To help you grow your business, we're actually
going to give you guys--
- Oh my--
Ayesha Curry here.
I'm a wife, mom of three, and an entrepreneur.
In building my business, I've learned a lot along the way.
So now I'm paying it forward to help
encourage, mentor, and motivate other deserving women
to take their own companies to the next level.
This is Fempire.
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I love that this Fempire is literally built
on the power of friendship.
We have Amy, Kate, and Sarah, who are
the founders of Canary + Co.
Hi, I'm Kate.
I'm a product designer.
I'm Sarah, and I do graphic design.
And I'm Amy.
I am a tech style designer.
They created a bag that is a modular system, which basically
means that all these other bags fit into it.
So you can bring all of the things everywhere you go.
And the product is eco-friendly and responsibly made.
Their revenue is $28,000, which is pretty good since they
launched only a few months ago.
They want to be in retail.
And I know firsthand that's not an easy feat.
It's time to bring them in.
What made you start Canary + Co.?
Actually, one of my good friends,
she was constantly on commuter trains or buses and carrying
tons of bags for a whole day--
so a gym bag, main bag, work bag.
She's like, why don't you guys just make an all in one
solution.
I mean, we all work 9 to 5 jobs.
On top of Canary?
Oh, yeah.
What's your marketing strategy, then, is my next question?
We really want to create this community for other women.
We started a blog to get people involved
and really feel connected to the product
and to other women that are using it as well.
Bring all the girls bosses together,
and we're all going through the same thing.
And we can help each other and all that.
Better together.
For sure.
So I know things have been a little tough for you.
I have struggled with chronic health issues my entire life.
Actually, last summer, we sat down in Kate's apartment
and I told them I needed to draw back from the company
and that they should replace me with someone else
because I couldn't give what they needed.
And they clearly said no.
Yeah, well, and then, I think Kate even
said like, we can outsource design,
but we can't replace you.
And I think that was a huge turning point for me
to realize the value you can bring outside of your skill
just through who you are.
That really united us as a team.
Oh my gosh.
So the heart of the company right now.
That's amazing, you guys.
So what's your goal?
Oh, some big goals.
[INAUDIBLE]
Hopefully, getting some funding so that we can roll it
into creating other products.
Are you guys online only?
Yes.
We are.
So just expand our business pool and get into different stores
and that's the goal.
But it's tough on a tight budget.
I want to introduce you guys to someone
who I think can help you.
This is Leah Justman, CEO of Place Showroom.
Sarah.
I'm Leah.
I'm Kate.
It's so nice to meet you.
Amy.
So what you guys need is a fashion broker,
someone who can help you develop and pitch your products
and get it in front of retailers.
A million and a half in sales-- that is her base point.
Oh my gosh.
That's a big deal.
I can't--
So the Place Showroom is a multi-national sales
and consulting agency.
So we really work with designers like yourself
to hone in on your brand message and also
make sure that you have the operational infrastructure
to be set up to do business, whether it's
with independent retailers or larger chain retailers,
like Bloomingdale's or Nordstrom.
That's awesome.
Oh my gosh.
We're like the gatekeepers of fashion.
I told ya.
One of the most important things that I
look for in onboarding a new client
is, is there a white space for this product in the market,
is there a need point for it, is customer
going to want to buy it.
So I'm really excited to hear your elevator pitch on Canary +
Co. and what makes you guys really unique and different.
Really, our vision behind Canary + Co.
is to create functional products that
understand women and their needs and meet them where they're at.
So we saw a problem, which was too many bags and not
enough hands.
It's an all in one all day solution.
So this is our Main Squeeze bag.
It houses all of our other bags.
This is our Kiss-Me-Kit, which fits right on top.
When you open it, it completely unfolds.
And you can hang it from a hang rail.
And there's these earrings holders so
that your earrings don't get lost.
One of our favorite features about the bag
is this back section, which holds your straightener,
curling iron, dry shampoo, whatever
you need it to hold so it doesn't just float in your bag.
And then our VIP Pouch, and then snap and be its own clutch.
It's great because it comes with a strap.
You can do a shoulder bag.
You can do cross body.
My favorite look is you can do it around your waist
actually and do it as a waist bag.
Very trendy.
Also our triangle, which is the perfect micro pouch for all
your earbuds or vitamins.
And here is our Empower Pack, which
has stowable and unclippable straps,
has a mesh ventilation for your shoes.
Does size 10s fit in that little shoe compartment?
I've got big feet.
We did put a size 10 or 11 in here, and they do fit.
So this portion is our workstation.
It fits a laptop.
How heavy does it gets when it's fully full?
That was actually one of the things
that we really took into account.
Kate designed it so that the weight is properly distributed.
We have webbing on the back.
Using webbing creates that durability.
I love that.
Oh, cool.
You really do think of every detail.
Yes, all the detail.
What I love about your pitch is that any woman to some degree
can find something like a purpose for the bag.
I'd love to see something on your website,
like the mom, the boss, the city girl, the athlete, and really
show how that individual, the student, can use this bag.
I think what would be really cool is
if you guys do a mini squeeze, where there's a smaller
version.
I also feel like it would be fun to do it
in different colors and maybe around holidays,
like metallic, or silver, or gold.
So those are some fun quick things
that I feel like you guys could do.
That could be really impactful.
I love how passionate you guys are.
I love meeting with entrepreneurs who really
believe in what they're doing.
And I'm really excited about it.
Congratulations.
Oh, thank you.
Your first prize is me.
So I'm going to work with you guys for the next three months
and really be a mentor to you.
I'll be available to you guys whenever you need me.
I'm also going to secure you an agent and a PR firm.
Oh my gosh.
So we're going to have to work hard,
but I know you guys are up for it.
Yeah, we are.
And I'm really excited because I didn't have a mentor.
And I really had to fail up.
So I think, by extending this kind of olive branch for you
guys, is going to be great.
Oh my gosh.
Thank you so much.
To help you grow your business, we're actually
going to give you guys $10,000.
Oh my gosh.
I would never disrespect money like this, but--
[SHOUTS]
Oh my gosh.
Ayesha, we are so grateful for everything
that you gave us today.
It's a game changer.
And I feel like we are just so excited for the next step
and just really grateful for this opportunity.
I can't wait to see the growth and where they end up.
It's going to be a fun ride.
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