Joelle Flynn, left and Rye resident Sonia Hounsell on SharkTank
By Dan Murphy
Westchester resident Sonia Hounsell and her childhood friend, Joelle Flynn recently appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank to pitch their innovative product called FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers. The episode appeared on TV Feb. 17, and can be watched at FunkkOFF! Episode 14 on Season 14 of ABC’s Shark Tank.
We spoke to the women about their Shark Tank experience, and their Made in the USA product, a pocket-sized, reusable tooth brush and tooth gel that is 100% natural and vegan. Twist the bottom like you would lip balm and the gel pushes up through soft bristles on the brush head. Then, just brush, rinse and SMILE. Plus, there is a mirror on the bottom of FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers® so you can check your smile! This is ideal for quick, on-the-go use – clean, refreshed teeth and an irresistible smile.
Joelle Flynn, who lives in California, explained that during her visits to the Napa Wine country, she always wanted to brush her teeth after sampling a few glasses. “I wondered why there isn’t something compact and reusable to clean and refresh your teeth after some wine, or coffee, or any meal.”
That is when Flynn, a former stockbroker and entreprenueur, began to brainstorm about ideas for what would become FunkkOFF. She created a prototype, and then she contact Sonia, a Rye resident who has vast experience launching new consumer products and brands.
“We decided to form a company in 2019 and started to work on manufacturing. This is a very easy product to use, but complicated to make. It has been a great experience to build our own brand and product,” said Hounsell.
Flynn expalins that “I have always had an entrepreuneral spirit. I paid my way through college and was a stock broker at 22. If we girls need something, then we get it done. That is the spirit behind this Woman Owned companyt.”
The new owners filed 10 patents to make sure, “that the big companies didn’t steal our idea,” said Flynn.-“This is a highly unique deliery of a products, thanks to the genius of Joelle. We didn’t want anyone to copy it and re-introduce it. We spent a lot of time bringing it to market so we wanted to figure out how to protect it,” said Hounsell.
Their journey continued with their recent appearance on Shark Tank in Feb. So what happened? “All five sharks told us what a great product we had, but politely passed on investing in FunkkOFF. As we were walking out, Robert Herjavec, changed his mind, and called us back into the tank,” said Sonia.
Herjavec explained in the episode that his wife frequently tells him about products on the show that he should have invested in. FunkkOFF, he thought, was one of those products. He invested $250,000 for a 12% share, and hours after the show aired on ABC TV, the product sold out.
“It worked out great, we were prepared to sell out and then take pre-orders on the website,” said Joelle. “Share Tank has huge awareness and the viewship remains quite high, with a lot of loyal customers. But it was validation of our hard work and our product,” said Sonia.
FunkkOFF is currently on back order, until they can manufacture more supply, expected in May. But Sonia told us of a few places in Rye where you can buy one. “Misfit Bazar, Angela’s, Hudson Paul Salon, Griffin’s Wine, they have inventory.”
They also sell on Amazon, but also sold out for now, along with 70 other locations across the county. “We don’t sell at pharmacies, but in boutiques, spas, dental offices and wineries,” said Sonia.
And how did they come up with the name-FunkkOFF? “We tried not to curse, but that’s how women fell when they look in the mirror and see the wine stains on their teeth. We wanted to create a new intersection between oral care and beatuy,” said Joelle.
Interested customers can visit the website-FunkkOFF! and get a 25% off coupon for pre-order. I was surprised at how affordable the product is-$22 each, or $42 for a two-pack, and you can use one up to 30 times. One also unique feature; the tooth gel is natural and vegan, so you can swallow it if you have to on the go.
“We have a large consumer base to tap into. Everyone with teeth can use this,” said Joelle.
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