now!
[Sharks laugh]
And he should let him do as he pleases.
[laughs]
He did agree,
but he never helped us!
[Sharks laugh]
- Didn't he invest money? - No.
Then the owner of the bakery where I learned the process
Actually, I happened to eat a cheesecake that contained egg
when I was working on desserts.
Ever since I became passionate about it.
Secondly, the substituted ingredients
in place of eggs are very costly.
We started working on cost-cutting.
I incurred huge losses.
And when this finally came out right,
Shreya gained confidence.
Which ingredient did you substitute egg with?
- That's a secret, sir. - A secret.
[joyful music playing]
It isn't made in factories.
Even today, it is made from home.
- Whoa! - It's shipped to Bengaluru from Delhi.
Just as Coca-Cola protects its formula,
- you are protecting yours. - Exactly.
I think your business has grown exponentially.
You mentioned you had 20 stores.
We have 19 outlets.
17 in Delhi NCR, sir, and 2 in Bengaluru.
What are your sales?
No, don't get to sales yet. First... [chuckles]
Feed him first, please.
[Sharks laugh]
- He's famished. - It's right before my eyes.
Should I ask you about sales? No, first let me taste the cake.
[chuckles]
I'll get it.
[music playing]
Does everyone in your store wear these T-shirts?
- This is the bubblegum cheesecake. - Wow!
Okay. Let's try it, guys.
[pleasant music playing]
This has no egg.
Most people don't know how to make a cheesecake.
[uplifting music playing]
But you cracked it.
They sell cold cheesecakes.
And then they sell it.
Do you use an ice box?
No, we use a normal box. The delivery takes up to 40 minutes.
We work keeping this in mind.
We are available at every eight km from every pin code of Delhi NCR.
Please share your sales figures.
Last year, we made a sale of Rs. 6 crores.
How much did you save from a sale of Rs. 2 crores last month in July?
Sir, 20%!
- Does your dad earn so much? - Duh!
[chuckling] Why did you ask this question?
[chuckling]
My father is a distributor of raw materials for bakery products.
- Okay! - Yes!
It means you are his biggest customer now.
- Yes! You can say that. - Oh, my!
- Wow, my friend! Amazing feat! - Very good!
Well done!
How much does one cheesecake cost?
[dramatic music]
It's a Rs. 4,000 crores market in India.
This market is growing at a fast pace.
Currently,
people in the 18-26 years age group love to cut cheesecakes.
It has become a signature product.
People are moving on from normal cream cakes.
And an ordinary middle-class family can easily spend Rs. 1,000.
Himanshu and Shreya, I have made my decision.
First, let me tell you that you're a cute couple.
- Thank you so much! - Thank you!
You two support each other. That's very nice.
Secondly, running a business of Rs. 24 crores
which means Rs. 2 crores monthly is a difficult feat.
[sweeping music]
As an investor, I need to think about scaling up.
I think after a certain point,
scaling up perishable products with the cold chain is difficult.
So I'm out.
I think only the top 1% of people
can afford
a dessert costing Rs. 250.
And the market
of cheesecakes specifically...
I'm not sure how big it is. I don't think its worth is Rs. 4,000 crores
or even around Rs. 400 crores.
[thrilling music]
Right now, I don't find it investible.
For now, I'm out. Best of luck to both of you.
I'm very close to making you an offer.
But I want to understand what you want.
How will you utilise my expertise?
We are merchandisers.
We have observed our father work like a traditional merchandiser.
- And we are following in his footsteps. - Okay.
Now I want to turn my business into a corporate.
We haven't given ads on Instagram till now.
- Do you have a page on Instagram? - Yes!
- How many followers do you have? - Around four thousand.
We don't burn cash on ads.
We are at a stage where we can hire more people
and reach a higher level.
But we don't have a clue about how to expand our business.
I expanded it to the extent I knew.
Alright. I like you.
I like you as a couple and I also like the opportunity I see in you.
