Today we’d like to introduce you to Joelle Flynn and Sonia Hounsell. They shared their story with us below:
Joelle & Sonia in a nutshell:
Joelle, a lifelong serial entrepreneur, is the inventor behind FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers® with a recognized and successful self-led, innovative businesses career path in the financial and other industries. Sonia, CPG brand marketer turned entrepreneur, is a catalyst in the creation of innovation. She transforms ideas into wildly successful businesses. Together Joelle & Sonia are an unstoppable force in business and are revolutionizing oral care with FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers®
They launched FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers®, the 1st and ONLY portable 2-in-1 toothbrush and toothpaste that is reusable (30x) and 100% Natural to keep your teeth fresh and white on-the-go.
Our Story:
In 2010, Joelle lived near Napa and went wine tasting every weekend. She loved her red wine but loved her white teeth more! Joelle carried around a toothpaste and a toothbrush to remove the purple “Funkk™” “OFF!” of her teeth in between wine tastings. There had to be an easier way!
One time in the bathroom, Joelle pulled out her lipstick and thought, “Why isn’t there something compact, reusable, and easy to use like my lipstick – but to refresh my teeth?!?” Joelle began inventing one and filed 8 U.S. Patents on her designs and 3 U.S. Trademarks on the FunkkOFF!® & TeethRefreshers® names and smile logo. She reached a point where she knew she needed an experienced and trusted partner to turn her designs, inventions, patents, and trademarks into a sellable consumer product and lifestyle brand. Joelle never launched a consumer product before & needed a lot of help, but she knew exactly who to call – Sonia Hounsell!
Sonia, Joelle’s dear friend from 7th grade, had spent decades in brand management in major Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies and as a brand strategy consultant. Sonia, an award-winning marketer, has led many businesses with household brand names like Trident, Dentyne, Stride & Coppertone, obtained retail distribution for new products, and launched 25+ new consumer products over her 30 years in the industry.
In 2019, Sonia and Joelle formed FunkkOFF!® Inc. to collaborate to get their new FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers® to market and build a fun, FunkkOFF!® lifestyle brand around it! Joelle & Sonia worked together to refine the product design, usability & look and feel of their brand and product. In 2021, Joelle & Sonia finally had their product ready & launched FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers®.
FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers® grew popular amongst millennial women especially and grew steadily. In February 2023, Joelle and Sonia appeared on Season 14 Episode 14 of Shark Tank and made a deal with Robert Herjavec. After selling out within minutes of airing, FunkkOFF!® demand has continued to be explosive. The ease and convenience of FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers® has made it very desirable for many uses. People love having it in their purse or pocket when they are out eating and drinking. It’s great for traveling for a quick refresh during and after a long road trip, train ride or flight. Invisalign users love it because it helps them clean their teeth before replacing trays when they are out eating and drinking. Dentists are on board and have begun distributing it to their patients to help keep teeth and gums healthy. Like Joelle and Sonia say, if you have teeth you need FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers® 🙂
Joelle & Sonia:
Dear friends from the 7th grade in MD – played lacrosse & soccer together, Co-Editors of school newspaper, piano duets, and more!
• 2019 teamed up to form FunkkOFF!® Inc.
• Joelle (Dana Point, CA) – Serial Entrepreneur – Former stockbroker, Inventor
• Sonia (Rye, NY) – Award-winning Brand Marketer & Strategic Management professional – launched 25+ new consumer products over her 30 years in the CPG industry
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Supplying the demand! We keep going out of stock because of the wonderful consumer demand 🙂 We’ve run out of inventory a number of times because of the strong demand. Finding the right cadence of production runs and managing cash to fund the inventory is no easy task… but we are working through it and learning along the way.
Patents are an important but challenging part of our business. FunkkOFF! Inc. owns 11 patents to date: 10 U.S. Patents (5 Utility + 5 Design) and 1 China PCT Utility Patent on our designs. Only 4% of all patents are issued to a single female Inventor. The time, cost, and efforts in filing, obtaining, and maintaining these patents are exceptional and came with a lot of back and forth with the UPSTO Examining Attorney.
Product development has also proven to come with obstacles. Finding the right partners, including product designers, has been challenging.
Supply chain & production has had obstacles, such as assembling the best team to implement with the quality and efficiency we wanted.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about FunkkOFF! Inc.?
FunkkOFF! is truly a one-of-a-kind product and brand! We are building a business at the intersection of oral care and beauty. Creating products that help you look your best. Our signature product is FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers. The 1st and only 2-in-2 toothbrush and toothpaste that is reusable 30 times, 100% Natural & Vegan, and keeps your smile bright and fresh on the go. There is nothing like this on the market, and we are very proud that the big traditional companies like Crest and Colgate didn’t figure this out… we did! We created the product and the brand completely ourselves and are extremely proud of the results. The consumer demand and overall response to the brand has been overwhelmingly positive. From our deal with Robert Herjavec on Shark Tank to an International Design award to extensive press coverage, we are humbled and excited about the momentum we have with the business.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
SMILES make us happy! We are all about SMILES and making other people SMILE :). It makes us happy to help people smile confidently. We love delivering a product that not only helps people smile confidently but does so with a fun, clever, innovative product and brand. It makes us very happy that we created a product for consumers that addresses a real everyday problem with a simple, useful solution. We love solving problems for consumers and working on more ways to help consumers get their FunkkOFF! with more new products.
We also are very happy when we can help and inspire other young women who want to pursue entrepreneurship. We do this by volunteering in various organizations at the high school level, including our own high school alma mater Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, MD. We volunteer to support the business and entrepreneurial classes and programs at Holy Child. We also support local organizations that promote women in business, including the Women’s Business Development Council in Connecticut, for which Sonia volunteers and is an active member of the Board of Directors.
Finally, it makes us happy to donate a portion of our proceeds to organizations that are consistent with our values. We donate to Smiles for Everyone which provides free dental care to those in need, both at home in the U.S. and around the world. We also donate to Girls on the Run, an organization that teaches girls to find their limitless potential through running and boldly pursue their dreams. Joelle established the Orange County chapter and was their first Executive Director.
Pricing:
- 1 FunkkOFF! TeethRefreshers for $22
- 2 Pack Bundles for $39
- 3 Pack Bundles for $57
Contact Info:
- Website: https://funkkoff.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkkoff/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funkkoff
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/funkkoff/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/FunkkOFF_
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@funkkoff?lang=en
Image Credits
Jenessa Miles Sturgell
