

Range Beauty CEO Alicia Scott On How She Scored Major Investors On 'Shark Tank'
Early last year, thirty-two-year-old Alicia Scott was personally invited to appear on season 13 of ABC’s pitch competition show Shark Tank to try to convince the Sharks to invest in her makeup brand Range Beauty.
“[The email] was sent to our info@rangebeauty.com inbox and I was like ‘is this spam?” Scott tells xoNecole. But after running the name of the person who contacted her through Google to check the legitimacy of the email, Range Beauty’s founder and CEO was assured that the email was, in fact, not spam.
Scott and her cousin and operations manager Myisha Fantroy appeared in episode 14 of the show which aired last month – a career highlight on a long road to success.
Since creating her own makeup brand in 2018, there’s been a learning curve that Scott has had to contend with since becoming a first-time entrepreneur. “I'm a long-time student of Google university,” Scott jokes. “And so I use that to teach myself about everything. I used to teach myself about how to even start a business. What's needed for you to have your own business? What's needed for you in cosmetics? What does this pigment do? What does this undertone mean? I had to learn everything.”
On her journey to building her brand, Scott ran into many issues relating to accruing financial funding for her company. “I started Range while I still had my 9-to-5,” she recounts. “Up until 2019, I had always worked a 9-5 to make sure that I had funds to cover my bills but to also cover whatever expenses were needed for Range,” Scott says. ”It wasn't happening fast enough. I was like, we need more money, more money.”
After being contacted by Target and told by the retail giant everything that was needed financially to launch her brand in stores, Scott finally decided it was time to figure out a way to get investment into her company. One of the main ways she was able to find funding was through pitch competitions.
“Shortly after I launched in August 2018, I did my first competition,” Scott says. “And it was in September of 2018 and it was hosted by Arian Simone, who now leads the Fearless Fund right here in Atlanta.” Held at the Spanx Headquarters, the competition involved several rounds where competitors made their case to the judges and the judges decided who got to advance to each round. After not hearing her name called to be one of the five entrepreneurs to be on the main stage, Scott approached her judge to thank her and to also ask for advice on how to strengthen her pitch.
“You gave an excellent pitch and your delivery was great, it was just that you weren’t able to differentiate how your brand was different from others,” Scott recalls the judge telling her. “And I began telling her and she was like ‘yeah that’s what you need to put into your pitch! You need to speak to why you created this.”
Scott internalized the advice and was able to redeem herself at the next pitch competition she attended which was Noire Tank, which she describes as “the Black Shark Tank” where she pitched to YouTuber and Beauty Influencer Jackie Aina who flew her out to Los Angeles, California and covered other expenses for Scott. It was at that competition that Scott secured her first grant.
By the time she stepped in front of the Sharks at her July 2021 taping, Scott had already mastered the skill of how to tailor her pitch and delivery for each competition she did. The journey from receiving the email in February 2021 to finally being able to make it to the show was an arduous one. “Along the way they say ‘there’s still a chance you might not tape.’ And so the day we were finally there, we had been waiting in our trailer since like ten or eleven and we didn’t get to go out until like [after] four.”
Once inside the room, Scott said she could feel her heart and adrenaline pumping. Standing alongside Fantroy, her first full-time employee who she was allowed to bring along for moral support, Scott started pitching to the Sharks. “Hi Sharks!” Scott and Fantroy said enthusiastically in unison.
“It's different than what you see on TV,” Scott says. “The straight faces and just everyone smiling and they laugh at certain parts of our pitch and they’re engaged and, once you finish Mark was like, ‘excellent job,’ and everyone looks pleased with our pitch. So it went really well with our pitch, we didn’t mess up any lines. So we were really excited.”
Myisha Fantroy and Alicia Scott, Shark Tank
ABC/Christopher Willard
In a rare feat, Scott was able to secure the investment of two of the Sharks, Lori Grenier and guest Shark, Good American and Skims co-founder Emma Grede. “It's been so nice because Emma sits on the board of the Fifteen Percent Pledge,” Scott says. “She knows all about the struggles of Black businesses, not only with trying to get investments, but also trying to have space with retailers and making space in our industry. So it's really nice to have an investor who looks like me and understands the challenges.”
Grenier and Grede have been incredibly hands-on as investors according to Scott. “[Grede] has been so on the ball with just being there for us and being so accessible,” she says.” And with Lori …she's the one that's like seen it all, she's done it all. So she comes with her own perspective and experience on how things will move, the, how things will move. So it's been a great interaction and great relationship.”
In the time that has passed since her appearance on Shark Tank, Scott says that she’s grown exponentially as an entrepreneur. “I started this like mixing things in my living room with $150. And so to now be on a national TV stage like Shark Tank, sitting in front of investors who have just seen it all is magnificent.”
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Featured image by ABC/Christopher Willard
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.