If I invest in your business,
my perspective would be different.
[thrilling music]
I want to join as somebody who can partner with you,
somebody who can help you build the brand
and somebody who will participate in the cash flows.
- Exactly. - Alright?
Because I don't know when I'll get an exit.
[suspenseful music]
- I want to say something. - Sure.
You are negotiating before I could make an offer.
We add new flavours every month
or every two months to scale up.
We introduce such flavours that our competitors don't even think of.
We are operating in just two cities right now.
If we open our stores in 28 cities,
our business will easily expand up to ten times.
No. These are just tall stories. Let me tell you the truth, Himanshu.
Sometimes the business receives a setback when you scale up.
You just said that you handle all the activities.
Yes!
You are yet to experience a true test.
Any person can run a local business.
You just said that you don't want to do a traditional style of business.
- Exactly! - So you want to make a management and leadership team.
You want to expand your business in multiple cities.
Your business is poles apart from the business you want to establish.
I'll give you Rs. 50 lakhs for 5% equity in your company.
I'll give you Rs. 50 lakhs as a loan
at 15% interest.
I think Anupam is giving you a nice offer.
I think I want to be out.
If I make you an offer, it couldn't be better than his.
- Thank you! - Thank you, sir!
Honesty and humility are critical for me.
When I made my first pitch to my investor, it was quite similar.
"Sir, I have limited knowledge of businesses.
Please help in expanding my business." So, my investor,
Kanwal said, "Alright, I'll help you.
But I'll decide the valuation."
Why did you ask for Rs. 1 crore
at a valuation of Rs. 50 crores?
We'll surely cross Rs. 25 crores yearly sale this time.
And we are hopeful
that our upcoming outlets
will cross Rs. 30 crores instead of Rs. 25 crores by March.
As a growth company, debt is required.
I experienced it. I didn't get equity for a very long time.
So I took debt for my business.
Later on, I was offered money in exchange for equity.
Sometimes we do that. And I wanted to check
if you have a problem taking debt as your business is growing.
I don't want my family to suffer because of me.
[suspenseful music]
I'll put in as much effort as I can.
So you don't have a problem in taking debt?
No, not really.
Aman, what is your decision?
We can split equity and debt if Anupam doesn't mind.
I'm okay.
We'll give you Rs. 1 crore together.
Rs. 50 lakhs for 5% equity in your company.
We'll split it 2.5% each.
And Rs. 50 lakhs
or Rs. 1 crore investment?
Or do you value the Sharks more?
Sir, my equity dilution and Sharks are important to me.
If you want us to help you in your work,
for me bare minimum is 2% at least.
Sir, our last counteroffer is
Rs. 1 crore for 3.5% equity.
So our last offer is on Rs. 20 crores valuation.
Rs. 1 crore for 5% equity. Anupam and Aman get 2.5% each.
This is our last offer. I won't change it.
My point is that I feel you need help.
My investor helped me when I needed it
and today we have decided to help you. I just want to help you.
- For me, it's not about money. - Please trust us once.
We did! You aren't trusting us.
Himanshu, let me put things in perspective.
Himanshu, let me help you understand.
If someone wants to make a management-run company,
people make ESOP pool of 5%.
So you're giving 5% to Anupam and Aman.
- You need to give some equity to get the deal. - It's about mindset.
You have five seconds. Please make up your mind.
- No. - No? Okay, no problem, guys.
- My God! Amazing! - Good luck!
- Best of luck, Himanshu and Shreya. - Thank you so much!
Thank you!
Your dad might hit you. Please be careful.
I have never seen a founder reject a deal with
- so much confidence. - I never saw Sharks try for a business so much.
And a founder who rejected
- with such confidence! - And for a cheesecake business.
[ethereal music]
[whistling]
Oh!
Don't put crayons in your mouth! [whistling]
Please don't smear paint on your clothing.
Please don't scare them.
