‘Sauce boss’ adds flavor to entrepreneurship
After reeling in a deal on ‘Shark Tank,’ Missouri City teen aims to build her own legacy of survival, strength in a bottle
Tyla-Simone Crayton was just trying to re-create her favorite wing sauce. Experimenting patiently with tomato paste and spices in her mother’s kitchen, the 8year-old girl had no idea she was in the process of creating a lifechanging business venture.
Nine eventful years and a few inspired recipe-tweaks later, TylaSimone’s Sienna Sauce is close to becoming a household name. The young entrepreneur has won numerous awards and accolades, and last month secured a $100,000 investment with designer Kendra Scott on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
The business is in its fourth year. Available in three flavors, Tyla, now 17 and CEO of Sienna Sauce, says her “universal sauce” can be used on everything from meat and seafood to vegetables and French toast.
“We used to live in New York and our favorite wing place sadly closed down,” said Tyla. “So, I messed around in the kitchen and tried to make a similar type of sauce.”
Tyla and her mother Monique relocated to Texas in 2013. She credits her success to her mother who saw potential in the sauce recipe and allowed Tyla to commercialize it.
Monique and Tyla started Sienna Wings out of their kitchen back in 2017. It took its name from Sienna Plantation, the Missouri City community where they lived. Their goal was to make people fall in love with the delicious new sauce, the way Tyla loved their favorite wing place back in New York.
“Sienna Wings gave me some initial business experience and also helped me test the market,” Tyla said.
Smothered in Tyla’s tomato and honey-based sauce, the chicken wings received an overwhelmingly positive response. The motherdaugher duo decided to turn their focus to marketing and selling Sienna Sauce. First, they sold it online after their Sienna Wings customers started asking for it. They later signed a deal with a local distributor, then moved to H-E-B and other supermarkets.
Eventually, Tyla decided to pitch her company to investors on “Shark Tank.”
“I had been watching ‘Shark Tank’ since I was eight, so I was like, why not?”
Sienna Sauce was selected to be part of the program’s 12th season. Tyla and Monique traveled to Las Vegas’s Venetian hotel, where the reality show was filmed and where a million-square-foot bubble had been created to keep the cast, crew and contestants safe.
“They took a COVID test,” said Tyla. “And we stayed quarantined in the hotel for about 10 days. We took another two COVID tests when we got there. And then, on the tenth day we pitched in front of the Sharks and we were able to close the deal.”
As a longtime fan of the show, Tyla said she admired all the “Sharks” — the wealthy investors and business experts. She was elated to be working with a selfmade millionaire and fellow Texan, designer Kendra Scott.
“For my episode I had a guest Shark,” said Tyla. “And Kendra was — you know — she had great energy. We got a deal on air, for $100,000 for 20 percent of our company.”
When she isn’t creating new flavors or pitching to millionaires, Tyla-Simone can be found sharing her experiences and expertise at talks and conferences. At home in the spotlight, the teen “sauce boss” has spoken to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies as well her own peers about entrepreneurship.
“I know as a black woman growing up, a lot of times, they set the bar lower for us, which makes no sense because we are some of the most driven and invincible people out there.”
Tyla-Simone was attending Ridge Point High School in Missouri City, but, after Sienna Sauce took off, she switched to homeschooling.
“It gives me leeway to do my business,” she said. “I make school a priority, but also use my time to build my generational wealth which is very important.”
Tyla says she plans to study business in college.
“I just want to let my peers know that anything’s possible for you,” she said. “You can be more than one person and do more than one thing and be very powerful.”
Sienna Sauce can be found in supermarkets across Texas and is available for purchase online at siennasauce.com.