A viewing party at UclueletB次元官网网址檚 Black Rock Resort was fired up as the town watched two of its fiercest entrepreneurial dynamos slay their pitch and score a mint deal on CBCB次元官网网址檚 DragonsB次元官网网址� Den. 

Robyn Mair and Monika Scott of Mint Cleaning were the first to present in front of the Dragons during Nov. 14B次元官网网址檚 episode and shone so brightly that a bidding war took off with three competing offers. 

They had asked for $400,000 for 10 per cent of their company and wound up accepting exactly that from Dragons Michele Romanow and Brian Scudamore, who also pitched in a $400,00 line of credit. 

and since that time, Mair and Scott showed some Dragon flair themselves, telling the Westerly B次元官网网址 that they were able to negotiate that offer up to $425,000 for the same 10 per cent, though with just Scudamore as Romanow proved to not be a good fit for Mint. 

B次元官网网址淏rian is amazing,B次元官网网址� Mair told the Westerly after the showB次元官网网址檚 airing. B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, we didnB次元官网网址檛 go ahead with Michele. We just focused on Brian. He is such an amazing guy and such a good business person and so purpose-led and our values align. We are so excited to take that deal with Brian and see where and how we can grow the business. WeB次元官网网址檙e still in talks, but I think the future is looking awesome with him.B次元官网网址� 

She suggested Romanow was pushing for faster growth than she and Scott were comfortable with. 

B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, with Michele and her team it just wasnB次元官网网址檛 a good fit. It didnB次元官网网址檛 feel right,B次元官网网址� Scott said. B次元官网网址淧ersonalities didnB次元官网网址檛 align as much as weB次元官网网址檇 hoped, whereas Brian and his team speak from the heart. TheyB次元官网网址檙e so sweet theyB次元官网网址檙e so kind.B次元官网网址� 

Romanow seemed to be the prime target for the Mint team while the Dragons wrestled each other in a bidding war during the show. 

Manjit Minhas was the first Dragon to place a bid, offering the exact $400,000 for 10 per cent deal the Mint Cleaning team had asked for and her offer was then matched by both Arlene Dickinson and the Romanow-Scudamore team-up, which originally asked for 12.5 per cent. 

B次元官网网址淎s soon as Manjit said B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檒l give you a deal,B次元官网网址� we were just relieved,B次元官网网址� Mair told the Westerly. B次元官网网址淚t was smooth sailing from that point.. As soon as we got a deal (offered) we were just like, B次元官网网址極K weB次元官网网址檙e good. We didnB次元官网网址檛 fail miserably.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� 

Scott visibly teared up after the first offer. 

B次元官网网址淥nce they started fighting over us, I just had this overwhelming feeling of B次元官网网址極h my god, theyB次元官网网址檙e fighting over us. This is happening. Are we actually this good?,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭his overwhelming moment I remember just took over me and I ended up crying a little bit.B次元官网网址� 

Romanow suggested she could help the business grow its online, direct-to-consumer, potential, but Dickinson said the company should focus less online and more in store. 

B次元官网网址淚 have a very different view of your business,B次元官网网址� Dickinson said, noting about 54 per cent of MintB次元官网网址檚 business currently comes from in store sales. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think of it as an online play.B次元官网网址� 

She suggested that while Mint products are currently available at over 200 stores, she could get them into 10,000 or more and reiterated her belief that focusing on the online, direct-to-consumer model would be a mistake. 

This led to some playful banter between Dickinson and Romanow, who thrives in the direct-to-consumer space. 

B次元官网网址淐B次元官网网址檓on!..She took a dagger through my heart,B次元官网网址� Romanow laughed. B次元官网网址淭he only mistake you could make is going with Michele, thatB次元官网网址檚 what she said.B次元官网网址� 

Dickinson offered $400,000 for 10 per cent as well as access to a $400,000 line of credit, prompting the other two bidding parties to add that same line of credit as well. 

Scudamore then seemed to jump ship from RomanowB次元官网网址檚 offer and said he would join Dickinson. 

B次元官网网址淚 have huge respect for what you bring and youB次元官网网址檙e going to change the world with this,B次元官网网址� he said to Mair and Scott. 

Mair and Scott remained focused on Romanow, though, and asked if she and Scudamore could take 10 per cent for $400,000 and the Dragons agreed, securing the original deal. 

Scott told the Westerly that while MintB次元官网网址檚 segment on the show lasted for about nine minutes, the actual pitch and negotiation took about an hour. 

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a lot more chaotic than it shows on TV,B次元官网网址� she said. 

She added that she and Mair believed at the time that RomanowB次元官网网址檚 vision for the company was more aligned with their own than DickinsonB次元官网网址檚. 

B次元官网网址淎t the time going into it, we really wanted to expand our online sales, our direct-to-consumer DTC and thatB次元官网网址檚 what Michele is notorious for: growing companies online. Whereas Arlene is more retail, so getting you in box stores and stores across Canada and the U.S.,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淥ur vision for our business is more online direct-to-consumer, so that was our decision with Michele; thatB次元官网网址檚 her whole jam, so it was kind of a no brainer for us. But, Arlene is so sweet. I felt really guilty. That was really hardB次元官网网址�It was a crazy, crazy moment trying to decide between all these amazing offers and people.B次元官网网址� 

Mair agreed and said DickinsonB次元官网网址檚 view of pushing the in-store presence didnB次元官网网址檛 sit right. 

