15x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

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

Which one of you Sharks
wants to smash a deal?

Boom! James: Oh, it's
a fiesta in your mouth,

and whole world's invited.

We're the crazy dog
ladies that started

the wedding pet care industry.

What are your gross sales?

$55. Uh-oh.

I do understand that, right
now, those sales are low.

The business is
all over the place.

Pickleball is hot, hot, hot.

I think you have
the whole package.

This whole thing is blowing up.

Then show me the
money. Stop right there.

Stop right there. They're
buying your dream.

Oh, my God. It's working.

Y Chihuahua, caramba!

That's the beauty
of "Shark t*nk."

Game over.

♪♪

Narrator: First in the
t*nk is a new twist

to America's
fastest-growing sport.

[ Chuckling ]

♪♪

Hi, Sharks. I'm Tim.

And I'm Scott.

We are seeking $250,000 in
exchange for 10% of our company,

PaddleSmash.

Pickleball.

It is the fastest-growing
sport in North America.

And if you're not playing yet,

you are definitely missing out.

Spikeball is a wildly
popular outdoor game.

Now, imagine if pickleball
and Spikeball went out

for a nice, romantic evening.

[ Laughter ]

Ooh, yeah.

Ooh. Ooh. Yeah, baby.

[ Funky music playing ]

[ Laughter ]

Things went great.

And smash.

They made a baby. That
baby is PaddleSmash.

We've combined the
best elements of both

into the ultimate outdoor game.

Take a look at this video.

PaddleSmash is
played two versus two.

Teammates work together to bump,

set, and smash the ball into
the court and over the net.

It's then the opposing
team's job to do the same.

Games are played to 11 points,

so they're quick,
fun, and full of energy.

PaddleSmash is portable.
Think pickleball to go.

It can be set up and
taken down in minutes.

So, which one of you
Sharks wants to bump,

set, and smash a deal with us?

What is the average
age of who plays it?

Who plays our game?
I'm picturing young guys.

Yeah, we say it's best
for families with kids

over the age of 13.

So it's a little hard
to kind of come in.

There's some hand-eye
coordination involved.

So, older kids,

teenagers, families
looking to play together.

So, you guys know, Spikeball
came on "Shark t*nk."

We know. Yeah, we love it.

People always ask me
what's the one deal I missed.

It was Spikeball.
And that's blown up.

It's blown up huge,
yeah. Greiner: So, all right.

So, tell us about you, and
how did you come up with this?

So, we're not the
inventors of PaddleSmash.

The story really starts
with Joe Bingham,

who is the inventor.

And Joe has seven kids.

He's a structural engineer.
He said to himself,

"Can I create a game
that brings pickleball

into our backyard?"

And he created PaddleSmash.
He tinkered in his garage,

glued a bunch of stuff together,
and made PaddleSmash.

He started playing this
with friends and family

just at parties, and
over two years refined it.

But he didn't know
what to do with it.

And that's actually where
Tim and I come into the story.

Okay. So, Scott and
I have a combined


the toy and game industry.

Wow. Great. Scott had co-founded

a chain of retail stores,

and I co-founded a
board game company,

and Scott was the first
retailer to pick up my game.

And both of us ended
up selling our businesses

to other big toy and
game companies.

Good for you.

And we'd vowed to work together.

We got along well, and
Scott's a huge pickleball player,

so it was just
kind of fortuitous

that we were introduced
to the inventor, Joe,

shortly after we were
having these conversations

about what we wanted
to work on together.

And we saw it.

We brought it to
pickleball courts,

play tested it with
pickleball players.

They got it immediately,
and we were like,

"This is it. Let's do it.
Let's bring this to market."

Did you buy the
rights or the IP?

We licensed the rights.
The intellectual property?

Herjavec: Oh, you
licensed the rights.

So Joe gets a
royalty for it, but...

A royalty? Yeah,
he gets a royalty.

I know you like that word.

Yeah, stealing one
out of your book.

Oh! Yeah, he b*at you to it.

How much does it
cost you to make,

and how much are
you selling it for?

The retail is $200. Wow.

What's it cost you to make?

$55, landed.

Does that include the
royalty back to Joe?

It doesn't, so it would
be slightly more than that.

How much... Joe
gets a 5% royalty.



Of net sales. Of the net sales.

Of net? Wow.

What involvement is
Joe, or is he just silent

and he just gets his royalty?

Joe gets fun update calls.

Fun update calls.

And he gets a
quarterly royalty check,

and he's always so
excited. That's fun.

It comes with four paddles,

two balls, the net
system, and the base.

The base folds in half and
becomes the case for the game.

- Oh, really? That's great.
- Oh!

This is the base?
That's the base.

