Sometimes the best business ideas come from the worst moments. In 2022, twin sisters Taylor Capuano and Casey Sarai were both stuck in career limbo. Capuano was a marketing manager at Life Is Good who had just had her first baby and was craving flexibility that her job couldn't provide. Sarai was dealing with the aftermath of pandemic layoffs at Pernod Ricard, where she worked as a marketing manager, and her workload had become unbearable.
They both "desperately needed a path" forward, Capuano told CNBC. So they made a bet on themselves, figuring "there was really nothing to lose." That gamble turned into Cakes Body, a company that just posted $95 million in sales.
Solving a Problem Nobody Was Talking About
The sisters spent time identifying pain points in their own lives before landing on an unlikely product: silicone nipple covers. But not just any nipple covers. The existing options on the market had issues—they were too small, made from lower-quality materials, and often required adhesives that irritated skin.
Capuano and Sarai designed something better. Their version would be larger, use premium silicone that tapered at the edges, and stick naturally without any potentially irritating adhesive. Once they had a prototype they were happy with, each sister pulled $5,000 from her personal savings account. That $10,000 bought them 500 units, an online store, and some social media advertising.
Going Viral Changed Everything
Five months after launching, Cakes Body caught fire on TikTok. One video hit 1 million views, and suddenly the sisters were sold out of their initial inventory.
"It was very exciting and it gave [us] the first glimmer of hope," Capuano told CNBC. But they weren't ready to quit their day jobs yet. The fear that the viral moment was a fluke kept them cautious. It took several more rounds of selling out their stock before both sisters felt confident enough to make Cakes Body their full-time careers.
By the end of their first full year in business, Cakes Body had crossed $1 million in revenue, according to a company spokesman who spoke with CNBC. Most founders would be thrilled. The Capuano sisters wanted more.
Enter the Sharks
In 2023, they brought their product to "Shark Tank," where they struck a deal with Emma Grede, co-founder of Skims and Good American. Grede invested $30,000 for 10% of the company, valuing Cakes Body at $3 million at the time.
That investment remains the only outside money the company has taken. The sisters made a deliberate choice to bootstrap their growth rather than chase venture capital. "We just knew: 'This is a simple solution that is helping us. I wonder if other people will find it useful,'" Capuano told CNBC about their funding philosophy.
Scaling to Nine Figures
In its most recent fiscal year, which ended in June, Cakes Body generated $95 million in net sales, a spokesperson told CNBC. Capuano now serves as the company's chief creative officer, while Sarai has taken on the CEO role.
The sisters aren't slowing down. Their growth plans include international expansion and a bigger push into physical retail. In August, Cakes Body launched in Ulta Beauty (ULTA) stores and is now available in 1,000 retail locations nationwide.
Despite their early fears that the viral success would evaporate, they're now encouraging others with entrepreneurial dreams to take the leap.
"There is a moment where you have to take a leap of faith of either ordering the inventory or putting out the first Instagram post," Capuano told CNBC. As long as your product solves a real problem in a market with room for growth, it's worth taking the risk, she added.
From $10,000 in personal savings to $95 million in annual sales in just three years—turns out sometimes the best venture capital is your own.