B次元官网网址淲e just disagreed with her,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e love that feeling of building a community, which I think you can do more so by having that online direct to consumer. ThatB次元官网网址檚 our goal and our vision for our business. It just comes down to values. I think our values aligned with Michele rather than Arlene in terms of where they wanted to take our business.B次元官网网址� 

Mair and ScottB次元官网网址檚 vision for their business has been impressively bang on so far, as they laid out in their pitch that led to the DragonsB次元官网网址� climbing over each other to snag a piece of it. 

They became business partners seven years ago, launching a cleaning company together after meeting at a Moms Group in Ucluelet. 

B次元官网网址淲e went from BFFB次元官网网址檚 to business partners the next day and started a cleaning company that became an overnight success,B次元官网网址� Mair told the Dragons. 

The motivation to launch a product line of effective, natural plant-based cleaning products came after they both suffered the effects of the products they were using. 

B次元官网网址淎fter years of using harsh chemical cleaners all day, we both began to get very sick,B次元官网网址� Scott said. 

B次元官网网址淚 actually ended up in the ER with an asthma attack and an X-Ray revealed that I had scarring on my lung,B次元官网网址� Mair added. B次元官网网址淭hat was a wake-up call.B次元官网网址� 

Scott suggested the eco-products they tried either didnB次元官网网址檛 work or were B次元官网网址渏ust plain greenwashing,B次元官网网址� so the pair set out to make their own. 

B次元官网网址淲e hit our kitchens and got to work. With our cleaning company as our testing ground, we whipped up batch after batch of products, fine tuning recipes until they were nothing short of magic and that is how Mint Cleaning was born,B次元官网网址� Mair said. 

The pair added a trivia game to their pitch, which Scudamore won in a sweep of the answers. 

Scott told the Westerly they went with the game show format to show the uniquely fun character of their business. 

B次元官网网址淧art of our whole thing is educating people about toxic cleaning products. It was just our way of showing what weB次元官网网址檙e about. WeB次元官网网址檙e not just a cleaning product, weB次元官网网址檙e standing out from the rest,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e like to keep things light and fun and I think cleaning can be serious and depressing to people so it was our way of standing outB次元官网网址�Our (social media) accounts are fun, cleaning is fun, our products are fun and easy to use and bringing that lightness that we bring to our social media and showing that to the Dragons was important.B次元官网网址� 

After the trivia, the mood turned to business with the Dragons firing off questions about MintB次元官网网址檚 profits and ability to stand out in a crowd. 

Scott noted the company has B次元官网网址渁 huge online community and followingB次元官网网址� and its social media channels include educational tools. 

Mair explained the all-purpose cleaner is MintB次元官网网址檚 highest selling item, costing about $3.60 to make and retailing for $14. 

She said Mint Cleaning products are in over 200 stores across Canada and America and about 46 per cent of the business is online, adding that the company racked up $2.5 million in sales in 2023 and is on track for $4.4 million this year. 

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been profitable every single year,B次元官网网址� she said, adding after paying themselves a $90,000 salary each, the business makes about a 12 per cent profit. 

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 so impressive,B次元官网网址� Dickinson responded, noting Ucluelet is a B次元官网网址渢inyB次元官网网址� town on the west coast of Vancouver Island with a population of about 2,000 people. 

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 such a great lesson here that a good idea can be started anywhere in this country.B次元官网网址� 

Several Dragons mentioned Ucluelet, expressing a fond familiarity with the picturesque tourist town and Scott and Mair were both thrilled to give their community some solid exposure. 

B次元官网网址淚 was so happy they brought up Ucluelet and I was really happy they aired that because they did talk about it a lot. Robyn and I always say weB次元官网网址檇 be nowhere without this community. Ucluelet really took us off. Everybody in the community supported us right away,B次元官网网址� Scott told the Westerly. B次元官网网址淲e always are first and foremost so grateful for Ucluelet. I was so happy that they talked about Ucluelet on there. I hope itB次元官网网址檚 motivating, like they (the Dragons) said for other entrepreneurs. You donB次元官网网址檛 need to be in a big city centre to start a business. We actually think itB次元官网网址檚 better to have the small town community support behind you.B次元官网网址� 

Mair agreed. 

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just amazing to represent Ucluelet and put Ucluelet on the map. That was definitely my favourite part of the show when they mentioned Ucluelet,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淟ike Monika said, our whole value of our business is building a community and having that support and thereB次元官网网址檚 no better place to do that than Ucluelet.B次元官网网址� 

The team is now focused on working with Scudamore to ramp up MintB次元官网网址檚 distribution capacity on the mainland, though both Scott and Mair are steadfast about staying in their home community no matter how big a success their business becomes. 

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l always stay in Ucluelet. WeB次元官网网址檙e not going anywhere,B次元官网网址� Scott said.