Greiner: That's very smart.

Have you sold any?

Have we sold any?
That's a good question.

Greiner: Yes. What
are your sales?

Uh-oh.

- Uh-oh.
- Uh-oh.

[ Laughs ]

Greiner: Is that
a good or a bad?

You'll tell me. Okay.

Corcoran: Ohh. So
we're nine months old.

Okay. And we're
barely out of the womb.

Yeah. We have sold to date

$700,000 worth of products.

- Boom!
- Wow.

That's really good.
Yeah. $700,000, 140K.

Have you made any money on it?

We're break even right now.

Good for you. Okay.

Herjavec: How
are you selling this?

So, we started out
as direct to consumer,

have a e-commerce store.

As like a flier, we
sent some cold e-mails

and, like, LinkedIn
messages to buyers

at d*ck's Sporting Goods,
Scheels, Academy Sports.

They're the three largest
sporting goods retailers

in the country.

Much to our surprise,
they all got back to us

and they all said yes.

Corcoran: Wow!
Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Stop right there. Stop right
there. And then what happens?

Wow. So many people come on

and say, "Oh, I need
a Shark to go connect

with everybody," right?

You just sent a
cold LinkedIn e-mail.

They liked your product.
Like, your product is a hero.

It means that
pickleball is hot, hot, hot.

Right, and they're
looking for any angle, yeah.

Anything pickleball related,
they are snatching up.

So, what do you
need the $250,000 for?

Yeah, so I think
for a couple things.

One would definitely
be inventory.

The other is just all these
opportunities for growth.

We have dialed in what
marketing works best,

and we think we
know... Which is what?

It's time to turn
on the engines.

So, social-media marketing
is the sweet spot for us.

Guys, I like it. I'll
make you an offer.

It's a very simple
idea, and it works.

$250,000. I want 20%.

We appreciate that offer.

Yeah, thank you.

I think it's a great offer.

So, Mark and I own
a pickleball team.

Yes, we do. I like it.

I mean, I think this is... this
whole thing is blowing up,

as you guys know.
Pickleball is huge.

And, Mark, are
interested in doing this?

Sure, we can do it together.

Yeah. $250,000. What
do you think, Mark?

I mean, 20% is probably
about right to get two of us.

Wow. He's so generous today.

I was going to ask for 25%,
but, yeah, I'll do it for 20%.

$250,000, 20%, Mark and I.

You won't get
Mr. Wonderful there.

[ Chuckles ] Would
you be doing...

No. Would you
be willing to do...

- No, no.
- No.

[ Laughter ]

No, no, seriously.

Yeah, I mean, so would you
want to do $500,000 for the 20%?

-No. -No.

Tremendous amount of value.

We're in this game. We
own a pickleball team.

I mean, you want
the two of us on it.

I'll go to 15% just
to squeeze heads.

♪♪

Narrator: All
Sharks are still in.

Tim and Scott have an
offer on the table from Kevin

and another from Robert and Mark

for their pickleball-inspired
game PaddleSmash.

But Kevin has just
undercut Robert and Mark.

You want the two of us on it.

I'll go to 15% just
to squeeze heads.

You don't want a guy
like Kevin on this deal.

Yeah, I think you do. Cuban: Yeah,
you guys gotta make a decision.

And I understand, look,
if you don't want to do it,

that's fine, too.

One thing is, we're not
paying ourselves anything.

I get it. We have it all...

The equity is the
only thing we have...

I get it. That's
your upside, right?

You just gotta decide.
Would you match

Mr. Wonderful's offer of 15%?

No. No. No.

Can we chat for a second?

Greiner: Yes.
Corcoran: Make it fast.

[ Laughs ]

It's good I have this paddle.

Yeah. Use your paddle.

What do you want to do?

I don't know. What do
you want to do? It's a lot.

Okay.

[ Whispering indistinctly ]

All right. Well, thank
you for all of the offers.

We want to take one
more swing at you two.

We would love to work with you.

But we really are
looking for $250,000

for 15% of the business.

No.

Didn't Kevin offer you


Well, there is Kevin.
We haven't forgotten.

Yeah, but he's not
the right partner.

These guys are.

Don't be greedy. That's
interesting, Barbara.

But you don't
have an offer at all.

I'm not interested.
Guys... Guys, look.

Obviously, you
don't want to do it.

Guys, look, obviously...

What do you think?

You wanna do it?

Okay.

We have a deal, Sharks.

Corcoran: All
right! [ Applause ]

We have a deal. Good decision.

- Yeah.
- We have a deal.

Wow. Are you sure?

Yeah. Appreciate it.
Appreciate it. Thank you.

Appreciate it, guys.
All right. Thank you.

