Dadware Before Shark Tank
When Nick Baker arrived in Los Angeles, California, he was hoping to hit it big in Hollywood and make a name for himself as a comedian. Nick was well on his way to achieving that when he started doing comedy gigs. However, since he had yet to hit the big time he had to find other employment means to sustain himself.
As his career went on Nick had a baby. As with everyone else, this was a major life-changing event. His child came right about the time when Nick was getting tired of constantly changing jobs and earning low wages. When Nick was with his wife Dawn at the hospital, her labor took an extremely long time, 36 hours.
When their baby Eva was finally born, Dawn was too tired to carry the baby.  After a child is born it is put on its mother’s chest for skin-to-skin bonding which is very essential. Dawn was too tired to do this so Nick decided to put Eva on his chest.
It was at that time that Nick had an idea and decided to create Dadware which was a clothing line that made shirts for dads with newly-born babies. Dadware shirts had side openings which made skin-to-skin bonding much easier.
Nick worked tirelessly to make Dadware a success and it showed by how sales grew every year. However, he still had problems such as having a constant supply of inventory. His problems were enough that he would ask the sharks for help and he was on the 22nd episode of season 11 giving his proposal.
Dadware on Shark Tank
As he gave his presentation, Nick told the sharks that he did not have a business degree or an MBA. However, he had a very strong work ethic and he had started his business by himself taking it to where it is. He thought that the product was also making the world a better place. He finished up by asking the sharks to not invest in him just because of the money but also because they would be investing in their fathers and children.
Kevin was the first to speak. He told Nick that he had given them a great presentation. Lori then told him that he should have a comedy routine. Nick then said that he was a former comedian and actor and it was probably why he was on the show. Nick was from Los Angeles which has the biggest film studios in the world, including the Shark Tank Studio. Having a background in film would not be so surprising.
Nick handed out some samples for the sharks to see. Robert then asked Nick if he had been a comedian. Nick said that he had been one. Nick had gone to Los Angeles a few years before to be an actor and a comedian. He had his baby 4 years before. Nick had worked as a waiter and worked inconsistently and did not like the lifestyle. That was why he started the business.
Nick then did some research and found that it was very beneficial. Since then, he has refined his product and he is very happy with the results. He had also got the price down in the United States. Robert asked him what it sold for and he was told that it sold for $39.99. He was asked what it cost him to make it and he said that it cost $9.04 and he made it in Los Angeles.
Robert asked Nick how many he had sold and he said that he had sold T-shirts worth $200,000. The sharks thought that his sales were very good. Kevin then asked him how he was getting the message out. He was also asked if this was in the last year and he said that it was his total sales.
Nick started selling the shirts in November 2016 and from that time until September 2017 he did like $10,000 in sales. From September 2017 to September 2018, he realized $71,000 in sales. He then made $110,000 from September 2018 to September 2019. Kevin then asked Nick what he was going to do with the $100,000 if he got it.
Nick said that his first priority was to buy inventory. Lori asked him if he had any orders that he hadn’t filled and Nick said that he did not have any such orders. Robert then asked him why he needed inventory and Nick said that it was because he was always struggling with it. He was then asked if he ran the business 100%.
Kevin then left because he felt that the business was just not for him. Daymond then told Nick that he was surprised that he was making a profit because it was the kind of product that was used for a single week. He thought that Nick would do well with it but it was not for him as an investor so he was out.
After Daymond left, Mark Cuban told Nick that the challenge with his business was that there was no single accelerant that could be put on it. He didn’t know how he would scale it so he was out. Robert told him that he respected Nick’s industriousness but the time frame to get that customer was very small. He thought that it was very impressive that Nick could even do this but he could not connect the dots going forward so he was out.
Lori thought that the market was very niche and very small. It would be very difficult for it to blow up but all it took was one idea. She thought that Nick could do more with it but it just was not the investment for her so she was out.
Dadware Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
All the products were available when we checked the website which would indicate that they have inventory available at the time. They have likely solved their problem of running short of inventory. On Facebook, Dadware has more than 700 followers and more than 6,500 followers on Instagram.
Dadware is still located in Los Angeles California. What has changed for the business is more outreach. Dadware was also on Shark Tank so even without any more publicity, it would be a beneficiary of the Shark Tank effect. A deal would have been great but from the looks of it, this baby is already doing great things without one.
