12x04 - Episode 4

[bunniefuu]

Narrator:
Tonight on "Shark t*nk"...

Both: Who wants a piece
of Surprise Cake?

Essentially, it lets you
stick your phone anywhere.

There was nothing more that I
wanted to be -- an entrepreneur.

[ Rapping ] ♪ Sharks,
give the kid a chance ♪

You have a winner on your hands.

Break down the numbers.
$10,000 in sales.

That's it?
Something's not adding up.

Your sales suck.

I came with a very,
very fair offer.

Are you crazy?

Another bad idea, but...

Another really bad idea.

What happened to "The customer
is always right," Mark?

Yeah, that's wrong.

Don't be a chicken. Oooooh.

I'm just trying to think of
how I could outwit

these two other Sharks.

I don't have to prove myself.

Bwuah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

No!

♪♪

Narrator: First into the t*nk
is a modern way

to bring a little spice
into your life.

♪♪

Hey, Sharks. I'm Khasha Touloei.

And I'm Maynard Okereke.

We're from
Los Angeles, California,

and we're asking for $250,000

in return for 20% equity
in our company, JADA Spices.

Can you believe
we're still cooking up

some of our favorite dishes
with the same basic salts

we've been using since
the days of the caveman?

Since caveman times,
the only evolution in seasoning

has been the addition
of unhealthy ingredients,

like MSG, animal byproducts,
and higher sodium levels.

But just like humans
have changed over time,

the way we season our foods
has also evolved.

Introducing the latest
evolution in seasoning...

[ Laughter ]

Both: Vegan chicken salt!

Whoa.

Touloei: Vegan chicken salt
is a turmeric-based,

all-purpose seasoning

that enhances the flavor
of any dish

while providing incredible
health benefits.

Are you trying to eat healthier,

but your vegan chili recipe
keeps turning out bland?

Throw some chicken salt on it.

Are you tired of the
same old buttered popcorn?

Throw some chicken salt on it.

People love our seasoning
as a healthy alternative

to basic table salt,
and vegans especially love it

as a healthy substitute
to chicken bouillon.

We've also expanded our line
to include additional flavors,

such as reduced sodium,
lime, red pepper, barbecue,

and our new, innovative
product, turmeric salt.

Well, hold on.

JADA Spices is more than
just a seasoning company.

We're providing consumers

with healthy and
plant-based products,

including a new
plant-based chicken

that's gonna take the evolution
of food to the next level.

So, help us be a part of
mankind's greatest evolution

and take a leap
out of the Stone Age

by giving every kitchen the
ability to cook up healthy meals

without compromising flavor.

So, come on, Sharks --
don't be a chicken.

Both: Who's ready
to try some samples?

-We are. -I'm starving.

-We can try.
-Okay, so, what do we have?

So, you'll notice
right there in front of you,

we have six of our SKUs --

five of our chicken salt flavors

and our turmeric salt seasoning.

You have some French fries,
and you have a skewer

that has avocados,
tomatoes, and cucumbers,

and you also have
some popcorn there.

People love using our seasoning
as a popcorn seasoning.

Is this your meatless chicken?

That is our chicken, yes.

That's your product? Yes.

What is a plant-based chicken?

I would have no idea
what that is.

So, currently on the market,

there are some
plant-based chickens.

They all have soy.
They all have high sodium.

They all need
to be refrigerated.

They all have a whole
bunch of ingredients
that I can't pronounce.

We have created
this plant-based chicken.

It doesn't need
to be refrigerated.

You're able to mold it
into any shape.

You can make it a nugget.

So it comes like
ground chicken, almost?

Or how does it come?

It comes in a packet.
It comes in a mix.

So it comes as a dry powder

and you add oil and water to it
to create the paste?

That's why it doesn't have
to be refrigerated. What?

Exactly.

All you have is a package
with our dry mix,

and then you just add


And it turns into chicken?
...and a tablespoon of oil.

That's it? Yes.

Now, how many calories
is in a patty?

Per serving, you're getting


You're getting
no cholesterol, no sugar.

You're getting 120 calories,

and, furthermore, you're
getting very low sodium.

What's in the chicken?

So, it's a very,
very clean recipe, okay?

We have like seven ingredients.

The protein is from textured
wheat protein and pea protein.

The fiber is from pea fiber.

A lot of vegans lack B12.

We have B12 in there.

That chicken's really good.
This chicken's really good.

Appreciate that. Thank you,
thank you.

Let me tell you guys -- it
tastes exactly like chicken.

Greiner: What's your background?

So, we met in college at
University of Washington,

and it was always our goal
to start a business together.

I'm first-generation
here to the country.

My mom's side's from Cameroon.
My dad's side is from Nigeria.

They immigrated
here to the U. S.,

and all my life,
I watched my parents grind and hustle

just to make ends meet
and put foods on our plate.

I graduated high school
the top of my class.

I got a full-ride scholarship to
the University of Washington.

I studied civil and
environmental engineering,

but it just wasn't my passion.

I was a creative at heart.

Music was always
something I loved,

and so I left engineering,

and I went down to Los
Angeles to pursue music.

And I work right now as
a science communicator.

I actually have a platform
called Hip Hop Science,

where I utilize my background in
civil and environmental engineering

and my passion for hip hop,
pop culture

to educate people on different
complex scientific subjects.

