Whoa. What a week this has been!
When Christine and I were prepping to go on Shark Tank, we read a fellow entrepreneur describe the experience of watching themselves pitch on national television as an emotional rollercoaster. We would absolutely agree with that, except it felt like our rollercoaster was running on rocket fuel!
Throughout the day on the LA set, Christine and I were bundles of nervous energy. We had no idea what to expect as we had watched so many intelligent and confident entrepreneurs come across as tentative, argumentative, and/or overwhelmed and as a result, get chewed up by the Sharks. While we walked away from our pitch feeling that it had gone well overall (and of course, knew the end result!), the Sharks had asked us a number of thoughtful and serious diligence questions. Our experience was a reminder that, while Shark Tank is a highly-successful television show, the Sharks themselves are experienced and successful business people with an incredible breadth of skills and knowledge.
We get this question a lot, but the show is not scripted at all. The Q&A is especially intense, because the Sharks are really meeting you for the first time as you walk through that long corridor. And while it was intense, it was such a learning experience, as they not only grilled us on the numbers and vision we had for Glow Recipe, but also gave thought-provoking advice and encouragement. We were there for almost an hour, which was then edited down to what was shown on TV.
All that being said, we could not wait for 9PM (EST on Friday, December 4, 2015) to come around. We will remember the exact date and time for the rest of our lives (after all, it was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience). The countless sleepless nights spent composing pitches to media outlets, responding to customer emails, or spent speaking with vendors a dozen time zones away, were all culminating in that one moment.
Most importantly, we saw this moment as an enormous opportunity for us to share Korean beauty with the world, or at least the 9 million or so folks who watch Shark Tank! We are true believers in the innovative potential of Korea to change the way the global market views beauty.
We decided to keep our viewing party very small – gathering our families in the conference room at our office. We ordered pizza and were glued to our laptops so we could track social media real-time, as well as make sure our website did not go down!
Watching ourselves walk through the Shark Tank doors was a moment of sheer terror. Were we committing professional suicide? Would they show every hesitation and shocked look? And of course, did the cameras really add 10 pounds?
Thankfully, our fears proved unfounded. The pitch could not have gone smoother. The Sharks quickly saw the growth potential of Korean beauty in the U.S., as well as the unique market insight and non-replicable experience Christine and I bring to the table – as Mark Cuban rhetorically asked, “How many Sarahs and Christines are there out there?”. We were incredibly fortunate to secure three offers: Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, and of course, Robert Herjavec (our Shark!).
Throughout the entire pitch, Robert was very receptive and open to our thoughts, and we will never forget what he said to us on the show, “You guys are the real deal…it’s a pure execution business so I’ve got to buy YOU.” We think his incredible business background coupled with his experience in the technology sector will prove invaluable to Glow Recipe as we continue to scale our business.
Thank you so much to everyone for your support, and for all of the encouraging comments you have shared with us via emails at love [at] glowrecipe [dot] com, or on our facebook, instagram, or twitter. We really enjoyed all of the live tweets by the way 🙂
Many of you have have emailed us and asked where you could watch the episode. It’s currently live on Hulu as well as on ABC.com (for users with selected TV providers).
Here are some photos from when we flew out to LA to pitch to the sharks:
Ahhh so many sharks!
Just landed at LAX, feeling excited and nervous!
Our Shark Tank van that came to pick us up at the airport
Geeking out over being on the Sony Pictures lot
We know that Korean skin care is new to a lot of you, so Christine and I designed special trial kits (which can be found here), which we customized for different skin types so that you can get a taste of the full Korean skin care routine. Details are here.
As always, we would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments.
Get your glow on!
Love,
Sarah & Christine
P.S. Curious about how we got to Shark Tank? Check out Part 1 of Glow Recipe’s Shark Tank experience!
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I was reading your story on an instagram link and it brought me to a free trial for a skin contour trial. Is this associated with your company ?
Hi Kerri, that is in no way affiliated with Glow Recipe. Please let us know if you have any questions by contacting us at love@glowrecipe.com
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Congrats! I am looking forward to trying your products - trial kits are a great idea. You ladies did wonderful, and I love watching the show with my daughter so that she can look up to strong, successful young women.
Thank you for such sweet words! So glad you like the trial kit idea :)
I haven't watched the segment yet, but I wanted to say congratulations!!! You two and the whole company deserve it! ^_^ <3
Aww thank you so much Cindy! :)
Also, congratulations, we were so happy you got the deal, your website is amazing!!!
Thank you so much! :-)
I ordered a trial kit after seeing you on Shark Tank--because you both had amazing, glowing skin! I cannot wait to receive my order and try them out!
That's so sweet of you to say! We can't wait for you to try our products :)
I really enjoyed your segment on #SharkTank and you both looked amazing! Your complexion is flawless!
Awww thanks so much!! :)
Yes, you guys have amazing skin! What are your favorite products that you use on a regular basis?
Our current favorites are Whamisa's Olive leaf mist and Tundra Chaga Pressed Serum as shared on Shark Tank! But of course we love all of our products on glowrecipe.com ;)
Thank you for the support, we really appreciate it Cherelynn!
Oh my gosh, congratulations!! I'm so happy for you guys :) I just bought Whamisa products a week ago and I love them. Can't wait to see you guys expand and improve yourselves! ^_^
Thanks so much! So glad to hear you like our products ;)
You guys are amazing, and I love that you let us in on your experience with Shark Tank. I always knew you'd go far! I'm excited to see where Robert takes you and to witness the growth of Glow Recipe! So, so happy for you guys!
Thank you so much for such kind, encouraging words! We're so touched! We're so excited to be working with Robert as well! :-)
I did see the show and wanted to say "Congratulations" and wish you tons of success! Along with your intelligence and dedication to you product, you were so poised and charming and Robert was as lucky to get a deal with you as you a deal with him. I look forward to watching you in the future and the growth of Glow Recipe into a hugely successful company! BRAVO Sarah and Christine.
Thank you Gail!! We're so glad we came across that way. We were really really nervous going in there! :-) Thank you again!
Huge, HUGE congratulations on securing those three--wow, THREE?!--deals! And I love how you are being so humble about it. :) Y'all are secret ninjas, you! Can't wait to see what amazing things you do! It'll only get more glowy from here!
Hey Airi! You've been such an amazing support and an awesome blogger to work with. Thank you for all of the beautifully written blog posts and reviews of our products! Thank you!!
Love the story, you are very brave ladies! Here's cheers to your success and may you soon bring your wares to Australia! Love RK
Than you so much Arkay! We love our Australian friends out there :-)