Please colour within the margin! Clouds aren't green in colour.
Sharks, doesn't it happen in every home?
[chuckling]
When we parents try to inspire
the creativity of our children,
we buy art products for them
but when kids start becoming creative,
- we act like the traffic police. - That's true.
Then why do we do that?
Because we want our children to be safe.
We experienced something similar.
When we set out
to buy safe art products for our children, we couldn't find them.
We found such products only outside India.
Suddenly, we got an idea.
We decided to make safe products for our children
in India.
It led to the inception of Dabble.
[ethereal music]
Dabble is a brand
So sweet!
She loves to show her work.
We took care of the minutest details of child development.
Like our organic beeswax crayons.
They look like toys
and inspire stories in children.
And these are finger paints
which contain coconut and sweet orange oil.
It activates all the senses of children
and appeals to them.
These finger paints
- can be easily wiped off with a tissue. - Wow!
And we are the first company in India
to print the list of all the ingredients
on our packaging.
is to make Dabble the first art experience for every child
so that children can freely express themselves.
So, Sharks, we ask
Avia and Kiara are our first dabblers.
Kiara, can I see it? Please show it!
Did you make a snail? Instead of making a castle, you made a snail.
So cute! Good job!
High-five! Well done!
Kiara, do you want to give me a high-five?
No! [laughing]
Thank you for joining us.
Thank you so much! Bye, Kiara!
Bye, Avia!
You two are moms.
How did you meet and how did you come up with this idea?
I have two kids.
My daughter is 9 years old and the other one is six years old.
I have a six-year-old son.
What's your educational background?
I did my MBA in marketing and finance.
And I did a women's entrepreneurship program at IIM Bangalore after that.
I did my Masters in photography.
I did advertising photography for 13 years.
I didn't want to continue with advertising photography.
I wanted to use photography in therapy and work with children.
- Karen, you made a huge leap. - Yes!
I'm too bad at art.
When I play Pictionary, people don't understand my drawings.
[chuckling]
Nobody in my family understands them
so my wife and my daughters don't play with me anymore.
How did you turn towards art?
I was not trained in art
but my mom allowed me to paint even on walls.
How we feel is how we express ourselves.
Yes. When I draw, I feel it's a dog
but people don't understand it's a dog. [laughing]
- We'd understand. - Will you?
- We will! - That's an expressive art, right?
We developed our formulations with the help of a famous
food technologist and cosmetologist.
at IIM NSRCEL
where we received incubation.
I have been mulling over something for a long time.
Why did you print the ingredients on the box?
We met numerous parents
and took their feedback.
Parents enquired about the ingredients we used
and why it smelt foul and other such questions.
It's so safe
that children can ingest it too with no harmful effects.
Wouldn't it be easy to copy your product
if you print the details of the ingredients?
Our competitors can copy us
through reverse engineering.
We decided to take this step as mothers
and build transparency.
And it built trust with the parents very quickly.
Nice!
My son is two years old
- and he loves colouring. - Okay.
When I go to a store to buy colours for him,
there are hundreds of brands
which sell edible colours
so what's unique about your product?
- Can I come and give you the product? - Yes!
[ethereal music]
These are our brushes.
I want to see the finger paints.
[ethereal music]
- This is... - Finger paint!
No. It's what we call
our Baby's first handprint and footprint kit.
It comes with three paints
and a canvas.
[ethereal music]
- Nice... Nice packaging, by the way. - Yes!
Very cute packaging.
The packaging is very nice.
- Thank you! - Thank you!
So what are the sales figures?
According to the product,
you must be having nice sales.
[tense music]
Yes!
We are a bootstrap company.
We just invested 4%-5% in marketing.
We are looking at going on to FBA.
- So you have just started your business journey. - Yes!
When kids colour,
they need a pack of twelve colours at least.
But you are giving just three colours.
What's the difference between the prices of both products?
Well, price is a challenge for us.
So how will you solve it?
