Twin sisters Casey Sarai and Taylor Capuano seek a fit for Cakes Body, their silicon nipple covers, in Shark Tank episode 1509. Women who don’t want to bare their nipples through their clothing often use pasties as a cover-up. Now, with Cakes Body, they won’t need to put irritating adhesives on the sensitive nipple area.
Cakes Body sells silicon nipple covers that grip to the skin with natural body heat. Because they’re made from medical grade silicon, they’re re-usable. They come in 3 sizes: CAKES Itty Bitty, which are 8cm in diameter, Cakes OG’s, which are 10cm in diameter, and CAKES (+), which are 13cm in diameter. The “Cakes” come in 3 shades – honey, caramel and cocoa and cost $30 per pair.
The sisters started the business with just $5000 and no marketing budget at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. They were both fearful of losing their jobs, so they got to work. Some of their videos went viral on Tik Tok and they amassed strong sales. Lifetime sales are expected to top $10 million by the end of 2023! They likely want a Shark’s help managing their growth.
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Posts about Cakes Body on Shark Tank Blog
The Inspiring Journey of Cake Bodies
Cakes Body Shark Tank Recap
Casey and Taylor enter the Shark Tank to talk to the Sharks about something very serious, something women are suffering in silence over, something nobody has had the courage to talk about on Shark Tank – until now. They’re talking about “NFO – Nipple Freak Out!” When those headlights turn on, sometimes it’s impossible to turn them off at the gym, going for a swim or in the freezer aisle. Most bras come with a pad to smooth things over, but one time in the washer and they’re toast. This left them with 2 options: use adhesive nipple covers that irritated their skin or wear an actual bra – but not every outfit calls for one and some women don’t want to wear one.
Now there’s no need to freak out, say hello to Cakes Body: reusable, washable silicon nipple covers that adhere naturally to the body. They’re gentle on your skin and you won’t rip your nipples off at the end of the night. You can use ’em till you lose ’em. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. They’re seeking $300,000 for 5% equity.
Samples and Questions
The Sharks examine their samples. They invite Mr. Wonderful onstage to demonstrate how to use them. Taylor says he has a beautiful head and he replies “it’s the dome of desire.” They put one of the pads on Kevin’s forehead and the Sharks howl with laughter. Mark whips out his phone to snap a picture as Kevin – ever the good sport – stands there looking a bit ridiculous. As you sweat and generate body heat, says Casey, they actually grip better.
Lori has it on her arm and she says it’s light and she can barely feel it. Lori asks if they’re twins – they are. Casey says they were both working in the corporate world for the last 10 years. Things were going great, but they were both on the verge of a layoff at the same time, so they started their business. Emma says there’s so much competition and she wants to know what makes theirs better. Taylor says when they started, nobody owned “the boob solution accessory space.” They designed the product to be seamless and not poke through their clothes. What they found on the market was smaller and thicker. Cakes Body is thick in the middle and tapers out to “almost nothing.”
Let’s Talk Numbers
Mark says with a $6 million valuation, they must have sales. The twins started with $10,000 from their savings and spent zero dollars in marketing their first year with no investors and did $1 million in sales. Year to date (5 months of 2023) they have $1.5 million in sales and they’re projecting $5 million for the year. The Sharks are impressed. They are operating at a 35% net profit margin; last year they had $300,000 in net profit and so far this year they have $500,000 in net profit. Last year 90% of their revenue came from organic TikTok traffic with zero customer acquisition cost.
Mark asks what they’ll do if TikTok gets shut down. This year, they’ve taken their “winners” from TikTok and put them on paid channels with an over 5X ROI. The cakes cost $8 landed and they sell for $30. The reason they want a Shark because they feel like they are “at the beginning.” They got the business “this far” but they’re smart enough to know they need help taking it from a single product company to an actual brand that has staying power and truly solving problems women are facing.
Who’s In?
Mark suggests they talk to their customers and let them tell you what they’re going to buy. He thinks they’re doing great, but it’s not in his wheelhouse; he’s out. Robert says what he loves about Shark Tank is you learn about new things all the time. “NFO, who knew,” says Robert, “boob Accessory market, who knew?” He says he likes to think he knows a little bit about everything, but he knows nothing about this; he’s out. Emma thinks it’s early for them, but they really only have one sales channel. She thinks this product would do well in retail if they choose to go that route.
Emma offers $300,000 for 12.5% of the business. Kevin wants to make an offer. He offers $300,000 for 5% plus $1 per set until he recoups $1 million for 5%. Emma says she built businesses in this space and can help make them huge. They say a royalty wouldn’t appeal to them. The twins counter with 8%, Emma goes to 10% as her final offer and they do the deal.
Cakes Body Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. As of the first re-run of this episode in June, 2024 – about 6 months after the original air date – there is no evidence the deal with Emma has closed. They introduced their own “bralette” designed to work with or without their cakes and they also sell tops. One thing is certain, Cakes Body is selling like hot cakes. The finished 2023 with $10 million in sales and are on track to do $50 million in revenue for 2024! With those kind of sales numbers, the twins might not need a Shark.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Cakes Body & Casey Sarai and Taylor Capuano as more details become available.
