From Failure to the Shark Tank and the Sweet Taste of Success - Heather Saffer

Growing up I struggled to find activities I would say I excelled at. When I started working I kept either quitting or getting fired so I started to wonder if there was a better path for me. While I didn’t have much experience in the kitchen I knew I enjoyed eating desserts and I loved cupcakes. So I started a small gourmet cupcake business called The Cupcake Dreamery, which was great for a short time before a bad business partnership took everything downhill. 

When I started over I opened a little storefront and launched Dollop Gourmet. From the beginning, I set my sights on getting on Food Network’s TV show Cupcake Wars. In 2012, I was chosen to be on the show and subsequently won. After that our business boomed and I started thinking about what’s next, that’s when I started to consider pursuing the Shark Tank TV show. 

Getting on Shark Tank can be a bit of a process, from the application to all the documents you have to submit during the vetting stage. When I was invited to be on the show I was supposed to film in June but when I expected to receive the call about my plane ticket I was told instead that I wasn’t going and I could try again for the next filming. 

Thankfully I finally did make it on the show and while the Shark Tank can be a bit overwhelming my main concern was if they were going to like the taste of my icing. I was able to secure an offer from both Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran. Going into the tank I knew that I wanted to make at least one counter to any offer I received. So after Barbara offered $75,000 for 30 percent I countered with $75,000 for 25 percent and she accepted the offer. 

After Shark Tank, I didn’t hear anything from Barbara’s team for a while. When I did hear from her team we began another long due diligence process that took 4 to 5 months to complete. At the end of the day, I decided it wasn’t a good fit for me so I didn’t move forward with the offer. The Shark Tank effect is real though and once your episode airs you get a large volume of orders that come pouring in. 

After Shark Tank I kept expanding the business and leveraging the Shark Tank experience to get more publicity, I also wrote my second cookbook and brought in some investors via an accelerator program. Then I decided I was ready to make a transition out of the business and I was able to make a deal with a great Canadian company that has been in the frosting and glazes business for over 40 years. 

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