Transcript

00:00 Next into the tank is an entrepreneurs Obsession turned into a business hey sharks. My name is Melissa BTO I'm from New York City and I'm seeking $100,000 for 20% of my company wed. Date I have my first date just 3 years ago during college and let me tell you. I've had a lot of dates ever since at least a few every day. Sometimes even more sharks. I love dates so much that I created want a date a line of date based spreads that are natural vegan and get this they're totally allerg free. You see sharks dates are my absolute favorite fruit. These tasty little things satisfy all my my Cravings power me through my workouts and keep me energized all day long. I love dates so much that I wanted to spread them on everything and the best part is that my dates spreads come in all of your favorite. Flavors chocolate vanilla cinnamon and let's not forget pumpkin spice and at just 30 calories per serving wanted. Eight is the perfect go-to alternative for any nut butter or syrup out there so sharks then we're cheating on your diets. What do you all say hey want a date want a date y we love to try.

01:32 It yes. I know you can all use a little more love in your life. So samples all right for D you are thank you that's a big tray of food thank you do you have just a natural date or they're all flavored all flavors. Shame you didn't get us enough food yeah really. Yeah thank you all right thank you Melissa. You are welcome yeah enough food to last of Life Time wow oh yum. What is this yogurt base. That is an assai bowl with mixed berries on top and chocolate date spread drizzled. Next to that is a bowl of overnight oats sweetened only with vanilla wanted date. A stack of pumpkin spice wanted date pancakes and then a date butter and banana sandwich with cinnamon wed date and a side of cinnamon date spread bacon so delicious I like them but it tastes so sweet are you sure. It's only um 30 calories. Per serving tastes typically have a lot of calories yes so if you think about it. Most jams and jellies are actually 40 or 50 nut. Butters are actually 80 to 90 calories plus we don't add any oils we mix with water. Here's a fact Melissa you may not know the date fruit along with camel milk can sustain a human being indefinitely. That's how many BNS centuries ago lived in the desert AB story. Remarkable you know because I know what people don't understand about the date is one of the healthiest fruits on Earth and actually is lower Cal than many fruits. No the dates are super fruit. I tell everyone dates are the next like avocados or cauliflower in terms of food TR super smoo.

03:10 They're delicious but so underutilized tell us about your sales and how you're selling it. It's been about 10 months to date. I've sold to date just under $31,000 10% of that's been through my website and then 35% is through events. I go to Christmas markets around New York City. On the weekends vegan fairs and 55% is wholesale. Melissa tell us about you. Originally I'm from just Northwest Georgia a town called Kennesaw and I just graduated from NYU actually 3 weeks ago. Congrats are you working on this 100% of the time because 31,000 in sales living in New York City you know supp my dad supports me so so how much does one jar cost you to make uh right. Now. It cost me $2.40 to make with the label and all I sell it excuse me. That's a lot. Yes I can get cost down though to about $170 or 80 and what do you sell it for on my website for $12 $12 and people are willing to pay $12. A jar. Yes I've actually never had anyone complain about $12 per jar yeah did you do any type of market research though where you would like reach out to people and ask them would you buy.

04:23 This how often would you use. It things like that um not formally but also I've learned people have no idea what they do want you know amen the challenge with that is you're there right and you're educating them right. When I first started. I used to stand out on u5 Street in Harlem right outside the Apollo when the Apollo Theater let out and I got really good responses. They told me what they thought about my t-shirts and my mama everything right um. But then when I went to put it in stores it didn't move when nobody was there to tell the story I got stuck. So. I think as a crowded Market that I know nothing about and I think it's going to be a challenge really just educating people on how badly they need this. So I'm out okay.

05:07 I feel like. It's very early for us to know. If people want dates or not. It was delicious um. I wish you good luck but I'm going to go out. I'm I hope you change your mind. I'm going to make dates Main Street. The same way avocados and cauliflower everything that's why I chose flavors to lower the inhibitions of custom who have never had dates heard of dates. Don't know the health benefits but Melissa. Why didn't you do just a plain flavor for people who like dates. So I do have actually I just developed a plain flavor but why the flavors at all to start if you're going to turn dates into a superfood. You got to let the star of the show be the star of the show so where you going with this. I'm just I'm disappointed. In some respects. Two sharks are out and Mark has an issue with the line of flavors of Melissa's date butter company. One a date the plain flavor is coming. I know but would you do just that and abandon all the flavors for right now yeah because if you want to make it a superfood make it the star of the show. Here's where for me. It falls apart when I was starting my business. If I didn't make a deal within 2 weeks I was dead. I needed to live somewhere and eat what is in your way.

06:32 I believe is that your father is helping you because succeeding is an option versus a necessity and I found that the people that really succeed have a real necessity. They have to do it or the sky going to fall in with the absence of that I can't believe enough to put my money in so for that reason met well. I won't be homeless. If this fails but I do everything on my own. I've I run my webs sorry like my dad just Believes. In Me you know like I'm I'm I've never had anything handed to me in my whole life. I'm not like a rich kid. I don't sleep I carry cases of that's all over New York. I work events. I do them all myself. I nobody helps me but take away that security blanket of having a rent paid and the comparison would be like night and day what you can accomplish. I've seen it over and over again with so many people failure is just when you quit. I don't quit so this won't fail because I will go until it succeeds. Listen I I started out in my mother mortgaged the house and without her mortgaging the home I couldn't have financed my first couple of shirts.

07:44 So I mean that's Barbara's opinion. You know what Melissa I don't agree. I understand from an investment perspective there. Really there is value when someone's backs against the wall. We've all faced it right. But that's like saying if Barbara's right that means none of our kids can ever do anything on their own and I can't I refuse to believe that like I hate asking him for money and this is the first time I've ever had to and I'm going to pay him every single penny fact. That's why I work hard every day Melissa. My problem with your deal is it's too early to be worth half a million bucks. There's a lot is going to happen before you actually get scale and I wish you the best. But I'm out so now there's me and you do you have. Competition is there any body else selling dat butter. The closest thing is one that's full of coconut oil coconut butter. It's hot 10 times the calories it has fat. It has cholesterol. I just went vegetarian so I'm always looking for things that are healthy healthy for my family absolutely when you walked in and other than thinking what the hell was. This. Initially the idea of a date spread was great cuz. I love dates but you got to be smaller cheaper easier to ship and you have to make dates. Just plain are you willing to do all that absolutely we can look into other packaging options absolutely okay.

09:05 So I'll make you an offer $100,000. But I want 33% 33% right because it's going to take some time. It's going to take some effort. But there you go that's your offer you got an offer. What do you want to do because I've learned that it never hurts to ask no no oh my gosh. It already you can counter do it go with your gut. This is your business just tell Mark Cuban to take a walk I'll take it. I want to work tart. App. I'm excited thank you everyone. Lu talk soon oh my god. I've been an underdog my whole life Barbara believing in me is just one in another million people and I always prove everyone wrong. I just work harder. I put my head down and hustle and I'll just keep doing that that's what I've always done and always will do.