Q&A With Deidrea Haysel of Hot Mama Gowns

Deidrea Haysel of Hot Mama Gowns was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding her experience on ABC’s Shark Tank.  For some background on the episode that Haysel was featured in, we wrote about the business lessons on display in that episode in this post.

Just Elementary: Was there any bump in notoriety and publicity for Hot Mama Gowns after the taping of the show, but Before the Show Aired?

Deidrea Haysel: No, not necessarily, and if there was it was solely due to my continued efforts. There is a lot of secrecy surrounding Shark Tank and they ask you to keep even the filming of your segment confidential. I was only allowed to share with my immediate family that I had even filmed for the show, making it to air is whole other component. And I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to try to extend my 15 minutes before ABC even gave them to me; if they wanted me to keep quiet, I was going to keep quiet! So there was no pre-Shark Tank notoriety or publicity due to the fact that ABC and Sony Pictures asked me to keep the experience confidential.

Just Elementary: We read about the Angel investor, have you had other offers come out of the woodwork since the show taping and airing?

Deidrea Haysel: Absolutely, and it’s a happy surprise. I think it’s a beautiful thing; some of the people in your life; family, friends, or otherwise don’t really know what you’re going thru or that you may need help until a show like Shark Tank puts all your excitement, struggles, and issues on blast! And it’s amazing how many people in my life stepped up and offered to help in various ways after they saw my episode. It IS truly humbling that family, friends, and complete strangers want to partner with me and help me grow Hot Mama Gowns into the company I see it can be!

Just Elementary: You wrote on a post that you taped for approximately an hour, how much more relevant dialogue and footage of your pitch do you feel was edited out to fit the segment length?

Deidrea Haysel: Ahh, yes, it is Television after all! The filming was very organic, it was natural discussion; it was me pitching my heart out, answering questions, demonstrating the product etc, so I feel it was all relevant. I’m sure the editing department’s definition of relevant is very different from my own! It is hard to get a good grasp of Hot Mama Gowns from such a short segment, but I think it wetted the appetite of many, if nothing more than to check out this so-called “Hot Mama know-it-all”!

Just Elementary: How has website traffic increased since the show airing? Orders must be up quite a bit. Getting into a segment is huge publicity, with or without a deal, but of course, at the time of taping you have no idea whether or not you will make it into a segment.

Deidrea Haysel: Website traffic is up over 1000% and about 95% of the visits are from new visitors who have never been to the site, so it’s AWESOME that my traffic is thru the roof but also that they are new visitors to Hot Mama Gowns, knowledge IS power! Orders are phenomenal, and I’ve been VERY busy fulfilling orders since about 8:30 Friday night the 22nd of April when my segment aired!

Just Elementary: How have you changed the way you approach your business based on your experience on the set of Shark Tank?

Deidrea Haysel: I really haven’t changed the way I approach business based on my Shark Tank experience. I take pride in the fact that I wrote a very detailed Business Plan when I first had the idea for Hot Mama Gowns and doing so allowed me to really plan what the next couple years would bring and barriers I would have to face. My Business Plan forced me to think about things I might not have otherwise thought about until years down the line. That being said, I have always stuck to what I want as a business owner; organic material, made in the USA and I pride myself on superior customer service. If anything, going on Shark Tank has reinforced the things that were already important to me, especially since I’ve been getting such amazing feedback from fans, customers, and just people who watched the show and felt compelled to write.

Just Elementary: Any particular suggestions they gave you that have been helpful to your business?

Deidrea Haysel: My Shark Tank experience wasn’t so much a teaching experience. It was more about sales, scalability, and the Sharks understanding how they could make money. There were not necessarily any lessons taught aside from “made for TV” type of jabs and commentary, but no real lessons.

Just Elementary: You are on Twitter, Facebook and your own blog. Are you using any other sites such as Etsy.com?

Deidrea Haysel: I am on Twitter, Facebook, and write my own blog; The HotMamaness of It All, but I’m not on Etsy. Etsy caters to artisans who are handcrafting their product and since I use a manufacturer it isn’t the best fit. But I DO love my Social Media!

Editors Note:  You can subscribe to Haysel’s Hot List email updates service here and to her blog, The Hot Mamaness of It All.

Just Elementary: You are very authentic in your Social Media efforts, will you delegate the Social Media efforts sometime down the road when you have grown to the point of having employees?

Deidrea Haysel: I truly believe in the power of Social Media and one of the reasons I think it has been such a successful tool for me is because I’m authentic; I’m just me, whether it be on Facebook or Twitter. I want my customers to connect with me and see the person behind the brand and business; I love the interaction it allows. And I know my customers love and appreciate that interaction as well; utilizing Social Media has truly broken down the barriers of the “typical” business, when used with care! I would never completely delegate these efforts; I will add team members to the roster of Twitter and Facebook to help, but not to replace me 🙂

Just Elementary: Do you enjoy the time and energy you put into the Social Media?

Deidrea Haysel: I thoroughly enjoy my time and interactions on Twitter, Facebook and my blog. And I know the reason for it; it’s because I’m authentic! I don’t put on airs or try to be someone or something I’m not, I’m honest and transparent about what I tweet and write on Facebook. I used the phrase in my Shark Tank follow-up blog that “life isn’t always unicorns and rainbows” and I think that’s what people appreciate. Because of my honesty and transparency on Social Media; my wins in business become my fans/customers wins and we can celebrate that together.

Thank you Deidrea. we appreciate your time to answer these questions.  Best of luck with growing the business, and we look forward to following your progress online.

For more information on Just Elementary, Inc. can help you with small business needs, including Valuation and Negotiation, contact our Client Care Manager, Sonia Chhabra, at (323) 213-9193 or by email cs@justelementary.com