Overview
Tania Speaks, a young entrepreneur from Baltimore, Maryland, founded her organic beauty product line at the age of 15 after being bullied for her thick and bushy eyebrows.
She started with an organic eyebrow gel and later expanded her product line to include Beard Boost, a hair growth solution for men.
Her company, originally named Brow Boost, reached $1 million in sales and made a profit of $700,000. Tania was recognized by Time as one of the Most Influential Teens of 2018.
Shark Tank Appearance
To scale her business in 2022, Tania Speaks appeared on season 13 of Shark Tank, seeking $400,000 for 10% equity. Tania Speaks proudly announced she had made $1.4 million so far for the year.
Based on sales, the Sharks were initially ecstatic about the business, and loved the young entrepreneur’s hustle. However, they started to get hesitant as some of the claims haven’t been verified by third-party sources.
The Sharks went out one by one but when all hope seemed lost, Mark Cuban made an offer of $400,000 for 20%. An emotional Mark Cuban wanted Tania to meet his daughters.
Speaks countered with $400,000 for 15%, and Mark accepted.
After Shark Tank
After the episode aired, fans of the show rated it as one of the best pitches on Shark Tank.
It appears the deal with Mark Cuban hasn’t closed yet. Typically, Cuban lists all of his investments on markcubancompanies.com and Tania Speaks isn’t on the list!
Despite this, Tania did mention in an interview with byrdie.com that Mark is an amazing mentor and replies quickly to all of her emails. So, potentially the deal may have closed!
Currently, her products are only available to buy through her website, TaniaSpeaks.com. She might expand into retail stores in the future but that would impact her profit margins.
Several online reviews say that the products work, but customers have complained on Trustpilot that they never received the product.
Tania Speaks is having issues keeping up with orders and may need to hire more staff. The business is still thriving and makes over $1 million in annual revenue and is worth an estimated $3 million.
About the Founder
Tania Speaks is from Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Hofstra University.
She was bullied for having thick and bushy eyebrows from elementary through middle school. One day after school, she got tired of all the insults and decided to remove her eyebrows.
This led to her bleeding badly, and the damage was severe. It also affected her brows’ growth.
Founding Tania Speaks
At 15 years old, Tania took care of the situation by researching organic remedies online.
She developed her first product, Organic Eyebrow Gel, in 2016 after getting a $10,000 loan from her mom. It was released under her company, which was originally named Brow Boost.
In 2017, she launched Beard Boost, a line of hair growth solutions for men.
This helped her startup reach $1 million in sales and make a profit of $700,000.
Lessons From Tania Speaks’ Success
Based on the Shark Tanks episode about Tania Speaks, here are three practical tips for aspiring young entrepreneurs:
1. Turn personal challenges into business opportunities
Tania Speaks transformed her personal struggle with unruly eyebrows and bullying into a thriving business. She identified a problem she personally faced and created a product to address it.
Aspiring entrepreneurs can look at their own challenges or those in their community as opportunities to develop innovative solutions that meet a real need.
2. Start small and leverage local opportunities
Tania began by selling her products at vending events, trade shows, and even in her high school bathroom. This grassroots approach helped her build a customer base and gain valuable feedback without requiring significant initial investment.
Young entrepreneurs should start small, test their products locally, and build a loyal customer base before scaling up.
3. Be resourceful and persistent
Tania’s journey involved extensive research and experimentation with natural ingredients at home. Despite setbacks, she persisted and developed a formula that worked.
Entrepreneurs should be resourceful, using available resources creatively, and remain persistent in refining their products or services until they achieve the desired results.
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