So, I was born in Iran.

I spent my younger years
in England and Australia.

My dad finally caught a break,

and we moved to the States,
and he got a job at Boeing.

And unfortunately,
my father developed multiple sclerosis.

Ohh.

And within that year,
he became quadriplegic.

Oh, my gosh.

The following year,
I went to University of Washington.

I had to work full time

in order to support my
family and support myself.

I worked cleaning floors.

When I was at
University of Washington,

there was nothing more that I
wanted to be -- an entrepreneur.

But just with a lack
of security growing up,

I picked a secure field,
and I pursued medicine.

When I got into medical school,
they told me,

"Look, Khasha, there's no way
you're getting into dermatology.

Your grades aren't good enough.

Your board scores
aren't good enough."

And I wasn't gonna let these
dream-K*llers k*ll my dream,

and, basically,
I just outworked everybody.

So you got into derma--

I got into dermatology.

Wow. John: Good for you.

So,
are you a doctor now? Are you practicing --

I'm a dermatologist right now.

Chicken salt's a big
phenomenon in Australia.

When you go to a restaurant,
there's salt, pepper, chicken salt.

Everyone uses chicken salt.

So we took the chicken
salt from Australia,

we made it vegan,
we got rid of the chicken stock,

we got rid of the MSG,
and we lowered the sodium.

What's your average selling
price and your average cost?

Yeah, so, it costs us 80 cents

to make one of those
landed in our warehouse.

In retail, we sell at $4.99.

Wow. On Amazon, we're at $8.99,

So we're the
number-one-selling seasoned salt

on Amazon numerous times.

Is that right?

We're outselling Lawry's.

At a three-times-higher
price point than Lawry's.

We did $319,000 last year,

with a $60,000 in EBITDA.

What about this year? What
are you gonna do this year?

We're projected to
do $500,000 this year.

And furthermore,
I want to emphasize --

we're not just a
seasoning company.

We're really excited about
this plant-based chicken.

We think it's gonna change
the game. Greiner: Bingo.

That's what I want
to ask you about.

Okay, so, for me, personally,

I'm not as
interested in the salt.

Okereke: Mm-hmm.

What I find
exceptionally different --

that patty tasted really good.

Mm-hmm. Thank you.

So how much of that is going
to be your plan going forward?

Chicken is ready to launch.

We've been R&Ding it
for the last couple months.

The recipe's finished.

The ingredients
have been sourced.

We are ready to go.

You both have full-time jobs.
How are you doing all that?

No, we do this both full time.

Like, trust me,
Khasha and I put all --

He's a doctor. He's
a dermatologist.

And I run my own business.

I'm an independent contractor,
so I put my time as needed.

My dream is to
pursue this full time.

I work on this
before I get to work,

during lunch, between patients,

in the evening,
and on the weekends.

Khasha's the only one that
could go from doing Good for you.

A skin cancer removal to
negotiating a distributor deal

literally within 10 minutes.

What I'm having
a problem with is,

you both have successful real jobs,
okay?

This is a side hustle
that's done very well.

No, no, no,
this is not a side hustle.

Their real job is
the side hustle.

Just 'cause we have successful jobs
doesn't mean that that's our passion.

Okay,
let me put it to you this way --

"Hi. I'd like to speak to the
CEO of my spice company."

"I'm sorry. He's
seeing a patient."

"Okay, how about the other guy?"

"I'm sorry. He's
being an engineer."

To me, you're all over the map.

Focus,
baby. Focus. That's what I invest in.

You don't have it. I'm out.

♪♪

You scare me a little because
you have six SKUs here.

You want to come
out with chicken.

You don't know your challenges

in the other market
you're gonna go into.

You are not working
on this full time.

I just don't see me getting
back the investment.

I think there's gonna
be a lot of hurdles.

Looks like you're gonna figure it out,
hopefully,

in six or seven years.

I just think that's too long for me,
so I'm out.

♪♪

What would you
use the $250,000 for?

So, part of the money is
going to go into development

for our plant-based chicken.

This is obviously
just a prototype,

so we need to be able to
get the packaging down.

The second investment is,
we want to be able to launch

our chicken salt lines
into food services spaces.

We've already gotten,
right now, two offers

from one of the largest
restaurant and entertainment chains

that wants to
utilize our seasoning

for some of their custom recipes,
which is gonna be

six-figure contracts
from just that one alone.

You guys have enough
energy for 10 entrepreneurs

as a part-time job.

[ Laughing ] Yeah.

I love the fact that
you're squeezing this in

over your regular jobs.

You've almost made
them part-time instead.

I have no doubt in my
mind you're gonna succeed.

Thank you. Thank you.

And if I could offer one
thing I might be able to do,

is slow you down a little
bit on some of your choices.

You're all over the board,
and I love it,

but I want more
skin in the game.

I'm going to give
you the $250,000,

but I want 33%.

♪♪

Narrator: Two Sharks are out.

Khasha and Maynard have an
offer on the table from Barbara

for their vegan chicken salt company,
JADA Spices.

I'm going to give
you the $250,000,

but I want 33%.

♪♪

Spices and salts
are incredibly tough.

Yes. You already know that,
right?

You've got a little angle,
and you've made it work for you,

but now you're taking
on vegan chicken,

which is incredibly difficult.

