Shark Tank India fans have witnessed all kinds of antics and ingenuity while watching the latest season of the show. One of the most viral speeches on the program was given by a Yash Kalra, 26, who introduced his company Goat Life. His antics and casual demeanor helped him become one of the most well-known contestants this season, helping his brand gain greater visibility. He recently shared his experience of making it to Shark Tank India and everything it took before even putting one foot in front of the ‘sharks’.
In a YouTube video posted by Masters’ Union, Yash could be seen sharing his journey as an entrepreneur. He started the story by talking about his previous attempts to make it to Shark Tank India and said, “We have been applying for 5 years. In the first season we passed phase 1 and in the second season we passed phase 2, but we decided to leave that product. We applied for Goat Life for season 3 and just had a prototype of the product. During season 4, we reached the interview round. We had the product ready, but no one in the market knew us, so it didn’t happen this year either.”
It begins by describing the process that one has to go through before being able to launch their business. He said: “The first phase involves filling out the basic form, where you enter your name, your parents’ name and occupation. You also have 150 words to write to describe your business. There is nothing about the product, and they just want to verify that you are not a robot. Then comes the most important form, where you have to describe your business and your product. You even have to make a video that gives a 360-degree view of your brand.”
Describing the results the show’s producers are looking for, Yash said: “After all, it is a content platform, so your story has to be interesting enough to publish. For us, the Gen Z story worked and they picked it up. When you get past all this, there is an in-person interview. They want to check how you look, talk, and act yourself. Then comes the main round, the main presentation. Bombay. You have 3 days to prepare and they will even prepare you for the 90-second pitch and how to present yourself in front of the sharks.”
Talking about the speech itself, Yash said, “You have 90 seconds to set the tone of your entire speech. We presented all the problem statements through a fun game and to make sure it worked, I told them (the sharks), ‘Agar deal nahi mili toh mai yahi baith jaoonga (If I don’t get a deal, I will sit here).’ It worked wonders for us. because we went viral on social networks.”
He added: “You have to add little elements that elevate your speech. One was flirting with Namita Thapar; the other was wearing the jacket that had ‘Hot People Eat Breakfast’ written on it. ‘This whole idea went very viral for us and generated over 40 million impressions as a brand, organically. You have to make sure that your content can be divided into clips, because those clips will generate traffic on Instagram.”
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Yash pointed out that the pitch itself can be overwhelming at times and it is important for the pitcher not to lose sight of his target. “The narrative has to be controlled by the pitcher. The 5 sharks are fighting to ask you questions, and you can’t give up control during that time. You have to focus on your brand and put all the information out there. No matter what they ask you, you make sure you have control. The reason I wear the same clothes today is because someone could take a photo and post it on social media. You need to push all those clips through marketing, and you need to use that episode of Shark Tank to ensure your visibility,” he said. Yash.
He revealed that everyone needs to have a few tricks up their sleeve to ensure the brand appears relevant. Yash admitted that he supported his company’s valuation and went with the figure his mother came up with. He said, “I knew this number was going to be cheated. My mother decided to go for the valuation of Rs 36 crore, so I decided to go for it. Everyone laughed when they heard this and no one questioned it.”
He talked about the final moments of camp and how he made a little mistake while all those offers were being thrown at him. He said, “We got a total of 10 offers from 5 sharks and I felt a bit overwhelmed. I tried to get them all in one deal but they didn’t accept. While I was thinking about this, Riteish sir opted out. After this, Aman and Anupam seemed like the right choice because they are good with the brand. The mistake I made was that I asked all the judges to be quiet so that Amit Sir could speak.”
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In the end, Yash pocketed Rs 2 crore, giving Anupam Mittal and Aman Gupta 4% equity each. This misled the valuation of his company from Rs 36 crore to Rs 25 crore.