Heather Kelly Pitches Heather’s Choice On Shark Tank
Highlights
- Heather Kelly, an Alaskan entrepreneur, appeared before the Shark panelists in the fifteenth season.
- The Sharks encouraged her and offered advice for her struggling camping venture.
- Heather’s Choice has made $1 million in revenue in just seven months after its Shark Tank appearance.
The sixteenth Shark Tank season has been bringing up a splash of nostalgia in every episode with update segments of previous products/businesses. In its latest episode, viewers were presented with ‘Heather’s Choice.’ Despite a struggling attempt, the Heather’s Choice Shark Tank journey is thriving.
Brought in Shark Tank’s fifteenth season by Heather Kelly, the venture offers dehydrated meals for backcountry camping. The aspiring entrepreneur claimed that Heather’s Choice used wholesome ingredients that are sustainably sourced. Although the Shark investors liked the product, they raised concerns about her valuation.
Below is a complete recap of the Heather’s Choice Shark Tank pitch and whether or not Heather bagged a deal.
Heather’s Choice Shark Tank: Pitch Recap
Seeking $250K for 10% equity, avid hiker and camper Heather Kelly approached the Shark investors in the fifteenth season. The Alaska based entrepreneur presented to them a range of lightweight snacks and meals for adventure lovers like her. Heather added that she started the venture in 2017 via Kickstarter.
Claiming her meals to be a better alternative to frozen dried ones, the aspiring entrepreneur said that her items used sustainably sourced ingredients. Heather then offered the Shark panelists her delicacies, including breakfast, dinner, and ‘pack a roons.’
On further questioning, the Alaskan entrepreneur said that ‘Heather’s Choice’ had a 75% margin on each meal. Although the food venture was available in 237 retail locations and Amazon, Heather had $1 million in debt during her Shark Tank appearance.
So, she wanted a Shark’s help to move her operations from Anchorage, Alaska, to the lower 48 states. Heather believed that by doing so, she could curb her venture’s manufacturing costs.
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Heather’s Choice Shark Tank: Final Deal
After the entrepreneur completed her pitch presentation for Heather’s Choice on Shark Tank, things got a bit emotional. Heather could not hold back her tears while stating that she was so short of cash that she could barely survive. On seeing this, each Shark investor started encouraging her.
But all the panel members were equally apprehensive about making an investment in the Heather’s Choice Shark Tank deal. They did praise her and said the food venture had potential. However, fearing the vulnerability and instability of Heather’s Choice, each of them walked out of the deal.
Now that a fair idea of what happened with Heather’s Choice on Shark Tank has been provided have a look at its journey after exiting without a deal.
Heather’s Choice Shark Tank: Journey After The Show
Although Heather’s journey on Shark Tank did not turn out as she wanted it to, the experience has been rewarding for her. This can be ascertained from her venture’s latest inclusion in the update segment of Shark Tank’s sixteenth season. Advice from the Sharks helped Heather reap benefits.
During the update, the Alaskan entrepreneur claimed that during her Shark Tank appearance, her food venture had only $5 million in annual revenue. But after the show, due to the ‘Shark Tank Effect,’ Heather’s Choice has already made $1 million in revenue in the last seven months.
Heather is slowly getting cash and clearing off the $1 million debt. According to the entrepreneur, this was possible by accepting the Shark investors’ advice of switching to a pro-manufacturing model. Heather’s Choice is also planning to move to Ashland, Oregon.
Apart from these, Heather’s company is about to acquire a co-packing partner and third-party logistics quite soon.
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Conclusion
There is no denying that the Heather’s Choice Shark Tank deal was unsuccessful. But the experience was a turning point for Heather Kelly and her business. Setting up an example for budding entrepreneurs, she took up the advice from the Shark investors and implemented it in her food venture.
Based on this, Heather’s Choice hit the $1 million mark in revenue in just seven months. Plus, the company is relocating and expanding its operations, just as Heather wished on Shark Tank. This Shark Tank business proves that entrepreneurs can thrive even without deals on the show.
Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.
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