Our margin is 75%.
- because parents can do anything for the child's safety. - Yes!
Plus I don't think the price is an issue for you
because you have products for every segment.
I can see a gap in the sales execution.
It should be available on Hamleys by now.
I haven't seen such products on Hamleys.
We approached Hamleys in 2019
but they said that they take
nearly 60% to 70% margin.
You could have given it. What was the problem?
[suspenseful music]
It would have been a kind of branding for you.
I don't see the urgency in you
to achieve the target or you losing sleep over the sales target.
I don't see the passion in you.
I'm out!
- Thank you! - I don't think
that you lack passion or hunger.
I think you lack business acumen.
A product like yours
- should have been flying off the shelves! - Right!
- Right? - Right!
Sales are not strong
so I'm out.
[dramatic music]
But I think you have a great product.
- Thank you! - I have also made my decision.
There's a saying, what you don't know, you don't know.
You have no idea what you have made and the potential it has.
[suspenseful music]
You made a genuinely nice product.
You have researched well.
I saw these brushes.
And I have observed that my son can't hold the brush properly.
- It's made after thorough research. - It's great.
I know the superiority of your product.
As of now, it's an early stage
for me to invest in your company because it will be time-consuming.
The valuation I'd give you for investment at this stage
won't be right for you.
So I'm out but
I think you'd do very well. You just need a salesperson.
- A talented salesperson. - Thank you!
How much should you scale up
to bring your cost down dramatically?
Actually, we didn't do the calculation.
That's good! I appreciate your honesty.
- You haven't done the calculation yet. - No.
Okay. Have you done a margin analysis?
- Yes! - Last month you made a sale
of Rs. 8 lakhs.
Rs. 8.70 lakhs.
I can give you Rs. 50 lakhs
but I'll come in as the one-third part.
I'm not giving a valuation to your business.
I want to be somebody who comes in
as a business partner
and helps you
move in the right direction and scale up subsequently.
[dramatic music]
Will you let someone become a co-founder?
As we want to scale up our business,
we'd like to take your advice
and probably get a third co-founder on board.
That's exactly my role.
I can't be your co-founder
to want one-third of your share.
Yes.
I don't want to run your company.
and I don't want more than 10% equity.
That's my offer to you.
At this stage, my philosophy is that the founders shouldn't take debt.
How will you pay off debt as you don't have profitability?
[sweeping music]
Secondly, getting a co-founder isn't an easy feat.
Getting sales for you
and doing it continually for years and scaling up
is too difficult. It's the toughest job.
It's not necessary to share equity with a co-founder.
You know, people like Peyush
roped in talented co-founders.
And now they have become the CEOs of his business.
Zomato did the same thing.
This analogy is rubbish.
[dramatic music]
Lenskart
and Zomato are five-billion-dollar companies.
- But they started where you started. - Right?
They didn't get a co-founder in the beginning.
- Just think about it. - They could get a co-founder later.
Aman, before summarising,
is your debt with interest or without interest?
It's interest-free because I don't think they can bear interest now.
[dramatic music]
Please don't take debt.
Please don't give more equity.
[suspenseful music]
Aman, we have a deal!
- Let's build it. - Thank you!
- Thank you! - Congratulations! It's a great brand. Make it big.
- Thank you! - Thank you so much!
Bye!
[joyful music]
[chuckling]
Woo-hoo!
[theme music playing]
[theme music fading]
Sir, I want the backless design
just like the one Kajol wore in K3G. I want the same design.
[tune playing]
Ma'am, a backless won't suit you.
Take my advice,
go with Alia's off-shoulder design.
It will really suit you.
You're not my uncle!
[Sharks laugh]
When will you deliver the outfits?
It normally takes 10 days.
Since it's the festive season, it will take 20 days.
Alright. I'll have to do as you say.
You don't get good tailors nowadays.
Sharks, all of us know
that finding a good tailor
is as difficult as finding a good life partner.