Trying to combine those two --

I don't care if you
all have other jobs.

Just trying to
combine those two --

you know,
working 80 hours a week just on that

is going to be very difficult.

So for those reasons, I'm out.

Okay. Barbara?

I will share with
you what I think.

The great thing about America

and being an entrepreneur
is that at any time,

you can take your destiny
into your own hands

and lead your own life
and create a business,

and that's freedom.

Yes.

Sounds like an offer is coming.

I love the chicken.

The salts are good,
but it's a very competitive market.

John: If she doesn't give you an offer,
it's gonna get tough with Barbara.

I like the chicken... You
maybe need to think about that.

...but it's not there yet,
you know?

That's the problem for me,
is it's just in R&D stages.

If you'd had that further along,

for me, that's your winner,
your hero.

I'm sorry. I'm out.

♪♪

I am -- you know,
I'm so nervous for you guys

because I've noticed you
haven't answered Barbara at all,

and, generally,
people just lose deals at this point.

Barbara,
we walked in here with you as our number 1.

I'm not so sure I
believe you right now.

Barbara, so, look,
would you do 28%

plus free skin exams yearly...

[ Laughter ]

Free -- what is he saying?

Skin exams.

I love it!

Do you know --
unfortunately for me,

I have so much Botox in my face,
I'm totally full.

[ Laughter ] I
don't even need it.

No,
I'd have to stay with the 33%.

I'll tell you why -- because
when I have an opinion,

I want to be heard
-- not out of respect,

but because I'm a third partner.

♪♪

What are you gonna do, guys?

[ Sighs ]

[ Both whispering ]

♪♪

We're gonna take it. We'll take your offer,
Barbara.

[ Applause ] Yes!

Air hug. [ Laughs ]

Cuban: Congratulations, guys.

I can't believe these guys
didn't make you an offer.

I can't wait to
rub it in their face.

We're gonna take over the world,
yes.

Okay, great. Thank you so much,
Barbara.

Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

Barbara, for sure,
was our number 1

when coming on this show

because she's invested in
the most food businesses,

and we're trying to
make vegan chicken salt

and turmeric salt
a household name,

so we're right on the
way to do that right now.

Hey, dude, dude,
we just signed a deal on "Shark t*nk."

That's crazy. Oh,
my G-- [ Laughs ]

♪♪

Narrator: In season 11,
Sarah Paiji Yoo and Syed Naqvi

made a deal with Kevin O'Leary

for their eco-friendly cleaning
products company, Blueland.

We are launching in a
big-box national retailer

at the beginning of next year.

Done.

Narrator: Let's catch
up with them now.

Just one week after airing,
Kevin brought us on QVC,

and it was a total
"Pinch me" moment.

That's the magic, right there.

Yoo: We did $250,000 in sales.

It was bananas.

It's only been 12 months
since "Shark t*nk,"

and we've already done
over $15 million in sales.

Naqvi: Blueland now has
eliminated 1 billion cleaning bottles

and 5 million pounds
of carbon dioxide.

The pandemic has changed
the physical retail landscape,

so we've decided to
hold off on a retail launch

and double down
on our online sales.

So much of your strategy
when you came on "Shark t*nk"

was rolling it out to the large,
big-box retailers,

and they just disappeared
off the horizon.

O'Leary: What happened because
of this pandemic in America,

it forced us to go digital.

Every company has
started a new strategy

on how to get direct
to their customers.

We sh*t commercials,
social media --

everything we could to
tell the Blueland story,

and, wow, did it work.

When we come out of this pandemic,
that's not gonna change.

We've accelerated
the digitization

of the American
economy by five years.

This is a whole new America,
and it's a really good one.

Keep selling direct and
keep telling the story.

Every piston is f*ring
on this business.

This is absolutely fantastic.

Yoo: "Shark t*nk" and
Kevin has enabled us

to reach a nationwide audience,
spread our message,

and have such a positive
impact on the environment.

As a mom,
I started Blueland really for my son

and for future generations.

It's been so gratifying to
see that people do really care

and want to make a
change in their lives

and see a better future.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next up is a way to
make gift-giving more special.

♪♪

[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Hey, Sharks! I'm Jordan!

And I'm Liz!

We're a mom-and-son team from Newton,
Massachusetts,

and we're here seeking $200,000

for 8% equity in our company.

Sharks, if you couldn't tell,
we're pretty close.

And our family
loves a celebration.

Everyone knows a party
without a cake is no party at all.

But there hasn't been
much innovation with cakes.

Both: Until now!

Introducing Surprise Cake!

With our reusable,
patented popping stand,

you can now hide
gifts inside cakes that --

Jordan,
how can they take us seriously?

We're in a cake.

You're right,
Mom. Let's get out of here.

♪♪

[ Laughs ]

Okay. Much better.

Mom, show 'em what you got.

Alright. Here goes everything.

Do it up for birthdays...

for all ages...

[ Laughter ]

...gender reveals...

♪♪

...holidays...

or even...

pop the question.

The pop-abilities are endless.

Greiner: [ Laughs ]

Our revolutionary product

has reinvented the
ultimate party traditions,

taking cake and
gift-giving to the next level.

So, tell us...

Both: Who wants a
piece of Surprise Cake?

In front of you are your
own Surprise Cakes.

Please put your party hats on.

