Shark Tank can be a game-changing opportunity for entrepreneurs who need capital to fund their operations and growth, but Shark Tank deals aren’t always what they seem. Some entrepreneurs have accepted deals in the tank only to be blindsided by new deal terms when it comes time to sign on the dotted line. Every deal made on Shark Tank is subject to due diligence. For one Australian beauty entrepreneur, that’s precisely when the deal they struck on camera started to unravel.In early 2023, Amadou Doumbia was one of 70 entrepreneurs selected to appear in the upcoming season of Shark Tank Australia. He applied to the show to seek funding for Wuli Grooming, the natural haircare brand he founded the previous year. Before appearing on the show, Doumbia had generated a little under $50,000 AUD ($32,800) in revenue, most of which was through in-person sales at weekend markets. He was hopeful that going on the show would provide him with the capital he needed to scale Wuli Grooming’s online and in-store presence.“My intention on being on the show, aside from the publicity that came about with it, was to really find a business partner who understood the business of beauty,” Doumbia tells BeautyMatter. “It's a very unique entity of its own that has a lot of nuances that can be quite challenging.When Doumbia entered the tank to deliver his pitch, he went in asking for $150,000 for a 15% equity stake in the business. A couple of Sharks from previous seasons of Shark Tank Australia had invested in beauty brands, but unfortunately for Doumbia, none of the Sharks he pitched were well-versed in the beauty industry and nearly all had hesitations about investing in his company.