[laughs]
Moreover, getting your clothes altered
is even more difficult than getting a lehenga stitched.
You don't need to worry at all.
We present to you CloudTailor.
[music playing]
CloudTailor is India's first one-stop personalised fashion
you dream it, we stitch it.
All you need to do is
you can select it from the marketplace on our website.
The measurements can be submitted through the app itself.
So, Peyush, our vision is just as Lenskart...
[hysterical laughter]
The revolution Lenskart brought in the eyewear business
is what we wish to bring
to the unorganised tailoring and fashion segment
and make it accessible and convenient.
You have made an impression that...
[Sharks laugh]
We wish to expand into 40 cities in the next one year.
Including 4 countries
where we already have enquiries from existing customers.
We wish to expand franchise operations there.
Sharks, our ask is Rs. 1 crore for 1.4% equity.
how did you all meet
and how did you think of starting this business?
We're husband and wife
and he's our best friend.
- Okay. And you reside in Bengaluru even now. - Yes.
And you reside in Hyderabad. Okay.
Could you show us a demo or take us through the user interface?
The first is our customer app available on Android and iOS.
The second is our back-end operations app
which is used for order fulfilment.
These are our base categories.
As you can see, our starting prices are quite low.
We've set the price point as per the market.
So, you offer a tailored blouse in Rs. 700.
- Yes. - As per your size.
Take a look at the user journey.
The first option is for those who know the design they want.
You're inspired from somewhere.
You saw a wedding photograph and want the same outfit made.
We just need your photograph and image.
Coming to the second option.
You can do the designing on the app itself.
You can select the type of collar you want.
Including the neckline design.
You can also select the sleeve style.
I find it very tedious!
This seems like a Herculean effort.
Is this how you decide while making a purchase?
[tense music playing]
I'll just visit the nearest market
and give a reference image to the tailor.
I don't see what the problem is.
Right, exactly.
You'll do that. But when will the tailor give you the outfit?
- You have to call him... - It's convenient and time-saving.
- That's it. - Not just convenience.
Suppose your wedding outfit is just gathering dust.
You don't wear it anymore and wish to make a lehenga from it
or you wish to twine one of your saris...
It's a very common thing.
That's pick up my fabric.
- Yes, right. - And how is courier my fabric different?
A lot of us have a particular shop from where we've been buying
our outfits for years.
We give you the option to have it couriered directly from the shop.
You need to mention the order id.
When it reaches our fulfilment centre,
the customer gets a pop-up that your fabric has reached us.
- Okay. - Tell me something.
You mentioned converting a lehenga into a kurta.
Isn't this too much of a hassle?
For the lehenga we make from saris
or the kurtis we make from cloth,
the first outfit they get made from you?
That is covered under insurance.
What do you insure? If the customer doesn't like it...
The order value up to the cost...
Does the insurance company give you your money back?
Yes.
What is your return rate?
Do you get more alteration work or designing work?
We get more designing orders.
Talking about designing orders.
Do you get more orders for western or Indian outfits? What's the split?
when we raised seed funds in November.
We raised it through one of our long-time customers.
They invested Rs. 2.2 crores.
that you're setting the valuation at Rs. 71.43 crores.
We intended to open the round in October and close it in November
and raise Rs. 5 crores.
- That... - This is outrageous.
You're jumping from 1 to 5 crores.
There are so many small strategic investors.
- Your cap table is confusing. - I don't get it.
I don't think you make a lot of profit
given your line of business.
Is it making losses?
Yes, our focus is on expansion right now.
- Okay. - So, we're in the negative.
You incurred a loss of Rs. 45 lakhs to make Rs. 34 lakhs.
Such a high burn is normally seen in high-tech companies.
I don't see why you have a high burn rate.
I've made my decision.
I'm out of this for many reasons.
You know? Lifetime alterations and insurance.
And the biggest reason is a loss of Rs. 45 lakhs on Rs. 34 lakhs.
