Kirkland resident helps new superhero business take flight

It’s every child’s dream to be an action figure. Now, thanks to You Kick Ass, that dream can now be a reality, not just for kids but adults as well.

It’s every child’s dream to be an action figure. Now, thanks to You Kick Ass, that dream can now be a reality, not just for kids but adults as well.

Recently, the Seattle area-based company landed a Shark Tank deal with billionaire businessman and investor Mark Cuban, who has agreed to help take them to the next level. You Kick Ass was co-founded by Keri Andrews, Alesia Glidewell, and Douglas Jordan.

Chief Marketing Officer and Kirkland resident Tracey Northcutt said the founders first came up with the idea after Glidewell was used as the model for the main character in the Portal video game series and was later turned into an action figure.

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“After that, they were talking about how it would be cool to give other people the opportunity to be their own action figure hero,” Northcutt said. “That was where the concept was born.”

As they began working on the idea, they started working on a business plan and conducted consumer research to determine what type of superhero people wanted to buy. Although they had their own ideas for the type of product they wanted to sell, she said they looked at what people were interested in buying.

“When we’re looking at the numbers and the margins we had, we thought this could actually be something viable,” she said. “You gravitate towards what you’re interested in but that’s not necessarily what the market gravitates towards.”

Among their research findings, she said, was that the overwhelming percentage of respondents in their surveys, 80-90 percent, would buy an action figure for someone else. The research also settled on a price point of $59.99

“Somebody might be willing to spend it $100 for themselves, but Christmas or birthday not so much,” she said.

Also, rather than have their face placed over a previously established superhero, respondents wanted the ability to come up with their own superhero name and power.

“We thought people would be very much interested in purchasing Iron Man and then having their face on it. I think that’s something kids are really interested in.”

Another thing they discovered is that their idea had a strong appeal to adults, or at least the child inside of them.

“Instead of going after the child audience we wanted to go after the adult audience,” she said.

The more mature buyers reflect the name of the company, though Northcutt said it’s not intended to be offensive.

“It’s a term people use to describe somebody being awesome,” she said. “That’s what we wanted to get across with our product. Our product allows people to express themselves and to thank others and communicate what they mean to them…It is a little edgy, but I think for the most part ‘ass’ is hardly thought of as a profanity. It’s a more of a celebratory way to think about it.”

Northcutt got involved as the Kickstarter campaign got off the ground in order to secure the necessary funding for the equipment. It was then that they were contacted by Shark Tank, a reality TV show in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of “shark” investors who can then offer deals.

“I think it was a surprise to all of us,” Northcutt said.

Featured on May 8, Andrews and Glidewell ultimately presented their idea to the sharks, which included Mark Cuban. In preparation, Northcutt said, they anticipated all the questions the sharks would most likely ask.

“It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared in that situation,” she said. “You have no control how the show is edited. You have to be as prepared as possible and we really focused on trying not to predict as much as be prepared.”

Even the amount they asked for, $100,000 for 10 percent of the company, had to be carefully selected.

“If you’re too greedy they can change the terms to make it worse or rescind,” Northcutt said. “It’s a really hard balance. It’s ok to ask if other sharks have an offer, but once they outline their offer, trying to negotiate back and forth…I’ve seen it fail more than succeed.”

Fortunately, they got what they wanted from Cuban.

Another positive side of the show, which was taped in September, is that the feedback from the recording has helped them improve the product now that the episode has aired.

“There were criticisms of the product which were legitimate, but the product has dramatically improved since then,” she said. “We ended up taking in a lot of feedback to improve the product, which was great. I think from watching the segment that even with some of the imperfections we were able to close the deal and get what we wanted.”

After the deal with Cuban was finalized, Northcutt, a former Microsoft employee whose husband owns a start-up, joined You Kick Ass.

“When I found out we got a deal on Shark Tank that was the big deciding moment for me where I thought I could leave my job and try this out,” she said. “It’s a lot to leave your job at Microsoft to start a company. You have to plan for the move financially if you’re married that they’re on board and they’re willing to support that.”

You Kick Ass action figures are created using a manufactured body based on several models. The faces are then created based off of photos of a person the customer sends to them. Using software to manipulate aspects of the photo to convert it into a 3-D model of the person’s head, they create the appropriate hairstyle and color. The head is then created through a 3-D printer, dipped into chemicals and then glued onto the body the customer has chosen.

Their long-term plan is to have the action figure’s body 3-D printed as well in order to decrease the amount of inventory, in addition to possibly creating a kid’s side brand name for their child superhero characters.

“Our main priority is to continue to develop more products over time,” she said.

They also hope to license their software and create sports-version superheroes, where they see strong potential.

“If you think about it, sports is a really big opportunity,” she said. “I’ve had people reach out and say, ‘Hey do you have a golf character we could purchase?’”

For Northcutt, You Kick Ass also allows her and others to provide a direct service to people.

“When people see the product, they are so happy,” she said. “We’re making people smile. When I worked at Microsoft, you’re so far removed from the customer you don’t get to see the impact of what you’re doing.”

For more information, got youkickass.com.