Sure enough. Greiner: [ Laughs ]

And on the count of three,

pull the ring to
reveal your surprises.

Both: One, two, three!

Surprise!

[ Laughter ]

You can just pull it off,
and it comes right off.

Oh! Wow.

Ahhh!

John: Oh, this is cool.

I got a watch with a picture

of an extremely handsome
and debonair fellow on it.

What a coincidence. [ Laughs ]

I got my favorite gift -- cash.

More incredibly exciting,
handsome socks.

Jordan: Yep,
you all have custom gifts.

I'm not gonna say what I got.

How'd you come up
with this crazy idea?

The night before my
daughter's 12th birthday,

I actually had a dream that
I hid her birthday present

inside of her birthday cake.

The next day, I did just that,

and as she was
blowing out her candles,

I called her phone,
and the cake rang.

Everybody loved
it. Whoa! Great idea.

And I knew in that
moment that this could be

a great business --
hiding gifts in cake.

And then, as I was getting
ready to start the business,

I hit a roadblock known
as the Kinder Egg Law,

Oh. which prohibits
putting non-edible objects

inside of
confectionery products.

But after giving it some thought,
it occurred to me

that if instead of putting
the gifts directly into the cake,

you place them in a cake stand,
problem is solved.

What are your backgrounds? Like,
what do you do?

In my previous life,
I was a lawyer.

I actually worked for the
Department of Correction

in Massachusetts.

Kevin, run.

And what about
you? What do you do?

Okay, so,
I graduated from college 2 1/2 years ago

as an industrial engineer.

So, did you design this?

We've worked with
a product designer

who is an expert in
design for manufacturing.

It took us almost three years

to get it to this point
where it's at now.

So,
do you have a patent on this?

We have a utility patent.

It's fully approved
in the United States.

We've filed internationally,
in the EU, Canada, Australia.

Just curious what
comes in the products,

'cause we have this great cake here,
but --

So, up until now,
we've been selling the popping cake stand,

which is the cake
stand that the cake is on,

but one of the big
reasons we're here

is because we're looking
to scale this business

into a one-stop shop
for Surprise Cakes.

What that's gonna include is,
of course, the popping stand,

the cakes, and also,
the gifts to go inside.

The baked cake?

A baked cake. A baked cake, yes.

Okay, now, hold on there,
Baba Looey.

Cuban: Wonder what
you're gonna talk about.

What are you gonna talk about,
Kevin?

I want to talk about the cake industry,
'cause I'm in it...

Please do... and I've been
in it for almost 10 years.

They are completely
different businesses,

and you should
really reconsider,

because what you're selling is
a product that has no spoilage,

doesn't have a shelf-life issue.

Cakes have all kinds of
issues around their freshness,

when they're shipped,
how they're shipped.

Why would you want
to do that to yourself?

Liz: Our customers
keep asking for it,

so we thought this would be a way to go,
but --

Cuban: Let me just
tell you something.

Listening to your
customers is way overrated.

The job of a customer
is just to enjoy --

not to predict,
not to understand your business,

not to give you guidelines
on where to go --

just to enjoy your
product or service.

What happened to "The
customer is always right," Mark?

Yeah, that's wrong. [ Laughter ]

One thing I want to ask you,
though -- my guess is,

the reason you're deciding
to go into the cake business

is 'cause you're not selling
enough stands without a cake.

Can you tell us what your sales
are there? Jordan: Yeah, absolutely.

So, we started 2 1/2 years ago.

We launched in
the summer of 2018.

In that first five
months in business,

we did just $10,000 in sales.



and year to date,
we've done $550,000 in sales.

Good for you. Congratulations.

Our run rate is
projected to be $900,000.

So, you think you're gonna
end the year at $900,000?

Yeah. What's
your profit on that?

We're gonna net $50,000.

$50,000? But why so little?

I don't see where you guys --

We have 3 1/2 full-time
employees right now

that we're paying salary to.

And how much do you
sell it for? How much is it?

The popping cake
stand alone is $36.99.

Plus,
we charge $7.99 for shipping.

The landed cost of
the popping stand is $8.

Okay, 'cause you're not gonna

sell too many of these
again to anybody.

You're gonna sell them once,
right?

No,
'cause they have more than one kid.

I guess you could sell -- you could
reuse it, right? Use it again and again.

You could reuse it,
but that's where the gift pods come in.

We want to sell gift pods for
every occasion, every theme.

Liz: Exactly --
curated gift pods.

Wait, wait, wait,
wait. Curated gift pods?

Yes.

You mean,
you want to suggest what the gift is

that I should give to my kid?

Exactly. Another bad idea,
but...

Another really bad idea.

Okay, guys, look --

there are certain horrible
mistakes that companies make.

You guys are drowning
in your revenue attempts.

So many companies
get so amped up.

You hit $100,000 in
sales. [ Exhales sharply ]

You hit $500,000 in
sales. [ Exhales sharply ]

Now you're on a mission to hit a million,
then $2 million,

and you're trying to come
up with all these ways

just to grow that top line

because it's almost
like an ego boost,

as opposed to the bottom line.

You're chasing revenue
and not chasing profits,

and so for those reasons,
I'm out.

Thank you. Thanks
for that advice.

I'm gonna go back
to my concept --

Before you go back,
could you straighten out your hat?

