We’re excited to document the Diamonds’ journey as they build Happy PPL, their oral care brand. This way you can watch their progress on the road to $1 million.
How Do You Launch Waaaay Before You’re Ready? These Happy PPL Will Tell You (and whether you should)
“Big enough” audience? No.
Finished product in hand? Uh-uh.
Packages filled? Of course not.
Influencers already promoting? Negatory… they haven’t even gotten their hands on the product yet.
Hannah and Daniel Diamond are perfectionists.
Left to their own devices, had they run through that checklist before flipping the switch to run a presale, they would have slammed the brakes and yelled… “NO-GO!” on the launch.
But not unlike a nudge from a judge, they got a firm but gentle, “Just take action. Put one foot in front of the other, and GO!” from the Capitalism Incubator coaches. (Picture Gerard Butler, “This is Sparta!”)
And one evening they went to the mall, where they saw something that eliminated every ounce of resistance they’d ever had about taking a pre-sale.
It was an architectural model of a condominium, advertising the opportunity to buy prior to construction.
That froze the Diamonds in their tracks.
“If people will pay millions of dollars for a condo that doesn’t exist yet, that’s going to take a year or two to build, why can’t we let people pay $20 for gum?”
Oooh. Good point.
So, ready or not, Hannah and Daniel lit the fuse and prepared to launch Happy PPL, a brand you’re going to want to watch closely.
What is Happy PPL?
An oral care brand for people who care about sustainability and taking good care of our planet. Oh, and fresh breath.
FACT: Most chewing gum has plastic in it.
Ew. That’s nasty – for the chewer and for the planet. But it’s true. If you’re grimacing right now, it’s because you just imagined chewing on a sneaker.
Happy PPL’s first product is plastic-free gum. All the dental benefits (Google it!) of gum without the Goodyear. Truly a win for all, including the earth.
How did they prepare to launch?
The Diamonds realize they’re sitting on a gold mine of an educational opportunity. 160M Americans chew gum. Like 17 of them know there’s plastic in their gum.
When gum chewers learn this disturbing fact, they usually spit their gum out on the spot. (Sorry about your shoes, Hannah and Daniel.)
Now, think about how many different types of influencers might want to help spread this message. Dental, health, dating, beauty, minimalist, and environmental audience leaders are just the start.
Plus, Hannah had already built a following of about 1,000 on Instagram back when she was working as a makeup artist in Toronto. She started posting Reels about Happy PPL and their product development journey and gained 600 more followers.
So, when Hannah made a post asking her followers if she ran a pre-sale, would they buy… and they answered, “YES.” The Diamonds realized that people are actually waiting for the product. They’re excited to buy.
How are they using the Owner’s Model?
Remember, that’s what we teach in the Incubator. The owner has just three jobs:
1.) Cast the vision. 2.) Get the right people. 3.) Never let your business run out of money.
And remember – the Diamonds have admitted to being perfectionists. So, how do they overcome the “I’ll just do this myself” temptation and stay in the owner’s seat?
They hire partners really, really well. Like, the award-winning copywriter and designer who worked on the website. The Diamonds knew they were a fit when they realized it felt like this duo had gotten inside their brains. They love what Happy PPL is doing and want to be part of it. Just as decisively, they knew the other vendors they’d considered were out.
How are they funding?
They sold their house in Toronto, moved to a smaller house in Cleveland, Ohio, and pocketed the change so they could bootstrap this business. They have some runway and don’t need an investment right away. (Raise your hand if you want to be first to know when they put a deal together!)
Best advice to share
Hannah: Be proud of yourself along the way. Notice the little wins and celebrate them. Stoke your passion for what you’re doing because that’s what makes the journey fun. You will fail sometimes, but you don’t need to regret mistakes you make. It’s all part of the journey and leads you to something better. Stay positive.
Daniel: Don’t be a perfectionist. Be willing to experiment and to learn your lessons. Remove yourself from the equation by outsourcing as much as you can. Focus on what you love and what you’re good at. Outsource, trust your people, and don’t micromanage the process.
Jabbed By The Sharks, But They Won’t Throw In The Towel
A casting producer from Shark Tank saw one of their posts on Instagram, and asked them to set up a call.
If your brain just shouted SCAM ALERT, you’re not alone. The Diamonds thought that, too, since they’re just in pre-launch and weren’t even running ads. But it was legit.
They took the call. The casting producer loves their branding (who doesn’t???) and the idea behind the product. Like most of us, she hadn’t known that most chewing gum has plastic in it. She knew the sharks would be all over this.
The Diamonds pinched themselves. Then they went through the lengthy application process (about a zillion pages and a video).
Then came the punch…
Hannah says, “She said ultimately we would need to obtain product before filming in September. We decided to apply even though we probably won’t have sales and may not even launch by then, but at least we’ll get on the producers’ radar and hopefully stay on their mind for next year.”
When you’re playing a long game, you don’t buckle when you get a setback. A LOT can happen in a year. The way these Incubator students are taking action and following the blueprint, we predict the sharks will be drooling next year if and when they get the chance to invest.
Hannah and Daniel are students in the Capitalism Incubator, where we build 7-figure businesses that can be sold. You can find out more about it right here.
