Two dynamos of the West Coast鈥檚 business community whose Mint Cleaning company has been soaring since 2021 were stoked, albeit anxious, to enter the CBC鈥檚 Dragons Den on May 13.
Monika Scott and Robyn Mair were buzzing with nerves and excitement on May 10 as they headed out of town to make their pitch to Canada鈥檚 famed dragons, but the community鈥檚 support had them confident they would slay.
鈥業鈥檝e got so many messages and so many 鈥榞ood lucks鈥� and I鈥檓 just feeling very supported. We鈥檙e always so grateful for Ucluelet and Tofino and all the support,鈥� Scott told the Westerly News as the pair departed Ucluelet together Friday afternoon.
Scott was initially reluctant to apply for the show despite consistent urging from Mair.
鈥淚鈥檝e watched Dragon鈥檚 Den forever. My brother鈥檚 actually been on it twice and I鈥檝e always wanted to go on it just as a crazy dream,鈥� Mair said.
鈥淢onika finally said, 鈥業f they reach out to us, then we will apply鈥� and I said 鈥極K, deal,鈥� and sure enough, literally two days later, Dragon鈥檚 Den reached out to us. Their producers reached out to ask if we would apply.鈥�
鈥淪o, obviously I had to say yes,鈥� added Scott.
The business partners then went through the application steps and were invited to an audition.
鈥淭hree days later they called and told us that we were going to be on the show,鈥� Mair said. 鈥淚t was crazy. I just screamed and got very excited and then immediately nervous.鈥�
Scott said emotions were running high leading up to the event.
鈥淚鈥檓 so nervous. I don鈥檛 want to do it, but I鈥檓 so grateful and excited at the exact same time, so it鈥檚 like four emotions circling me at all times,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e staying pretty close to the bathroom if that helps paint a picture a little bit. We鈥檙e feeling it for sure. We did have a lot of mentorship through this and something we learned is to not try to get rid of the nervousness or the anxiety or the fear, but just channel that in a positive way; use that adrenaline and all those emotions that you try to stifle when you feel nervous, but actually use them. I鈥檓 trying to practice using those gross feelings and channelling them into excitement and being so grateful.鈥�
Mair agreed.
鈥淚鈥檓 nervous, but I鈥檓 definitely trying to really focus on that attitude of gratitude. We鈥檙e so lucky to be able to have this opportunity and to do this. It鈥檚 such a huge challenge for us and we just hope that we pull it off somehow,鈥� she said.
Scott added that the community鈥檚 support has been a key source of gratitude.
鈥淢int Cleaning Products started because of our community and the support we had in this town. We always say that, if we started in a big city, we would not have the success we鈥檝e had. We鈥檝e had endless support in this town that started with people reaching out. Businesses reaching out to sell it, cleaning businesses reaching out to use it. We really got our start in this town just from the support of everyone wanting to buy what we were making, just to support us鈥hey were there for us and that really helped take us to the next level. We鈥檙e always so grateful for this community.鈥�
Mair said the community has been reaching out with excitement about the Dragons Den announcement.
鈥淚 feel like when you鈥檙e from a small town, there鈥檚 way more buzz because not many people from Ucluelet go on the Dragons Den, so I feel like it鈥檚 way more exciting when it happens to someone in a small town. There鈥檚 so much more support and we鈥檙e just feeling so supported and so loved. We鈥檙e so grateful,鈥� she said.
Mint Cleaning Products is the result of a pivot Scott and Mair leaped into in 2021, moving from the cleaning business they had launched in 2017 to focus on creating and selling natural, non-toxic, cleaning products.
Their products are now available at roughly 135 refilleries and retail stores across North America and they opened their first storefront in Ucluelet in May of 2023.
They took top honours in the Small Business BC鈥檚 E-Commerce Experience Award in 2023 thanks to their massive social media presence, which includes hilarious videos of the pair as well as DIY cleaning tips and product information.
They said they planned to ask the Dragons Den for $400,000 for 10 per cent of their company, with a focus on mainland distribution.
鈥淥bviously, distributing out of Ucluelet is challenging to say the least, so we鈥檙e trying to open up. We鈥檝e been working on that forever but just not been able to find the right contacts or obviously the funds for it,鈥� Scott said.
Both assured that, if everything goes perfectly and they get all the funding they ask for from the dragons, they will still be staying in Ucluelet.
鈥淯cluelet is number one. We鈥檝e raised our families here. Ucluelet will always be our homebase. We鈥檒l always have our flagship store in Ucluelet,鈥� Mair said. 鈥淚 love it here. I couldn鈥檛 live anywhere else. I couldn鈥檛 live in a big city. Having that lifestyle is such a huge value to us. Yes, our business is growing and we hear a lot, 鈥榃ould you ever move to the city?鈥� My work is not as important as my family and where we raise our kids and what we like to do. Ucluelet is just home.鈥�
鈥淧lus, our husbands are surfers, so there鈥檚 nowhere else we can live,鈥� Scott added. 鈥淲e鈥檒l always be in Ucluelet.鈥�
Following their pitch on May 13, Scott and Mair will likely be keeping mum on the outcome of their pitch until their Dragons鈥� Den episode airs at a later date.
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