Doesn't make sense. I'm out.
You focused on scaling up and not on the business.
Offline business specifically.
I feel that is where your money will come from.
I don't understand why you haven't done that.
For that reason, I am out.
While you're a solid team,
I'm not too confident of your execution.
So, I won't be able to make this journey with you now.
Best of luck.
I believe this fits best in a marketplace model.
Where someone like Urban Company might include you,
standardise your services
and improve your quality through community reviews.
I don't think you'll be a big player.
Finally, I'm questioning your judgement.
You're raising a mere Rs. 2 to 3 crores.
For this reason, I am out. Wish you luck.
- Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. - Thank you.
Okay? But best of luck and I think it's a good initiative.
- Thank you. Thank you, Sharks. - Thank you.
- Bye, guys. - Good luck. Thank you.
[sad music playing]
[theme music playing]
[theme music fading]
A mother harbours so many dreams for her son.
From taking birth to pursuing a good education,
getting married and siring children.
I, too, had these dreams.
But when I learned about Ashish's sexuality,
I was saddened.
I thought my dreams would never come true.
But they're just dreams and you can weave new ones.
And this was the beginning of my new journey,
where I found a family in both my sons.
Wow!
I'm fond of wearing heels since I was a kid.
What do you think of my heels?
- Lovely! - Very cool.
But unfortunately, every time I went shopping for heels,
the shopkeeper would mock me and say,
"This is a women's store. Please try another shop."
"We don't have heels of your size."
Here to avoid such awkward and embarrassing situations
and build a safe space for the community is BeUnic.
[upbeat music playing]
BeUnic is an e-commerce marketplace
by the LGBTQ community for the world.
Shirts, footwear, clothing, accessories,
stationary and home décor
the LGBTQIA+ community makes up
for 7 to 10% of the world's population.
Sharks, we want more and more people
to accept their gender and sexuality.
For them to come to this platform and prove their talent.
Let you and I
become their greatest ally and support them.
Our ask is Rs. 1 crore for 10% equity.
When you first discovered his sexuality, how old was he?
Could you tell us what happened?
Over there, my husband and I
ran a business selling dental and medical equipment.
Wow.
Unfortunately, I had to end my 22-year-long marriage
and I got divorced.
Oh!
I underwent a drastic transformation post that.
I did every course there was.
In the end, I did a course on public speaking.
In the meanwhile,
in the year 2016,
Ashish came home to Noida during his college break.
The entire family gathered around and we asked him to dance.
He danced to one of Madhuri Dixit's songs.
I found it very strange
because his movements were quite effeminate.
How old were you then, Ashish?
- 19 or 20. - 19 or 20. Okay.
My sister and niece told me that Ashish was gay.
[intense music playing]
I was crying inconsolably wondering why this had happened.
[sentimental music playing]
We weren't on speaking terms for four months.
But over time, my elder son educated me.
"No, Mom. He's normal."
He showed me YouTube, gave me articles to read
and imparted knowledge to me on the subject.
Then I thought I should help Ashish
as he must have struggled enough already.
[sentimental music playing]
When I did the public speaking course,
the mentor told us
that we needed to deliver a speech to a crowd of around 50 people.
He said, "Say what's in your heart."
- So, I prepared a speech for him. - Very courageous.
I accepted him in front of society.
Love them, hug them and kiss them
because a closet is no place to be in.
- Wow! What a fantastic... - Lovely.
What a fantastic outcome.
[sentimental music playing]
Tell us what your business is all about.
We started as a footwear brand.
We wanted to make footwear more inclusive.
And more colourful.
They come in the boring browns, blacks and greys.
We wanted to make it a little better.
We once attended a conference in Bengaluru
that was attended by LGBTQ entrepreneurs.
We noticed that everyone was selling on Instagram or their own store
because setting up a website is hard and costly.
We decided we should become a marketplace
whereby they can sell the products on our website.