- Thank you, guys.
- Congrats, guys.

Did we just do it, Tim?

Do we walk out with a
little bit of this? Whoo!

Yeah. Yeah, baby.

Brown: We honestly
gave up a little bit more

than we'd hoped to going in,

but we've learned over the
nine months of our business

that the pickleball
community is the sweet spot

of our target market.

So to have Mark and
Robert as megaphones

to kind of shout out to
that pickleball community

about PaddleSmash,
it's a game changer for us.

All righty.

Oh [bleep] Cuban: Good set up.

Get another ball. Get
another ball. Game over.

Narrator: In season 10,
we watched Lucinda Clark

make a deal with Guest Shark
and Ring founder Jamie Siminoff

for her meat delivery
service, Moink.

Family farms are
struggling, being snuffed out

by big business.

Narrator: Let's see
what they're up to now.

Clark: Moink
delivers high quality

and humanely raised meats
from America's family farms.

During the height of
COVID, things were hard.

But this community
that I'm from,

they don't stop
when things get hard.

When our trucks
couldn't get out,

people brought their own trucks

and helped us
deliver Moink boxes.

When we didn't have
workers, people came.

Having lived through all of
that, we stand a little taller.

And not only are we
standing, we're flourishing.

When I pitched to the Sharks,

we had roughly
$800,000 worth of revenue.

Today, Moink has done over
$55 million worth of revenue.

When I pitched, Kevin O'Leary
had something smart to say

about my margins.

Well, I got to tell you, Kevin,

they were 20% gross margin
then, and they're 20% now.

And I still carry a
healthy bottom line.

Mount up!

We have staked our
claim to rural America

by moving our shipping
facilities from the city

to a field right outside
a town of 97 people

where we employ 22 of them.

We're breathing life again.

Siminoff: Moink
really is a movement.

And Lucinda is
a force of nature.

This is so much
more than a business.

We care about this community.

I love being here so much
that we bought a farm.

When I came to La
Belle, the only business

that was open was a bar.

And we've been able
to bring back jobs.

We helped by rebuilding
some sidewalks

and put a coffee
shop on the corner.

Now we're going to bring
homemade to all of America.

We're very excited
that we're going to be

putting a bakery in town
now, so hopefully we'll become

a model of change
of rural America.

I just want to say thank you

to each and every one of you,

and I want you to
know that you matter.

Clark: I believe that if you
want to change the world,

make doing the
right thing profitable.

You've got to invest your
life, your heart, your soul

in what you believe in.

That's how you win.

I am proof that you can
come from rural America,

that you can
maintain who you are.

You can be authentic.

You can be rough
around the edges,

and you can still
change the world.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next up is a business
that makes it easy to include

all your loved ones
on your biggest day.

♪♪

Hi, Sharks. I'm Kelly.

And I'm Ilana.

We're here from Tampa, Florida,

and we're seeking
$75,000 for 10% equity

in our company.

Picture this... You're engaged,

planning your dream
wedding, and you're so excited.

You've picked out the venue,
you've set your guest list,

and suddenly you realize one
of the most important guests

doesn't have a plus one.

This guest of
honor can't just have

anyone accompany them, though.

They need someone
who can transport them

to and from the venue,
pick up after them,

and maybe even escort
them down the aisle.

Well, that's where we come in.

[ Dogs barking ]

[ Laughs ] Aww!

Oh, I didn't expect that.

[ Laughs ]

Karcinski: FairyTail Pet Care.

Whoa!

Greiner: Wow. That is a big dog.

Oh, my gosh.

Together: FairyTail Pet Care.

We're your dog's plus one.

That's right, Sharks.
We're the crazy dog ladies

that started the wedding
pet care industry.

Back in 2015, we
noticed engaged couples

were facing a major problem.

Your pet is your family, too,

so of course you want them

to be a part of
your special day.

But the logistics can quickly
become overwhelming.

That's why we take care
of absolutely everything,

so you don't have to.

From round trip
transportation...

[ Laughter ]

to providing attire rentals...

to coordinating
every last detail,

we make sure that
your wedding day

can be your dog's
best day ever, too.

So, Sharks, who's
ready to join us

in bringing the...

Together: "Paws" -itivity

to the wedding
industry by investing in

the nation's first wedding
pet care company?

You know, that's
a brilliant idea.

That's a great idea
for you guys. It really is.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you guys for joining us.

Go enjoy a piece
of wedding cake.

- Bye.
- Bye.

We're going to talk business.

- Aww.
- Bye, guys.

Bye.

Now, I'm imagining
you two are dog lovers,

but tell us about you,

and how did you
come to think of this?

Ilana and I have
actually been best friends

since we were 13 years
old, so we grew up together.

