Belly Button Shaper Shark Tank India: A Different Perspective
Navel Fukai and Navel Sakuru: Belly button shaper
I recently watched the episode of ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’, on which sharks of Shark Tank had appeared. They talked about the dumbest product they had seen, which was ‘Belly Button Shaper’. Out of curiosity, I watched that Shark Tank India episode again.
After watching, I realized that the product was not that bad. What was bad, was the pitch because of the lack of seriousness. Consider the following pitch for the same product:
Hello Sharks,
Today I see a problem in the World. Many people don’t like the way their body looks. So they take extreme steps to look the way they want to. Some people want better looking jawline, some want better lips, nose, etc. For these problems, many people go for a surgery.
Problem
Cosmetic surgeries are expensive, dangerous and risky for the health of the person. I want to solve this problem without the surgeries, that’s why I have invented a product that improves the look of your belly button without a surgery. This is the first step I have taken. My vision is to replace all cosmetic surgeries with non surgical methods so people can afford it and get what they want in a safer way.
Product
My product replaces one of the major surgeries called, Umbilicoplasty ( Cosmetic surgery that changes the appearance of your bellybutton ). This is the first surgery I have replaced, in my journey to replace all cosmetic surgeries by easy and affordable methods.
Market
According to Verified Market Research, the Global Cosmetic Surgery Market size was valued at USD 49.14 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 64.88 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 3.54% from 2021 to 2028.
Entrepreneur Background
I have been a Medical Representative at Emcure Pharmaceuticals. I used my experience and connections to make this product and assure it is safe to use.
Indian Market
We might feel many people don’t go for cosmetic surgeries in India to have a good looking belly button. I agree, but there are many people who want to and would surely go if it was safe and affordable for them. The proof is that in every South Indian movie’s song focusing on a female, they will surely zoom on the belly button.
Movie industry doesn’t simply show whatever they want to, they show the reality, likes and dislikes of people.
Final Pitch
I feel this is a very good opportunity for all of you to come along with me and solve the problem of people undergoing expensive, risky and unsafe cosmetic surgeries.
Why it failed?
I feel the pitch failed because the entrepreneur didn’t give a serious pitch. His personality and the way he started his pitch, by making sharks uncomfortable by asking them about their fantasies, was the first mistake.
Secondly, I feel he treated it like a gimmicky product, instead of showing the seriousness. I read a post shared by Shrawani Engineers (the parent company) on LinkedIn, in which they told that their pitch was scripted in such a way to increase the TRP.
I’m aware of the fact that pitches are scripted, I have heard this from many other entrepreneurs also in their interviews after the show, but this became too funny and maybe that’s where they lost the sharks.
They could have told Ashneer that it is also a real problem they are solving and there’s a need for it, because the Numbers don’t Lie.
I felt it was Doglapan, when Vineeta said, “Hume apni body ko accept karna chahiye, jaise hai”. To Vineeta, they should have told it is a product that is like a cosmetic product (like Sugar Cosmetics), it gives people the look they want.
To Namita they should have told that, 4,80,000 worth of sales can’t be just ‘out of curiosity’.
Conclusion
- The sales were around 4,80,000, so the valuation of 50 Lakh was fair I feel.
- This pitch would only be effective if the product actually did what it claimed. If it didn’t, no matter how the pitch is, it’ll be of no use.
- The entrepreneur and the pitch are more important than what many people consider it to be.
Share your thoughts in comments :)