In a little over a year, Tara Brown of The SleepStyler took her idea from inception to production to sales. Most would assume she was solely focused on launching her new business. In fact, she was balancing a medical career, raising a family and learning a new industry concurrently. A modern take on sponge curlers, […]
Mama’s Milkbox Eaten Alive by the Sharks
January 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Elena Petzold of Mama’s MilkBox is on a mission to support nursing moms, but she needs to first understand how her business works. As a breastfeeding apparel subscription service she is using a business model that requires buying inventory upfront. It’s painful to watch someone trying to use passion and enthusiasm to mask their ignorance […]
Pumped Up Bar Bell Apparel Falls Flat
January 23, 2017 by Leave a Comment
I love it when people surprise you. Take for instance Bar Bell Apparel owner Karl Workman. It would be easy to categorize him as a jock, meathead, beefcake, or he-man. Look beyond his muscular build and you’ll find a brilliant entrepreneur that just cracked the code on a new niche in the competitive apparel market: […]
Do Valuations Matter?
October 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This guest post on valuations was written by Dan Casey of PurchaseOrderFinancing.Com During negotiations with the Sharks, no amount of experience and passion can bridge the gap when an entrepreneur can’t explain why the company is worth the valuation. Valuation tells prospective investors the potential worth of the company in the future. It’s the cost […]
Heart – Felt Greeting Cards
June 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Talk about a slam dunk. Tomer Alpert’s heart-FELT presentation (I couldn’t resist!) really won over the Sharks. The FELT greeting cards app offers a way to mail cards with photos, write personal notes using your own handwriting and save all this information to personalize other cards. It even includes a marketplace for designers to sell […]
Gladiator Lacrosse – Soak Up the PR and Keep your Equity
May 23, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Rachel Zietz, founder of Gladiator Lacrosse, rocked the Tank this week. This 15-year old entrepreneur was tired of practicing lacrosse on poor quality equipment and seized the opportunity to create something better. From concept to delivery, every detail was considered and the Sharks were very impressed. Why did Rachel walk away without a deal? It […]
“Ruff” Win for Petnostic
May 2, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Petnostic owner Steve Chen received an enthusiastic reception from the Sharks. They eagerly snuggled up to his rescue pup Austin to learn how dog owners can check their pet’s health instantly. It’s an affordable home test kit that identifies any early warning signs before they become too serious. Despite a strong product, doubts started to […]
The Total Tie Keep: Totally Unprepared
April 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Dwight Littlejohn, creator of The Total Tie Keep, had a commanding presence walking into the Shark Tank. As a federal agent, he exuded confidence when explaining the inspiration behind his clever tie-keep product. The Sharks loved his product and they were clearly impressed by Dwight. Why did he leave the tank without a Shark investment? […]
Sharks Went Easy On Brazi Bites Cheese Bread
December 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Guest post on the Brazi Bites cheese bread deal with Lori Grenier – by Dan Casey Bread that is cheesy AND gluten-free? What’s not to love? Introducing Brazilian cheese bread as a healthy snack option. Cameron MacMullin and Junea Rocha built Brazi Bites in 3 short years to $600,000 tripling sales each year. With only 50% equity […]
Will Saavy Naturals lather up?
November 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Guest post on the Saavy Naturals deal with Barbara Corcoran – by Dan Casey The natural soap market is highly competitive. At every farmer’s market and natural food store, you see various soap brands in different shapes and colors with discernible specks of herbs. Saavy Naturals believes using food grade, chemical-free ingredients to nourish your body’s largest […]
Table 87 Pizza – FUGGETABOUTIT!