We were college roommates,
and after we graduated,

we both ended up working
for a national hotel chain.

And we spent a lot of
time talking with each other

about what path we
wanted to take in life.

Then a light bulb went off.

We had friends and
family getting married

that were having this problem,
as well as couples at the hotel,

and we realized that this
really could be an actual service

that couples are looking for.

How do you charge for it?

Our prices start with
a three-hour minimum.

Which is how much?

Our pricing currently
starts at $600,

and that's going to be for
one dog for the three hours.

So $600... Wow.

And then $100 an hour
for each additional hour.

How does a customer find you?

So, we actually started
in Tampa, Florida.

So that's where we're from.

We have our
headquarter location there.

And then we actually just
franchised about a year ago.

Oh.

Herjavec: Oh,
you're a franchise.

Yes. Yes. So, growth
Our growth model

was always that we knew

this needed to be
across the nation.

Okay, I want to be in the
dog babysitting business

for weddings.

I call you up
saying my region...

I'm in Houston, I want
a franchise from you.

Do I get a region?

Yes, for one territory, it's
a $12,500 franchise fee.

So, we're starting with
very low start-up fees.

We do plan on increasing those

as we grow out our system.
And then, how much per wedding?

How much do I pay you?

Yeah. So it's 9%
royalties of gross sales.

What do you provide?
Ilana, do you have any data

on the success of a
franchisee or your success?

Yeah, so, officially launched
launched our franchise in 2022,

and in our first year,

we sold our first


- Wow.
- Wow.

That is four locations.
What is your sales,

just your sales with your
company, for the last year?

We did $123,000 in sales.

And what did you net?

So, our margins are about 70%.

$66,000 of the revenue there
was in just our Tampa territory,

which we consider a
two-territory market.

And then, that extra revenue was
in those fringe counties around us,

and we've been
testing new markets.

Do you provide the wedding leads

so that they get the jobs,
or they're on their own

and have to find them themselves?
Yeah. How do people find you?

We have a great
social-media following.

So, we... You know,
as you can imagine,

we kind of blew up on TikTok
because weddings plus dogs,

it's content gold. Right.

So we've been really
fortunate in that aspect.

Who's your oldest franchisee?

Our first franchisee actually
is in the marriage capital

of the world, Las Vegas.

So that was a very exciting
first franchise to launch.

So, our top-performing
franchisee

is doing about $2,200 a month,

and they've been in
business for nine months.

$2,200 a month?

Yes.

With that kind of money, $2,200,

you can't really
do it full time.

What are your gross sales
for all of your franchisees,

your own shop this past year?

So if we look at this past year,

including our franchisees,
what is it combined?

It's about $80,000
in the franchises

and then $123,000 from Tampa.

How did you get to
franchise when your sales

aren't even $250,000?

Well, it's unique enough, right?

And it's expensive to do
the franchising, as well.

Nova: You know,
and we did invest...

Ladies, I love dogs. Yeah.

Loved having our
dog at our wedding.

It's just so small.

I think it's a great
business for you guys.

I just don't see how it
would get to critical mass.

It's not for me. I'm out.

We understand.
Thank you so much.

You guys, listen, I
always think it's so great

when people are
clever and creative.

It's not a big
enough thing for me.

I like to get involved in things

that I really think
I can grow huge.

And so, I wish you good luck,

but, unfortunately,
on this one, I'm out.

Thank you so much,
and just to touch on

the growth aspect,
with our franchise model,

we are collecting those
initial franchise fees,

so anywhere from
$12,500 to $44,000.

Which is good for
you guys, right?

But here's my challenge.

If a territory has 3,000
weddings in the year

and you do 1,000
of those weddings,

that's $3 million a territory,
and you guys will make your 9%.

So that's $270,000 times,

you know, 30
territories you may have.

That's just not a
big enough number

to really get me excited
as an investment.

And that's for
perfection, right?

That's if you just get every
wedding that has, you know,

a hamster associated with it.

So I don't think the scale is
enough for me to get excited.

So for those reasons, I'm
out. But congratulations.

I think it's a brilliant idea.
It's clever. Very clever.

I think it's great for you guys.

We are ready now to scale.

I mean, we did take the
first year in franchising,

so I do understand that,
right now, those sales are low.

You have two Sharks
left, ladies, and one of them

calls himself
Mr. Wonderful Wedding.

It's true. It's true. And I
do want to mention that,

because we haven't
brought it up yet,

that we are a
mission-driven brand.

Yes. So a big part of what we do

has been getting
involved in our community

and helping shelter animals,
because from day one,

we knew that was what
we wanted this company...

Good for you... to also be.

Yeah, good for you guys.
And so we volunteered...