It's driving me crazy. It makes
you look weird. I think it's so funny.

This is how I wear it. Okay.

You wear your birthday hat the
way you wear your birthday hat.

Okay, fine.

So,
I think there's a healthy balance

on when your customer's
telling you what you need

and then, yes,
drowning in opportunity.

But, you know,
other people up here

know baked goods better than me,
so I'm out.

Thank you,
Daymond. Thank you so much.

Corcoran: You know, Jordan,
you have a winner on your hands.

With that amount of sales,

you should be turning
a much bigger profit.

You have a successful company --

one moment --

but you haven't figured out
how to get money out of it,

so I'm out.

Okay. Thank you for
that advice. Thank you.

Look,
there's nothing wrong with this,

and you're selling fun,

and you've got a little
work ahead of you,

but the cake idea
freaked me out --

but that's only 'cause
I'm in the business.

I mean, I forbid you to do that.

I'm out.

Greiner: So, I love the idea.

I think this can become
family tradition for people.

Exactly. It already has.

I think every New Year's --
money inside or whatever. Exactly.

But you came in asking
for $200,000 for 8%.

You valued it so high.

We'll work on the
valuation with you.

We'd love to do that.

Make an offer to her.

John: You can counter.

♪♪

Um, would you...

do the $200,000 for 12%?

Ugh. Ooooooh.

I'm sorry. I'm out.

♪♪

Thanks so much for your time.

Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.

Bye-bye.

♪♪

Jordan: The Sharks
disagree with our vision

for a one-stop shop
for Surprise Cake.

We didn't agree.

We're gonna push ahead,
and I know we're gonna do well.

And they're gonna
really regret it.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next into
the t*nk is a way

to make your holiday
meals more exciting.

♪♪

Hi,
Sharks. My name's Lance Burney.

And I'm Kim Burney.

We're from Sanford,
Florida, seeking $100,000

for a 20% equity
stake in our company.

And we've created
a fun new twist

on a family tradition.

We love entertaining
our family and friends,

especially during the holidays.

This year,
instead of cutting the turkey

with the same old boring Kn*fe,

why not wow your
family and friends with...

[ Whirring ] Both:
...The Mighty Carver!

[ Laughter ]

Gosh.

The Mighty Carver is
an electric carving Kn*fe

that looks, sounds,
and feels like a chainsaw.

Your family and
friends will love it --

guaranteed to put
a smile on their face.

Not only is it fun,
but it cuts really well.

[ Whirring ]

-[ Laughs ] -That's great.

-Wow. -Listen.

♪♪

Wow.

And it's just not for turkey.

It has other uses, as well.

You can use it on pineapples.

You can use it on cantaloupes...

and bread.

My personal favorite
is the morning bagel.

So, this year,
be the life of the party.

Create fun family memories
with The Mighty Carver.

[ Laughs ]

Mark, would you like to
come up and give it a try?

Sure! Why not?

Whoa. What a man, what a man.

A man and his chainsaw.

[ Chuckles ]

Lance: There's a cutting
accessory down there, too,

if you want to get fun with it.

Greiner: Oh!

Now we're talking! [ Laughter ]

Nice. [ Laughs ]

And I would start with the bre--

Bwuah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

[ Laughs ]

[ Whirring ]

This is actually really
cool and really easy.

And the actual handle
gives you leverage

for when you're cutting.

Yeah, it really is.

And when you screw up like I did,
bam.

[ Laughter ]

♪♪

John: How'd you
come up with this idea?

So, we had Thanksgiving dinner,

and usually, growing up,
my grandfather cut the turkey.

He's no longer with us.

Somebody has to carry
on this great tradition.

And I tried to figure out,
"Is it Dad?

Is it my husband?
Is it my brother?"

So,
my guys love chainsaws and power tools.

They're just power tool freaks.

And that's when I thought, "Wow,

if this was a power tool,
they'd all be fighting over it."

[ Laughter ]

Greiner: So this was your idea?

Yes. From start to finish.

Is there any way to have a
childproof lock or anything like that?

Because that'd be
my greatest fear --

my 11-year-old would grab it
and go Jason on everything.

Well, you got to remember, too,

that they've been
around for a long time.

So you lock up
your regular knives --

Well, no, I get that, right?

But it doesn't look
as enticing as this.

You'd want to put it up
and put it in a safe place

in the cabinets and
everywhere else.

Where are you
selling these primarily?

So, we went to the International
Housewares Show last March,

and we picked up some
big resellers right off the bat --

Sharper Image,
Grommet, Ace Hardware.

In the stores? The
physical retailers?

We just got our purchase
orders while we were here for that.

So, guys,
this is very easy to demonstrate visually.

And you could sell direct-to-customer,
full margin.

Yes. Yes.

Why aren't you
doing more of that?

That's what our plan
is. Our goal is to get --

We got kind of skewed
toward the resellers right now.

Like,


I need to get that back to
buying direct to the consumer

off of our website,
'cause right now,

we're splitting the
money with everybody.

Right, right,
right. I'd rather bring it back our way.

Alright. Break down
the numbers for me.

So, we've sold 8,500 units.

And in how many months was that?

The past 12 months. 12 months.

What was the total sales figure?

$163,000 last year.

We've sold $41,000 year-to-date.

