Pinch Me Dough creator Nancy Rothner snares ‘Shark Tank’ deal
Pinch Me Dough inventor Nancy Rothner of Lewes snared a deal with multimillionaire Robert Herjavec on ABC’s “Shark Tank” March 5, netting a $300,000 investment for a 20 percent stake in the company.
Rothner pitched her idea to investors Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary and Herjavec, stating that in less than five years, she grew from $200,000 in sales to $1.95 million in 2019. In 2019, she said, her company had profits of over $580,000, after she withdrew her own salary, and she was on track to earn $2.5 million in sales in 2020 before the pandemic hit.
The dough costs $4.50 to manufacture the smallest size, which retails for $14.99; the larger size costs $7.50 to manufacture and retails for $24.99, she told investors.
Cuban, Greiner and John all passed on the opportunity to invest in Pinch Me, but Herjavec and O’Leary both offered $300,000 for a 25 percent stake in the company. Rothner tried to negotiate them to 7 percent, and then 10 percent, but had no takers. The Sharks told her she needed more of an e-commerce strategy and online presence.
Then, John offered a 20 percent stake, and Herjavec followed. Rothner tried to persuade them to come down to 17 percent, but they refused, and she took Herjavec’s offer. After her pitch, Rothner told the show she was thrilled to work with Herjavec, who she said was her original front-runner.
Pinch Me Dough is a squishable putty designed to relieve stress through the senses. Packed in a small tin, the dough comes in a variety of calming colors and scents, including beach, spice and melon, chosen for their pacifying properties. As users massage the dough, the hands relax and the body releases tension.
Rothner said she devised the idea for Pinch Me Dough through her work as a clinical hypnotherapist who specializes in stress reduction. After seeing the toll that stress and tension can take on the body and mind, Rothner said, she looked for a way to help more people reduce their stress. Find the full line of products at pinchmedough.com.