You know, Ilana, if this doesn't
work out for you, you know

at the end of radio
commercials, when they tell you...

[ Speaking gibberish ]

Talking too fast?
That's got to be you.

You're doing great,
Ilana. It's perfect.

I have six brothers and sisters,

so you learn to be quick and
loud if you wanna be heard.

No, I know.

You're able to articulate
at extreme high velocity.

I like fast talkers.

Corcoran: But, you know,
you haven't articulated

something that, in my mind,
is the most important thing

in the franchise business. Yes.

Absolutely. Choosing the people.

Yeah. I remember when I invested

in Cousins Maine Lobster,

they only were making
$60,000 in only one month

until they went to
a franchise model.

However, I learned a lot.
It was my first franchise.

I learned that it was very
easy to get a franchise in.

It was very difficult to
keep the franchise in.

And that's why we
only opened the four

and took a minute to
make sure that these four

were stable, solid...
That's smart. That's smart.

Yeah, before we continued.

Which is the right way to do.

Of those franchisees that apply,
what percentage do you accept?

So, we've had about


come in specifically about
our franchise business,

and we've only
accepted the four so far.

- Wow.
- Wow.

We still have 20 in the
pipeline... Greiner: That's good.

That we're working
with that we don't know yet

if they're going to
actually play out. Yes.

O'Leary: So you're
being very selective.

The only thing
missing with this story

is numbers aren't big enough,

because franchisees
have to make a living.

It's a great side business.

It's a lifestyle business.
There are lifestyle franchises.

And it really is a lifestyle
business. Exactly.

Yeah, if you love animals,

this is a way to get paid.
This is the way to go.

Yeah. Plus, we have
that mission aspect.

You know what? I'd like
to make an offer, alright?

What I really love
about your business

is it's at its inception,
which I love.

I like the fact you tried five
people before going gangbusters.

I invested in three
different franchises.

All went bust because they
brought in the wrong people

and they grew too fast,

and I could not slow them
down to qualify their people.

What I like also about
your business is I think

there's a huge
market for dog lovers

who want to work part time

and make a part-time living and
a supplementary income. Exactly.

So I'll make you an
offer of $75,000 for 25%.

Wow. Thank you so
much for your offer. Yes.

Herjavec: Wow. You're
welcome to entertain his offer.

Kevin, do you have an offer?

I love death and weddings.
I invest in all of them.

We know you do.
Karcinski: I love it.

Here's my offer. I'm sorry
the way I'm looking at it,

saying to myself,
"It's so small right now,

I could make
hundreds of dollars."

[ Laughter ] I mean,
it's... I would do...

I would do the $75,000,

but I want to be
the third partner.

I want 33 1/3%

And then I put the
accelerator on it.

Ladies, two very
interesting offers.

Yes. What are you going to do?

Thank you so much,
Mr. Wonderful, for your offer.

Yeah.

Barbara, would you
consider the $75,000 for 15%?

Oh, no.

I'm going to put a heck
of a lot of work into this

because I know how
to do franchising better

than anyone I've ever met, okay?

I know how to qualify people.

I know how to build a
team of the franchisees.

I know the cost of
getting people together,

how to do it properly.

I just know it inside and out.

And I've done so
well with franchising.

I think I'm a catch.

Would you potentially be
willing to do $75,000 for 20%?

No, but I'll do it for 22%.
It's a happy number.

Deal? Deal.

Deal.

Wow!

- All right.
- Ta-da!

Thank you, Mr. Wonderful.

We do appreciate
your offer, as well.

You got it. Yes. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you so much.

Corcoran: Thank you so much.

- Great job.
- Congrats, guys.

This was an amazing
experience. We're so grateful.

Cuban: Congratulations.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Oh, wow. I can't believe it.

We did it.

Nova: We really do value Mr. Wonderful's
experience in the wedding industry.

Karcinski: We chose
Barbara because

what we were really looking
for was a franchise partner.

That's our new venture
that we're really focused on

and really trying to grow,
and with Barbara's experience

in franchising, she
was our ideal Shark.

Narrator: For our
milestone 15th season,

we're counting down the top


with the highest
total retail sales.

Number six is The
Comfy, with $550 million.

Number five is
Cousins Maine Lobster,

with $585 million.

And number four is The
Bouqs, with $640 million

in total retail sales.

Check out next week's episode

for the top three.

♪♪

Narrator: Next up
is a sustainable way

to be fashion forward.

♪♪

[ Scattered laughter
] Corcoran: Wow.