That ensured an increase in our product categories
and they gained a lot of exposure as well.
- So, you own a marketplace as of today. - Yes.
We own our own brand as well. We sell our T-shirts and footwear
- This footwear is by you. - Yes.
- It's quite nice. - Thank you.
Maximum platforms sell all products.
Do you feel there's a need for a specific, differentiated platform?
Yes. The other platforms are only selling merchandise.
Our platform's speciality is
that we're trying to build a community.
Could you show me your website?
I wish to understand the aspect of community.
Definitely.
This is our website.
We want to keep it mostly for the community.
So, we want that all our models should also be from the community.
[uplifting music playing]
Here's a look at our website.
So, these are the most popular categories.
Our apparel is hot-selling.
As is our rainbow collection.
Pride flags, pride T-shirts and pride shoes sell the most.
You'll notice we don't specify genders in our categories.
It's all no gender.
We don't propagate the belief
that just boys or just girls can wear these clothes.
- It's what you call fluid. - Yes.
But how will one know which product is yours
and which is of another brand?
We are the seller at this moment.
Right.
What we do is we take designs from artists
and we print the T-shirt on their behalf.
On the sale of every T-shirt, we...
So, every T-shirt is branded BeUnic.
- Yes, BeUnic. - The tag is that of BeUnic.
- Under that brand. Okay. - Yes.
I get it now.
What is your revenue?
our sales saw changes because of it.
But the average website sales are Rs. 70,000 to 80,000 a month.
What were last month's sales?
Last month's sales were Rs. 40,000.
Okay, I get it now.
Ashish, Vishesh and Simmi,
it was a pleasure to meet you.
This seems to me like a side gig.
Not your focus project.
For these two reasons, I am out.
Community and commerce are two parts of your business.
The community for this for the next few years
will be on Instagram and social media.
Commerce won't see much growth in the next couple of years,
but of course, times can change
and more e-commerce adoption can happen.
This is a little early stage and pre-revenue for me to invest.
So, I will not be able to participate.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
I agree with Vineeta.
It is quite an early stage.
If you look at last month's revenue of Rs. 40,000...
No, ma'am. That was just last month.
Otherwise, our monthly sales are about Rs. 4 to 5 lakhs.
What are your sales for FY 2022?
In 2021-22, we crossed Rs. 50 lakhs.
If you can strengthen this community that you're building
that it can inspire anyone.
You could come together
and become such terrific community influencers.
You can start a community app or a community network.
Going forward, maybe you can try to convert it into commerce.
But your products haven't reached the stage yet
where you set up commerce and see high sales.
I am out for this reason.
Wish you the best.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
I have a view on this.
If you're okay with converting this marketplace into a D2C brand,
then I could make you an offer.
Oh, wow!
But to be honest,
I don't have much knowledge about the marketplace business model.
I believe that eyewear, for instance,
is also a category.
Did you like our collection?
Absolutely, yes!
I would like you to make eyewear for BeUnic too,
- to be honest. - Okay.
Right? And I could sell that brand on Lenskart.
If you wish to use the community to source your designs,
I have no problem with it.
My offer is Rs. 25 lakhs for 25% equity
and all three of you work full-time.
Thank you so much, Peyush,
but unfortunately, we'll have to decline.
No, I understand. There's nothing unfortunate in this.
- I wish you the very best. - Thank you so much.
- Simmi, I need to give you a hug... - Great, guys.
- Mother to mother. - Fantastic!
You're amazing. You're really amazing.
Thank you so much for doing this.
[sentimental music playing]
'Namita, today's Shark Xperience'
'features a question by Kamal who is from Daman.'
'Entrepreneurs hesitate to take debt on Shark Tank.'
'What is your take on it?'
The word debt
has a bad image in our country.
Actually, if you go to see,
debt is cheaper than equity.
If a business opts for debt in the right quantity
and at the right time,
then it could see tremendous growth.