Supply razor founders on Shark Tank

I seem to be getting hammered for being negative Nancy.

Or for speaking truth to an online microculture that has very much diverged from standard old-school wetshaving in the past decade. The number of people who have large stores of gear, think tallow soaps are necessarily better than non-tallow soaps, cork blades, bloom soaps, etc. is probably 100,000 or less. Not that there is anything wrong with the hobby aspect of things, it's just that it is not representative of wetshavers in general. There is no way that hobbyists will keep devouring product at an astronomical rate, though. At some point, they will have had their fill.

The largest potential market always was those who had yet to discover traditional shaving. With its product lineup, subscription program and vision, Supply is poised to be a breakout company. They have plenty of money for future development, including advertising, so a few rock-throwers on one ad won't even be a blip on the radar. It will be the online reviews over time that will be their real thumbs up or thumbs down. Our small pond just got larger, and some of the big fish may be uneasy.

Thanks for recognizing my comments for what they are.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

during their pitch, did they talk about how they were going to use the money? Also, did they talk about how they plan to expand in terms of products or vendors?

Here they are sealing the deal:

Here they are sealing the deal:

I'm happy for them.  If they continue to act in the future the way they have in the past (at least with me), then their future customers will be happy for them too, and they will have excellent chances to succeed.  I've unfortunately been tuned out, so I don't know what new products, if any, they plan to release, but I am curious to know.

during their pitch, did they talk about how they were going to use the money? Also, did they talk about how they plan to expand in terms of products or vendors?

They did make mention of being able to soon reduce per unit manufacturing costs.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

The Single Edge 2.0 is $75. That is a little pricey for an injector razor, although it looks cool enough that they might be able to get away with it. Reducing production costs would enable them to drop the price a bit. The last thing they need is for people to start googling for more affordable alternatives.

The Single Edge 2.0 is $75.  That is a little pricey for an injector razor, although it looks cool enough that they might be able to get away with it.  Reducing production costs would enable them to drop the price a bit.  The last thing they need is for people to start googling for more affordable alternatives.

Price went up to $150 for the stainless steel, the Alloy version is $75

A big question in my mind is "What will they increase the production of?"  I missed the shows, so I don't know what was said.   [font=Comic Sans MS]If they are growing the razor business, then regardless of the price point, their advantage seems clearly to be in the injector format.  I'm aware of two modern Schick format razors, and one artisan who has plans for one.  Except for the FHS-10 format, which has its own business issues, the other common blade formats are already crowded.  It seems to me that it would be harder to stand out and easier to get killed trying to compete for DE, AC, or even GEM business.  Plus Supply's experience is with injectors.  [/font]But Supply sells software too, and I wonder to myself if they have some remarkable formulas up their sleeves, or perhaps efficient production methods that are waiting to be capitalized.

But since I've joined in the risky and probably futile business of guessing about somebody else's business from the outside looking in, I will offer this not to be taken seriously prognostication:  If I had $300,000 to play with and their skills and experience, I would start by taking a page from the Gillette Heritage playbook:  Get a cheap razor design, plate it to look pretty, and put it in a cheap but elegant looking case.  However, I would sell it to women as a luxury item.[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]  The injector format would be perfect.  It is new and special (to non-traditional shavers), and it looks easy to deal safely with the blades.  Just make sure the razor functions enough like a cart to minimize bleeding and burn, but make it feel heavier in the hand, and if cash-flow and the budget allow, bundle it with as much software as the traffic will bear.  Plan to offer gold plated models and fancier cases down the road.  But above all else, set aside an ample budget for marketing.  And speaking of marketing, the two of them are both personable and photogenic, and they can do their own videos and star in their own commercials.  BTW, please notice that I did not say the words "sharp" or "stainless steel" anywhere in this fantasy business plan.

Oh, and did I mention "Feel free to laugh at my ramblings?"  Well, now's the time.  [/font]

Price went up to $150 for the stainless steel, the Alloy version is $75

Think of it as the injector version of these these $75 Fusion razor handles. Baxter of California sells a razor much like the Edwin Jagger Barleycorn, a $45 razor, for $75. Fancy, cool looking razors can be sold for a premium price, at least to the general public.

Went back and watched their pitch. Not much info on future plans but I got the impression they we going to continue DTC online. Interesting bits were COGS, gross margins, revenue ($1M last year, 2.5M expected in coming year), and the founder said he helped start the largest online shaving forum.