So,
what does it cost you to manufacture,

and what do you sell it for?

Alright, so,
it's $20 landed here in the U. S.

We sell them for
$69 to $89 retail.

What does a typical
electric Kn*fe sell for?

Just a regular,
plain electric Kn*fe?

I mean,
if a chef puts their name on it,

it could be $169,

but you can get the
cheapest one at a box store

for maybe 19, 20 bucks.

Do you have a patent or
any type of coverage on it?

Yes, we have a design
patent and a Chinese patent.

And it's pretty broad.

Anybody that tries
to make anything

that looks like a chainsaw
on an electric Kn*fe --

That's all you need. Yeah,
that's all you need.

Okay, it's very demonstrable.

I'm making the assumption,
with the right digital buy

and a 59-second video,

you could sell a ton of
these at Thanksgiving.

Yeah. Greiner:
Have you done that?

Have you done any
videos or digital marketing?

Mm-hmm.

You did $41,000 this year
and $163,000 last year?

So, what part of that came
from those digital ads?





That's all?

Why do you think
they didn't work better?

We were early. We were
doing some marketing early.

A lot of this is
showing up organically.

Like, The Wall Street
Journal did an article on us.

We sold 300 the next day.

When did you run those
ads? What time of year?

That was November 17th.

That next Monday,
Kim and I flew back

from a dance competition
and shipped out 300.

What dance competition?
You were dancing?

We're ballroom dancers.

You are? What?!

You are living
the best life ever.

[ Laughter ]

Guys, guys,
I'm interested in this,

'cause it kind of fits into
my Chef Wonderful world,

and I could actually get behind it,
sh**t some videos.

I've got three studios I
sh**t commercials in.

I'll do the deal --
$100,000 for 33.3%

You know,
three amigos. I want to be a third partner.

♪♪

John: Wait a minute.

You know,
I use an electric Kn*fe often for fishing,

and then I use another
one inside the house.

I like it. I think
you guys are fun.

I use electric
knives all the time.

So I'll give you
$100,000 for 27.5%.

Wow.

Unfortunately,
you're not Chef Wonderful.

Very lucky about
that. Thank God.

[ Laughter ]

Thank you.

Barbara,
did we answer all your questions?

I'm just trying to think
of how I could outwit

these two other Sharks
and take this deal,

so I'm gonna be
quiet for a minute.

I want to get Daddy Big
Bucks out of the way over here.

[ Laughs ]

O'Leary: What are you doing,
Lori?

I'm listening to Mark.

Why is everybody waiting on me?

Guys, you know what? Well,
you're always waiting on us.

If you do it right now,
I'll do the $100,000 for 25%,

but you got to
say yes right now.

Ooh. Corcoran: Wait, wait, wait.

Don't be so fast. Relax.

You know what happens
after we keep dancing around?

It could go.

We've cram-coursed 11 seasons,
so we know. [ Laughs ]



Barbara.

How about 22?



Um...

I'm offering you


That's five points over
what you asked for.

And he's really into it.

I don't care about it. I just
want to take the deal. Yeah.

Yes or no?

Guys,
do you want to make an offer?

You're about to lose the deal.

You know what? Hold it. No,
we're not gonna lose the deal.

Lookit over here. We
have something to say here.

He's gonna walk, you guys.

Going once.


give you the same offer --

Going twice. Wait, wait, wait.

He loves it. He's a fisherman.

You ready? No!

Got it! No!!

Kim said yes. Oh, no!

She's the boss. Oh, no!

Thank you, guys. Kim -- Oh, no!

Dance out! Dance out!

Thank you. We
will. We'll dance out.

Yes,
dance out! John: There you go.

Lance: We were hearing Mark and
Barbara talking in the background,

but then when
Lori started saying,

"He's serious. He's a fisherman.
You should do the deal,"

I was like, "Okay,
we need to do the deal."

And Kim pulled the trigger,
and it's a done deal. We're happy.

Very happy with Daymond.

You dirty dog,
Daymond! You dirty dog!

O'Leary: You waited too long,
Barbara.

It just shows you -- you snooze,
you lose.

You're squawking like a chicken.
The deal just dances out. Oh, my God.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next up is a simple
product using a space-age material.

♪♪

♪♪

[ Rapping ] ♪ I gotta be honest,
I didn't come here to rap ♪

♪ Came to talk about my business,
as a matter of fact ♪

♪ Might start a feeding
frenzy as I spit on this track ♪

♪ So I ask all the Sharks,
"Sit back and relax" ♪

♪ Flipstik is the brand ♪

♪ If you already heard about it,
raise your hand ♪

♪ It's a kickstand on demand ♪

♪ With Flipstik,
gravity is under your command ♪

♪ Let me repeat for
those who missed it ♪

♪ To any flat surface,
your phone will stick ♪

♪ Get it wet,
but the stickiness will persist ♪

♪ Tell ya how I thought
it up if time permits ♪

♪ Flipstik is the brand ♪

♪ If you already heard about it,
raise your hand ♪

Heeeeeey! ♪ It's a
kickstand on demand ♪

♪ With Flipstik,
gravity is under your command ♪

♪ In summary,
I came to "Shark t*nk" for a band ♪

♪ So I could put Flipstik
in everybody's hand ♪

♪ Sharks,
give the kid a chance ♪

♪ I'll deliver ROI
on yo' 100 grand ♪

My name is Akeem Shannon.

