Everyone is good at something. However, fortunate are those who get to do what they are good at for the rest of their lives and make a career out of it. However, the realization of what you are good at and the fact that you enjoy doing this can happen at any time.
For some, it happens later in life, during student life, and for some unique, gifted people, it happens at a very young age. That is precisely what happened for Kiowa Kavovit.
A seemingly innocent, ordinary child, but one brilliant, gifted individual. She came up with the idea of a product she now calls Boo Boo Goo. It is basically a skin protectant formula that allows you to paint onto a cut or bruised skin area in a sort of a painted band-aid fashion. It is a design-oriented product catered toward children so their “boo-boos” can be protected. It is innovative, fun, and comes in different colors, including skin tones.
Moreover, it is environmentally friendly, taking up a notch on the standard from the regular band-aids. The regular stick-on band-aids from common brands are hardly ever biodegradable. This means that every band-aid you ever threw out accumulated into a giant band-aid ball of rubbish and ended up in a landfill. Additionally, it also makes sense that because Boo Boo Goo is a multiple-use formula packaged in a bottle, it is also highly cost-efficient.
So with these fantastic features and a product outsmarting even the average adults around her, like any daughter, Kiowa went to her dad. Andrew was impressed by his daughter’s intelligence and truly wanted to help her perfect the product for expanding the line and distribution. However, they first needed to perfect the formula, so they went on to consult three doctors specializing in wound care.
Soon enough, they had acquired a whole team of professionals, eager to help out little Kiowa to make her product a hit. Hence, it was a given that a mix of ingredients was tested and came out with perfect results. Finally, Boo Boo Goo was ready to be mass-produced and put on shelves around the country. But another hurdle lay ahead, as Andrew knew he’d need some expert advice as well as financial investment to be able to complete their business model.
Hence, the only consequential step they could think of was Shark Tank. And so the father-daughter duo made it to in front of the Shark Tank judges with a pitch of $100,000 for a 17.5% stake in their business. The judges were quite impressed with one of the youngest entrepreneurs of Shark Tank talking about her product. In addition, Andrew also lent his knowledge of the product expansion and the business so far and shared how they had specialists on board to perfect the formulation earlier.
Kiowa then proceeds to hand out different color samples of Boo Boo Goo to the judges, and the negotiations begin as the judges put some on their hands to try out. Most judges call it quits for one reason or another before Kevin says that he can see the patent finding its way around the market and counters with an offer of 25% equity. The father-daughter duo, having not left with much choice, agree with him, and it’s a deal.
However, despite a successful run with the Sharks and other brands following the episode, the company cited issues in fulfilling orders and failed even to provide a reason for it. Predictably, the following year 2017, the company went out of business and wrapped it up for good. Not many children can say that they had a startup at the tender age of six, but Kiowa certainly can. It is a shame that her business failed to grow alongside her.
Our Review of Boo Boo Goo
As we mentioned earlier, Boo Boo Goo is no longer available, and the company went off business years ago. However, re-watching the Shark Tank episode and hearing Andrew and Kiowa talk about their product, one can definitely see how accessible, easy, and fun the product could have been. Given how they had to perfect the formula, make it environment-friendly, and produce it in different colors, it is all the more special.
Pros of Boo Boo Goo
- Liquid bandage formula
- Environment-friendly and biodegradable.
- Available in various color choices.
- Also available in skin neutrals to hide bruises.
- Skin protectant, hygienic and healthy.
- Affordable pricing.
- Easy to use and apply over the skin.
Cons of Boo Boo Goo
- Children may overuse
- Risk of spilling.
Who Is Boo Boo Goo For?
Anybody can use Boo Boo Goo, but the dad-daughter duo had planned to market it, especially to children. As children are more prone to getting injured, bruised, and scratched because of an active outdoor environment and playing with other children – the product made sense as an economical choice for parents to buy a bottle once and use it multiple times. They also had different color choices to attract children and pick out their favorite color to apply to the skin.
Are There Any Alternatives?
As Boo Boo Goo has gone out of business, you might be thinking it was a kind of product that would never find a replacement. Well, you couldn’t have been more wrong because there are many different brands on Amazon that sell the same stuff. They might not have color choices, but the idea, usage, and functionality are exactly the same. They even have the applicator attached to the bottle’s cap to make it easier to dip and apply.
Our Final Thoughts
It is undoubtedly a shame that many such ventures start off great, with unique ideas that do sell and even earn a deal at Shark Tank, only to go out of business a few years after. It is understandable that sustaining businesses and carrying out extensive business operations is a challenging domain. And it can be even more difficult considering your position as the owner, especially if you don’t have much prior knowledge of handling a business. Yet, everyone was rooting for Kiowa. Hopefully, she grows up to be a bright young woman and gets her own startup someday.
