Shark Tank

At 9 o’clock on most Friday nights, there’s only one place to look for John and me: in front of our TV, watching Shark Tank :) Perhaps not as hopping as your Friday night plans, but we adore this show, and love to talk about it with anyone who will listen! Today, y’all are my captive audience :)

We started watching in the second season, in 2011. I was headed to a conference where one of the sharks, real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, was the keynote speaker, which sparked my interest in the show. By the time the conference rolled around, we were hooked! At this particular conference, attendees are randomly split into small groups for dinner with the speakers. I practically levitated out of my seat when I found out I was one of eight dining with Barbara! Our dinner lasted about four hours (!), and she was so genuinely interested in what everyone did and the market segments they operated in. (As a side note, I’m not surprised that intense curiosity is one of Barbara’s defining character traits – I think a desire to continuously learn is a mark of most successful people. It’s something I noticed about Martha Stewart when I attended a taping of her show a few years ago.)

For those who aren’t familiar with it, the show features a panel of potential investors (sharks) who consider offers from entrepreneurs (of varying levels of success) seeking investments in their businesses or products. Many investors leave without a deal, some partner up with one investor, and a few, with more than one. As the show has become more popular, even just appearing on the show without getting a deal can cause a huge spike in orders.

I actually really like all of the sharks for different reasons – Kevin’s curmudgeonly ways crack me up, Mark can be surprisingly emotional, and I have a personal connection with Barbara – but if I had to choose, I think Robert, “the son of an immigrant factory worker,” is my favorite.

Aside from the fact that I L-O-V-E entrepreneurs and seeing people go after their dreams with total passion (cheesy? yes), my favorite part of this show is the products and businesses being pitched. A few that have stood out to John and me:

Favorite entrepreneurs:
Simple Sugars Scrub (loved this 17-year-old gal’s passion!)
M3 Girl Designs (wildly successful mother and two daughter team)

Products we’ve actually purchased:
Clean Bottle (water bottle that unscrews at both the top and bottom for easier cleaning)
Freaker (one-size-fits-all bottle insulator made in the USA – this guy was also one of THE most memorable entrepreneurs we’ve ever seen)
Gobie (water bottle with a built-in filtration system with “flexflo” technology)

Products we want:
Spatty (miniature spatula designed for getting the bits out of makeup/lotion bottles)
Bambooee (reusable bamboo towels on a roll – machine washable!)
Revolights (bike lighting system that illuminates in 360 degrees)

Products I’m proud to have known about before I saw them on Shark Tank:
Lolla Cup
Freshly Picked Moccasins
FuzziBunz cloth diapers
Mo’s Bows (we featured him in Southern Weddings V5!)
Nearly Newlywed

Most memorable:
I Want to Draw a Cat for You (John and I catch ourselves singing his little song to ourselves from time to time)
Copa Di Vino (this guy went on twice with his premium wine in a glass, and he was quite the character)
Billy Blanks Jr. Dance With Me DVD (Billy and his wife had a really emotional segment, and they initially left the tank without a deal – until Damon chased them down and worked something out.)
Rent a Goat (enough said)

If you don’t watch Shark Tank, I’m afraid this post might sound like total gibberish to you – but if you do watch it, I hope it brought back some good memories! If you fall into the latter camp, I would love to hear about your favorite product or entrepreneur, if you’ve ever bought a Shark Tank product, and if you have a favorite shark!