St. Louis, Missouri,
is where I kick it.

Whoo! Great job! I'm
seeking a $100,000 investment

for a 20% stake in my business,
Flipstik.

I got to say,
that rap was one of the best raps

we've ever seen on this stage.

Best rap on "Shark t*nk" ever.

So, who's ready to see a demo?

Yeah! Yes, sir.

Awesome.

This is Flipstik.

Flipstik is a paper-thin device

that goes on the
back of your phone.

It comes in over 70
different designs and colors,

and with a simple flip,

you can sit it down
on any flat surface.

But the magic really starts

when you reveal our
synthetic CT adhesive

Based off the foot of a gecko,

essentially,
it lets you stick your phone anywhere.

Cool. And when I say "stick,"

I mean it really sticks.

Like, this is not going anywhere

until you give
it a little twist,

Wow. Brilliant. and it comes off
without damaging the surfaces.

But it's not just glass.

Check out this textured
tile surface here.

Flipstik even sticks
here just as well.

And the great thing is,
you can use it in the kitchen

or in the bath.

But it's not just tile or glass.

Whether it's metal, vinyl,
Flipstik goes where you are.

Check this out.

I have three of the dirtiest
household items here, right?

I have hair, I got sand,

and I got my mama's
homemade spaghetti

straight from the can.

Now,
we're gonna get this Flipstik

really dirty, here.

So we're gonna get a
little hair going on there.

Greiner: Ew.

How about a little
sand action here?

Greiner: [ Groans ]

And we got to
get a little bit...

Mama! Mama!

...of spaghetti.
Not the spaghetti!

This...

This ain't sticking to nothing,
alright?

So, check this out.

Watch as we wipe
away all the dirt and grit

and sand from this Flipstik.

Nice and clean.

And so,
who thinks it's gonna stick?

I do.

[ Laughs ]

I have a lot of believers here.

Cuban: Hey! Yay! Whoo-hoo!

And that, in a nutshell,
is Flipstik.

Any questions?

Do you have a patent?
A design patent?

So, I do have a patent.

In fact, let me just tell you
a little bit about my story.

Yeah. So,
it all started when I was going to college

and I had a
full-tuition scholarship.

I went to Howard University in Washington,
D. C.

Nice. I went there,

and I lost my scholarship
in the first year.

Greiner: Why? Why?

It was a little bit of partying.

It was a little bit of depression,
to be honest.

Aww. Aww.

It was the hardest phone call

I ever had to make to my parents

because they
sacrificed everything

to get me to this point,

and I felt like I threw it away,
to be honest.

And I told myself,
"I got to prove to my parents,

'Hey,
you did not waste all of your savings,

your life energy on me.'"

So I got to work.

I ended up starting in
the cellphone industry

at a major retailer -- Sprint --

and I was one of the
top salespeople there.

I was making $30,000 a year.

Then I got recruited to
come work for Verizon

on their business side,
and next thing I know,

I'm making $60,000,
$70,000, $80,000 a year.

By the time my friends graduated,
I was making more

than any of them were
making coming out of college.

But not only that,
I was the number 1 rep

at a Fortune 500 company,
and eventually,

I ended up at one of the
biggest financial tech companies

in the world -- Square.

But I'm meeting all these entrepreneurs,
,

and I'm talking to them.

I'm helping with their business.
I'm helping with marketing.

And it's just like, "Man,
if these guys can do it,

like, I got to do this.

Like, I got to quit."

My mom was not happy,

but this time, I was like,
"I have to go out on my own."

So, it's 3:00 A. M.

My uncle calls me.

My uncle's an engineer at NASA,
and he's telling me about

this project he's working on
called the Space Launch System.

And he ends up just talking
about how he's working through

some stuff,
and he's gonna use this adhesive.

Wait,
your uncle called you at 3:00 A. M.?

My uncle always
calls at 3:00 A. M.

Because that's the time he's up.

[ Laughter ]

He calls me 3:00 A. M.,
we're talking, and I'm like,

"Man,
this adhesive sounds interesting.

You know what? This
could work on a cellphone."

So I started doing
research. I get on YouTube.

I teach myself
to write a patent,

I teach myself to
write a trademark,

and I launch my
Kickstarter campaign.

And that's how I got here today.

This film is not proprietary,
right?

That's correct. I can
buy rolls of this myself.

That's correct.

So,
the difference is the design.

So we actually have
filed for a utility patent,

and it's for having a
double-sided adhesive

on the phone and the flap cover.

What does it cost to make,
and what do you sell them for?

On average,
it costs us 58 cents to make.

We sell these for $15. Whoa.

However, often,
we sell them in bundles,

so it's one for $15,
two for $25, or three for $30.

Those are some
margins right there.

You got to be k*lling it.

What are your
total sales to date?

Our total sales to date is
$115,000 in about 2 1/2 years.

Akeem,
something's not adding up. Your sales suck.

$115,000 over two years.

You've been the
number 1 salesperson

everywhere you've gone.

You know 115K is awful.

Right? For real.



and I don't mean online retail.

I mean brick-and-mortar
retail business.

Where? So,
I operate a network of kiosks,

and we do a number of events.

Retail was
completely eliminated.

You recognize the big miss
here is you're not selling direct.

