Mindy and Brandon Wright seek a Shark investor for Lil Advents, their potty training reward system, in Shark Tank episode 1319. Their daughter was a “reluctant” potty trainer, so the couple decided to brainstorm a way to help get her a little more excited about it. Brandon always enjoyed Advent calendars as a child, so he said they should do something along those lines. That night, Mindy created the first Lil Advents calendar and the business was born.
The couple had been selling products on Amazon since 2009. By 2015, they were doing over $1 million in sales. When Amazon Basics launched in 2018, the market became flooded and their sales declined. That’s when they decided to start thinking about creating their own product to sell.
The calendars work similarly to an Advent calendar. There are 14 punch-outs numbered 1-30. Each time your child makes a “deposit” you punch out the calendar spot. Once 30 have been punched out, they get a sticker of completion as a reward. Parents can also do a punch-out if their child sleeps through the night without an accident. Once a 30 day cycle is complete, you simply start over. The Wrights say it takes 60-90 deposits for a child to be fully trained.
As for the product, there are several themed designs: farm animals, vehicles, unicorn friends and dinosaurs. Each calendar costs $34.99. They also sell temporary tattoos and “ba-ba bucks,” fake currency you can use as rewards toward a prize. The company launched in November, 2019 and 2020 saw $200,000 in revenue. They likely want a Shark to help them blow up their sales.
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Posts about Lil Advents on Shark Tank Blog
Potty Time Adventures by Lil Advents
Lil Advents Shark Tank Recap
Mindy and Brandon enter the Shark Tank seeking $300,000 for 15% of their company. They pitch about the unpleasantness of potty training and how they tried just about everything with their child. That’s why they created Potty Time Adventures. They explain how the product works, then the Sharks look at their samples. The Wrights walk the Sharks through the entire process.
They had $205,000 in sales in 2020 and have $320,000 in sales year to date for 2021. They sell for $24.99 and cost $4.66 landed. The Sharks like the margins. Brandon says he grew up in low income housing and when he was 26, the couple started selling on Amazon and made over $8 million. They decided to make their own product. Profits for 2021 will be around $90,000. Profits are 15% and next year (2022) they’ll be 20%. They want a Shark’s help getting into retail. A week before they taped, they did a licensing deal with Hasbro where Hasbro characters will be on their calendars.
Mark says his potty training days are over; he’s out. Daymond says he doesn’t get this and they’ll have to keep finding new customers; he’s out. Kevin says their lamb logo looks like Robert. Robert is impressed with the Wrights, but he doesn’t know where they go from here. Kevin doesn’t want to go to retail; he’s out. Lori touts the success of Squatty Potty and thinks their business is too niche; she’s out. Robert thinks the Wrights will be good custodians of their money but he can’t get there; he’s out. NO DEAL
Lil Advents Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. Four days after the original air date, they were waiting on Hasbro’s approval for the Peppa Pig design.
As of March, 2023, they have Peppea Pig versions for sale. Reliable revenue figures are unavailable.
The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Lil Advents & Mindy and Brandon Wright as more details become available.