♪♪

[ Hip-hop b*at playing ]

♪♪

♪ Hey, I'm Mia

♪ Let me introduce the
number-one jumpsuit, Monosuit ♪

♪ Ladies love jumpsuits

♪ But nature's call is drama

♪ Half naked in a restroom

♪ Such a mental trauma

♪ Behold, I get
the fix, no stress ♪

♪ No more lines at the ladies ♪

♪ Sorry, Kevin, you
might not get this ♪

♪ But this little
break you want ♪

♪ Buy Monosuit for your lady

♪ With a zipper
in the right spots ♪

♪ And hit the jackpot

♪ Robert, do you think
my Monosuit's ironic? ♪

[ Laughs ]

It's iconic.

♪ Let me explain

♪ Fashion causes pollution

♪ It's an undeniable
fact, and it's time to react ♪

♪ All ladies want that

♪ I turn ocean plastics
into Monosuit, Monosuit ♪

♪ It's my eco hack

♪ It's my global impact

♪ Circular life, zero waste

♪ Eco friendly,
and it feels divine ♪

♪ We're cleaning up the ocean

♪ One Monosuit at a time

♪ Mark, do you think
I'm cute and funny? ♪

♪ Then show me the money

[ Chuckles ]

♪ Sharks, together,
we'll purify oceans ♪

♪ And make our planet cleaner

♪ And with your help,
we'll make this world ♪

♪ A whole lot greener

♪ So check out the
Monosuits that you have ♪

♪ Right over here

Outstanding performance. Whoo!

Greiner: Thank you.
Thank you. Good job.

Corcoran: Well done.
Wow. Thank you so much.

- Wow.
- Wow!

Good job.

Can I have that one on the end?

Oh, that is so me.

[ Murr laughs ] Yeah.

Murr: It's an honor to be here.

My ask is $150,000
for 5% of equity.

Okay. Greiner:
And here's your little

secret zipper in the back.

Exactly. We got a patent
for the zippers on the butt...

Ah... because you know that
every... women can understand

that the most problematic thing

is sitting half
naked in a restroom.

- Right.
- Absolutely.

Because you need
to remove it all.

I can do a
demonstration a little bit.

Herjavec: Yes!

So it works like this.

Yes, it does.

[ Laughter ] Wow!

It's very important to
say that my Monosuit

is not just a
one-piece collection.

We have the whole
sustainable line of pieces,

including, for
example, sneakers.

I mean, accessories.

Cuban: Wow. Wow.

I mean, sleeves, dresses.

Greiner: So you sell
everything we see out there,

from the sleeves to the shoes

to the gloves to the belt? Yeah.

How much is it?

So, the average
cost, retail price,

$290 per piece,

and the cost to produce
it is approximately $60.

We produce it in North Italy,

and it's made from the
recycled ocean waste.

Oh, that's nice, yeah. A whole
technology that we developed.

Maybe you know that the
most polluting thing in the ocean

is actually fishing net. Huh.

This is my mission.

And I explain why. Yeah.

Because I was born in
a small village in USSR.

My dream was to
become a fashion designer.

But we don't have any
money for... to buy new clothes.

So I actually literally upcycle

all the clothes into
something I could wear.

So, Mia, what are your
sales in the last 12 months?

Sales for the past
year was $245,000.

And very important to say

that we did not use
any paid advertising.

Mia, how should I think of you?

Should I think of
you as a fashion line,

or should I think of you
as a jumpsuit company?

So, we are the fashion brand,

building a sustainable
community and technology

at the same time.

I would say the
core of the business

is the whole technology.

You can produce, of course...

Let me ask you a question.
So, are they made out of

all the same material? Right.

This bodysuit's made
exactly from the ocean waste.

Right. What
percentage of your sales

are your Monosuit?

Approximately 70%.

Have you raised any money for...

Yeah. Several years
ago, we raised $2 million

from angel investors. Ooh.

- Ooh.
- Wow.

And to tell you more about it...

O'Leary: What valuation
did you do on that $2 million?

What did you say your
business was worth?

$12 million.

$12 million? $12 million.

Greiner: $12 million.

It was in 2018.

Herjavec: But what happened?
Where did the $2 million go?

Yeah. I will explain.

So, develop two
collections per year.

So, to develop
this technology...

And let me explain
about technology.

So, currently, clothing
has a linear life.

All the things we
are wearing right now,

it will spend hundreds of years

until it brokes down,
polluting the planet, obviously.

So my suggestion and my
technology works like this...

You buy a Monosuit for us,

you wear it, you
return it to us,

and we recycle it
into something new.

So basically zero waste.

We just need money
for develop it further

to make it really circular.

Mia, let me clear things up.
Look, I think they're beautiful.

The challenge is,
you're in two businesses.

Actually three.

You're trying to be an
eco-friendly business.

You're trying to be a
technology business.