'Cause your margins are crazy.

Yes. Absolutely.

I'm gonna put an offer out there,
okay?

'Cause I think this is absolutely fantastic.
No, you need to tell me about competition...

Wait, wait. Let me just -- You
don't need Lori for any of this.

Yes,
he does. He needs me way more than you.

I really want to tell Lori about
competition, 'cause this is actually huge.

Listen,
you got to stop selling sometimes

to let the offers start coming in,
right? Competition.

Look,
I like the deal. Valuation's not crazy.

I'll give you
$100,000 for 20% --

exactly what you want.

♪♪

So,
tell me about your competition.

♪♪

Our competition --

and you're gonna like this,
too, Mr. Wonderful --

our competition is the
doorknob on the phone.

I'm sure you guys all
know what I'm talking about.

It's PopSocket.

But PopSocket
doesn't stick to surfaces.

Do any others have
that material on the back

where you can stick
it to any surface?

None,
and that's what our patent is.

I made you an offer --

exactly what you wanted. Corcoran:
And I would like to address that offer,

You don't like it? If I might,
Akeem.

You know,
you've got such a magnetic personality...

Thank you... and you
are a superstar salesman.

But I don't think
you're gonna succeed

unless you get yourself
a working partner.

I'm surprised you're getting
an offer from Kevin, honestly.

I don't think you're gonna
make a hit run on this at all,

so I'm out, sadly.

Thank you, Barbara. John: So,
here's where I'm at, Akeem.

I have a similar company.

It doesn't make the same claims you have,
but, you know,

it's called LoveHandle,

and it stops you from
dropping the phone

as well as,
you know -- it can stand up as well.

I think they will be
somewhat of a competitor,

so I'm out.

I understand. Thank you,
Daymond, truly.

Akeem,
how much did you sell last month?

So, yeah, so, last month,
it was pretty low.

I mean, we're looking at $1,500.

$1,500. Yeah.

That's it?

I tell you something --
I know what you need.

I think you need me.

The name of the
game with this product --

everything about
it is the visual,

and I've spent 20 years
creating over thousands of videos

that tell you within 10 seconds

what a product is and
why you should buy it.

And I actually really like --

O'Leary: Akeem,
I'm gonna make it easy for you.

I'm gonna make it easy for you.

I made you an offer --
exactly what you wanted --

before you told me that
you only sold $1,500,

so, clearly,
nothing's working digitally for you.

I'm not saying Lori can't do it,

but I'm gonna make it easy.

When I make an
offer on "Shark t*nk,"

I am the only Mr. Wonderful,

and it's exactly
what you wanted.

You should have taken it.

Now you only have
one Shark. I'm out.

♪♪

Narrator: Three Sharks are out.

Akeem had one offer
on the table from Kevin

offering him exactly
what he came in seeking,

but his hesitation and new
information about his low sales

for his phone accessory,
Flipstik,

has caused Kevin to drop out.

I'm gonna make it easy. I'm out.

♪♪

Greiner: Akeem,
I'm a product person,

and I've sold over 1,000
successful products.

So here's my offer.

I'm gonna give you the $100,000,

but I want 25%.

Lori, you understand you're
giving him a valuation of $400,000.

He did $1,500 in
sales last month.

That's primarily due to COVID,
to be fair.

Greiner: Wait, wait. Here's the thing.
Two of our revenue channels were cut.

Sometimes, when an entrepreneur comes in
here, I'm just asking you if you're aware.

I know what I can do.

♪♪

Mark Cuban is in.
See what he thinks.

Well, I mean,
you can respond to Lori any way you want.

I would like to respond to Lori.

Thank you. Like,
that's an incredible offer.

I know your
history. It's flawless.

I do feel like I came with a very,
very fair offer,

Wow. at $100,000 for 20%.

Are you crazy? Greiner:
Here's what I can tell you.

I don't have to prove myself
because I know you're smart,

but the one thing you don't know

is what it takes
to -- beyond retail.

You have to put retail aside,
Lori, I --

because it's not
happening right now.

Lori,
I forbid you to keep convincing him --

Stop interrupting Lori.
She's got a great pitch here.

Come on! 5%?

Stop interrupting her.
You need to go digital.

♪♪

So, I gave you my offer.

Don't pass that by.
You'd be out of your mind.

She's the ideal partner for you.

The ideal partner. I don't know about
that. Yeah, I don't know about that.

♪♪

I think you are
the ideal partner.

Honestly, Mark has been
a little quiet here.

Well, if she's the ideal
partner, there's no --

So I'm taking
the deal with Lori.

Whoo! Yes!

Yes! We're gonna blow these up.

Smart man. Smart man.
These are fabulous.

You are one of
the luckiest people

I've ever seen in my life.

[ Laughs ] Listen, thank you all

and have a great
rest of the day.

Yeah! [ Laughs ]

I chose not to listen
to Mark's offer

because I didn't want to
risk Lori going out.

She's my dream Shark,
and that's who I wanted,

so I had to take
the deal on the table.

This isn't an in-store item.

To me, this is all online
and all video.

It's a $5.99 item.

I can do a video on this
showing how this works

on all those different surfaces
within 10 seconds,

and that's why he needed me.

I'm happy he landed with
you. Perfect partner. Thanks.

♪♪

♪♪