October 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Guest post on the Table 87 Pizza deal with Lori Grenier – by Dan Casey QVC Queen Partners with Table 87 Pizza – Will It Work? Tom Cucco of Table 87 Pizza is the real deal. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he runs two successful pizza restaurants in a highly competitive market. He has begun to […]
ID Stronghold vs. SignalVault
October 1, 2015 by 1 Comment
Guest Post on how SignalVault can beat competitor ID Stronghold by Dan Casey We now live in an era of electronic pick-pocketing where thieves with scanners can steal our credit card information without ever touching our wallet. Chris Gilpin of SignalVault is on a mission to protect customers against these types of “crowd hackings” happening […]
Scott Jordan and Scott E Vest on Indie GoGo
June 25, 2015 by 42 Comments
Scott E Vest founder Scott Jordan pissed a lot of people off this week. To read about that, check out Scott Jordan Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot.Scott E Vest on Indie GoGo? Isn’t the crowd funding platform used for start-ups seeking seed money? Scott Jordan, founder of Scott E Vest doesn’t think so and he’s using […]
Dark Moments for BottleBright
June 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment
I was intrigued by the nimble cleaning power of BottleBright for reusable containers. I had a lot of issues, however, with the Shark Tank segment. From the odd critiques from the Sharks to the presentation by entrepreneurs Justin Koehneke and Seth Friedman, I thought this was a very unusual segment. Critique of the BottleBright critiques “Nobody gives […]
Wine in the Shark Tank
May 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
ZIPZ Wine vs. Copa Di Vino Wine Let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane with Copa Di Vino wine. Just typing the company name makes me cringe remembering the exchanges between Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O’Leary) and James Martin during Copa Di Vino’s two appearances in the Tank. This season we were introduced to a new player […]
Kickstarter Fraud
April 10, 2015 by 1 Comment
Kickstarter fraud is a growing problem, and it’s something any small business trying to raise money on crowdfunding sites should be concerned about. Kickstarter is “becoming the best way to get on Shark Tank. They’re recruiting heavily from Kickstarter and if you have a successful campaign, they want you on the show.” Those are Caleb Light’s […]
Mission NOT Impossible – Words to the Wise for Sseko Sandals
February 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
It’s always hard to watch Ben and Liz from Sseko Sandals, passionate and smart entrepreneurs, leave the Tank without an offer. It’s especially hard when entrepreneurs with a charitable mission leave empty handed. Their heart is in the right place, but the investment isn’t profitable for the Sharks. SSEKO Sandals’ passion for helping women in Uganda is […]
Lumio Pitch – The Most Important 30-second Answer Ever
February 27, 2015 by Leave a Comment
The Internet was glowing in January with articles about the LUMIO pitch – beautiful product, elegant branding, logical growth plan, and a driven entrepreneur, Max Gunawan. Five sharks, five offers…which offer would your business accept? It’s a question you need to carefully evaluate BEFORE swimming with the sharks or any investor. Every business is different […]
Quality + Cost + Conscience = Bombas SOCKS
December 17, 2014 by 1 Comment
Bombas SOCKS it to the Sharks Bombas was a great business pitch to watch. Think about what they were able to do: differentiate a parity product! That’s no easy feat (no pun intended) when consumers typically substitute one athletic sock brand for another because they’re all virtually the same. “The mass market athletic sock hasn’t changed […]
Purchase Orders Make “No Deal” a Good Deal in the Tank
November 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
With Purchase Orders, Walking Away Without a Deal Is Better Something keeps happening on the Shark Tank and I’m curious to see if you’ve noticed. I’ve got a short quiz to see if you’ve been listening carefully to the show. (Don’t worry, it won’t affect your business’ credit score!). QUESTION: In this past week’s Shark […]
An Unexpected Shark Tank Winner
October 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
When is a Shark Tank loser a Shark Tank winner? When the product has open purchase orders when taping, that’s when! Sales trumps all in the Shark Tank, but Soapsox left without a deal, even though their sales were good, because they stuck to their valuation. Heart Pup was a Shark Tank winner too, but […]
Shark Tank Losers – Think Again
June 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Do you hope you see Shark Tank losers when you tune in every week? Do you secretly hope for a “train wreck” pitch? Did you cringe watching the re-run of Copa Di Vino’s owner James Martin? Whether or not you like James Martin, he’s NOT one of the Shark Tank Losers: Copa Di Vino is […]
Will Lori’s Financing Fly with Angel Lift?
May 8, 2014 by 2 Comments
It seemed like a heavenly deal. Kelly and Aaron Bruce presented a product that naturally smooths the skin for youth crazed consumers. It’s priced affordably at $49. It boasts an impressive $3 million in sales and $1.2 million in profit after a limited market test. If the story ended here, it would be the golden […]
Ask the POF Expert
April 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This week we asked Dan Casey, our finance expert, more questions about purchase order financing, or POF. Since the Sharks have mentioned this financing tool several times this season, we want to make sure you fully understand it. It’s a powerful tool that can help take your business to the next level…maybe you’ll even swim […]
Outsourcing Can Help Your Business Grow
April 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you have to do it all by yourself. Maybe there are some tasks you are not interested in handling or it’s not worth the time/money to learn them. Outsourcing is no longer a strategy reserved only for big business. Technology has made outsourcing a more accessible tool for small businesses. […]
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