And you're trying to
be a fashion business.

And, to me, that's hard
because they're all expensive

and they all require
a special focus.

So I don't see
the ability to pull

all these pieces together
in a way that's affordable.

So for those reasons, I'm out.

Mm.

So, I think the business
is all over the place.

And, personally, I
think if you just focused

on this jumpsuit thing
and rode that wave,

you might make a lot more money.

Great presentation,
great product.

Not for me. I'm out.

Okay. Herjavec: Mia, I
thought you were coming out

with a beautiful workout
product to take on Lululemon.

I have no idea what
business you're in.

I don't know if you're
in a tech business,

fashion business,
jumpsuit business.

I can't follow the
bouncing ball.

I'm out.

Let me explain also
a little bit further.

Corcoran: Can I mention
one thing? Mm-hmm.

I thought this was
the new Lululemon.

I was excited. But seeing
you all over the place...

Me too... made me think

that we wouldn't
be hyper focused

on making money through
this one outstanding product

with the great
zipper in the back.

Mm-hmm. Right?

So for that reason, I'm out.

So, you're a very good designer.

I love what you've created.

I would buy half, at least,
of what you have sitting here.

But my advice...
I personally feel

that $150,000 is
nothing for you.

Like, compared to what
you're going to need,

I don't think this is the right
investment for me or for you.

And for that reason, I'm out.

Thank you, Mia. Good luck, Mia.

Thank you so much. Good luck.

Thank you, ladies. Bye, ladies.

Thank you. Thank you.

♪♪

Murr: I was a little
bit disappointed

that people are continued
focusing only on making money.

Making money is
good, but making money

and making the planet cleaner
and making good for the planet

is much more
important and big thing.

That's why I was Yeah, I was...

I feel even angry a little bit.

♪♪

♪♪

[ Salsa music playing ]

Ooh. I love it.

Do a chair salsa.

Hey!

[ Man singing in Spanish ]

♪♪

Oh, they got some moves.

♪♪

Yay!

[ Laughs ]

Hola, Sharks. I'm James.

Y soy Johanna, from
Raleigh, North Carolina.

We're seeking $400,000
for 7% of our company.

Together: Buena Papa Fry Bar.

Buena Papa is a Colombian
expression meaning...

"Good people," but it
also means good potato,

because who
doesn't love potatoes?

But they never seem to
get the center of attention.

How many times have you heard,

"Would you like a
side of fries with that?"

But potatoes make
everything better.

And as a couple from
two very different cultures,

we've learned to put
two things together,

create something
even better. Yeah!

And that's why we created...

Together: Buena Papa.

Latin-inspired meals
piled high on a fat stack

of hand-cut, made to
order, gourmet French fries.

Mm, qué delicia.

Oh, it's a fiesta in your mouth,

and the whole world's invited.

Each of our signature
dishes start out

with 33 ounces of
fresh-cut potatoes.

That's over three large
potatoes in every meal.

No one can ever finish
one by themselves.

Our unique culinary experience

combines the
comfort of French fries

with the irresistible
Latin flavors from cultures

around the world,
like Colombiano.

Oh, Colombia.

Mexicano. Mexico.

Boricua. Puerto Rico!

Y muchos más.

And many, many more.

Why are you translating for me?

They know what I'm saying.
Honey, they don't speak Spanish.

Look, Mr. Wonderful
looks confused.

[ Speaking Spanish ]

[ Laughter ]

Okay, Sharks.

I can't tell you exactly
what she just said,

but what I can tell you
is, with our bilingual menu,

customers can order in Spanish

and have a little
fun at the same time.

So, vamos, Sharks, and
join these Buenos Papas

as we bring the savor
sensation to America.

All right, Sharks, who's ready?

Let's go. Come to Papa.

Let's try it.

James and Johanna: Buena Papa!

All right, guys.

Mr. Mark, what
do you have there?

Yeah, I got the
healthy one right here.

Ooh, El Healthy. Salmon.
What makes it healthy?

Smoked salmon, sweet
potatoes, guac, and pico.

That's all healthy.

Herjavec: Fries are great!
I have regular potatoes.

Oh, you have the Carolina.

That is pulled pork.

Pulled pork! Mmm!

I've got to get through
there's four sauces.

There's four different sauces.

So, we have a special
one called Buena Sauce.

It's our house made. It's mayo.

It's garlicky,
cilantro, delicious.

I just had it. It's
delicious. Oh, I like that.

Sweet potato fries
are really good.

Awesome.

Well, I'm going to give you

an "Y Chihuahua, caramba!"

Ohh! Ooh!

It's pretty good.

Muchas gracias.

People have fell in love with
this since we opened. Yes.

