Doc Spartan on ‘Shark Tank’: A Look Inside the Company

Doc Spartan, a natural ointment company, entered the Shark Tank in Season 8.

We interviewed Dale King, one of its co-founders, who told us what makes their products stand out from others on the market. “There are similar ointments/salves on the market but none of them offered the convenience, multi-functionality and ruggedness of the Combat Ready Ointment.”

Here’s what else he told us about…

Interested in Doc Spartan? Buy their products here.

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How the Idea Came About

It all started between two friends; Dale King and Renee Wallace. Dale is a veteran of OIF III & IV, and owner of PSKC CrossFit. Renee is a mother of 3, married to a former Kiowa pilot, and a member of PSKC. In addition to her ‘real’ job and chasing around 3 kids under the age of 10, Renee was making all natural lotions and hand creams for the female members of PSKC. One day Dale approached Renee about developing an all natural first aid ointment for the folks at the gym to use. In addition to making an ointment for the fitness community, he wanted something that could help the athletes of Team SAR, and something rugged enough that his old military buddies could use to for the everyday knicks/cuts/scrapes you encounter out in the field and on the range. After some experimenting with the formula, the Doc Spartan prototype was made. They immediately passed out samples to the members at PSKC and the feedback they received far exceeded their expectations.

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Their Commitment to Veterans

Being a veteran, supporting our military and veteran causes is embedded within the mission of the company. We want to motivate and educate other veterans to utilize their skills in the business and entrepreneurial world. We believe the veteran is best suited to serve as the next generation of small business leaders. Additionally, we donate a portion of proceeds to our non-profit partner, Team Some Assembly Required (SAR). Team SAR is a veteran operated project comprised of adaptive athletes, men and women who are missing limbs, dedicated to the growth and expansion of competitive adaptive sports across multiple disciplines.

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The ‘Tank’ Experience

We were contacted by the producers who were seeking for veteran owned companies. So we put together a casting video and through our hat into the ring. It’s definitely a nerve-racking experience, not to mention going into the Tank wearing essentially your underwear. However, prior going into the Tank we rehearsed and prepared as much as possible. The main thing is that we wanted to proudly represent all the people of our hometown.

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Their First Prototype

It took around a month to get the prototype. Then for several weeks after that we experimented with the different container options before settling on the three we use today. The cool thing was that we had the best test subjects utilizing the clients from Dale’s gym. We continually handed out samples and asked for feedback. After hearing back from the members and the wide variety of issues it was helping, we knew we had something special.

Interested in Doc Spartan? Buy their products here.