It's been a crazy, amazing ride.

When we first opened up,
we had $18 in our bank account

because we invested
everything. Wow.

$18? $18.

Because we had
invested our life savings.

We had $40,000 saved. Wow.

And this company actually
started in the pandemic.

This idea just came to mind.
We thought about Latin food.

When you kind of go on
vacation, you're in Cancún

or San Juan, Puerto Rico,
all those different street foods

that you have there
and how good it tastes,

and how can we
bring it back to America

and adopt it on top
of these fries, right?

So we served the family.
They were our test dummies.

[ Laughter ] They loved
it. The kids loved it.

And they said, "Hey, Dad,
can we have some more?"

And I was like, "You know what?
I may have a business here."

So, we opened up July


Where did you open?

In Raleigh, North
Carolina. After that $18,

two weeks later, we had
$18,000 in our bank account.

Two weeks after that,
on TikTok, we went viral.

An influencer came
and tried all of our dishes,

and in two days, we had


Wow. 16 million?



And when I saw
people just coming

and eating those potatoes,

I said, "Oh, my
God, it's working."

So, tell us about
your background.

How did you guys meet?

Sure. We're actually
high school sweethearts.

Really? What? Greiner: You are?

Yeah. We met the last
two weeks of high school.

Yeah. And I pursued her

like nothing other.

Aww, there's a prom photo.

Herjavec: Aww,
look at that. Aww.

[ Johanna laughs
] That's us. Yeah.

And ever since then, we've been
building with each other. Mm-hmm.

Anybody got
restaurant experience?

Not restaurant experience.

So, I've been an
entrepreneur all my life.

I started out actually
working for Queen Latifah

at Flavor Unit Entertainment.

And at that time, the
"Latin boom" was going on.

So I pitched, how about we
do a Latin management agency?

No one's really, like, focusing
on these new Latin stars.

And I've kind of always
been into the Latin culture.

Johanna, we haven't
heard from you at all.

I'm sorry. I talk a lot.
Sorry. Oh, wow, um...

Okay. You do talk a lot.

I do. I do. I know this.
I know this. [ Laughter ]

Um, well,

my family emigrated from
Colombia, South America,

in the late 1980s.

And when I went to school,
nobody could understand me.

I ended up being placed in the back
of the class. In the back of the class.

I eventually learned
how to speak English.

Right? Yay!

I was the first one

to graduate from
college, from my family.

And then I went
back to the school

where they sat me in
the back of the class.

And I worked as a
teacher for 12 years.

I love it! Oh, teaching
at the same school.

Good for you. That's awesome.

That's awesome.
Talk about triumphing.

O'Leary: Okay, so,
talk about this product.

Yes, sir. Yeah.

Tell me about the
cost of making it

and what you sell it for
and what the margins are.

Sure. And your margins.

So, on average, to
make any of these dishes,

it ranges about
$3.50 per plate cost.

And what do you sell it for?

On average, $13.50.

What's your overall margin?

Our food margins are 28%.

O'Leary: 28%? Wow.

James: 28%. It's a little light.

Is that your net
profit margins or...

That's the... On average,
that's where it's at, 28%,

for our food costs.

Oh, no. So you're
saying cost of,

not your margins, right?

Yeah. Not margins. Not margins.
You're doing the other way around.

Yeah. His margins are 72%.

Okay. Well, then you're
okay. You're in good shape.

Today, are you
in stores like this?

James: So, that's
our first store,

and it's a


Yeah, I love that.

Our first year, we
did $1.1 million.

Whoa. Greiner: Wow.

We took all the
profits from that

and invested into
this store. Mm-hmm.

Herjavec: How big is that one?

That one is several
hundred square feet.

And how's that doing?

It's doing really well.
So, combined, this year,

we're going to finish
at about $2 million.

What did you make last
year on the $2 million?

About $200,000.

Did you pay yourselves?
After paying...?

We paid ourselves
$80,000. So that's, what, 1...

$120,000. $120,000. Mm-hmm.

So you have two stores?

Well, no, no. Well,
we have three stores.

The third one is at
an arena, actually.

We're opening up a fourth
one in Miami this month.

Where in Miami?

Wynwood, Miami.

Oh, you'll k*ll it.
Yeah, we're excited.

We also... I
didn't mention this.

So, we started franchising.

Ah. Okay?

And on our opening month
of our franchising program,

we sold four franchises.

Herjavec: What do
you charge for those?

$29,500 for initial
franchise fee.

And then how much per year?


of that is marketing.

And how long has the longest
one been out there? Is this new?

Well, this is brand new.

Brand new. Okay. Brand new.

So, we just sold
these franchises.

So, what are you looking
for? We're looking for...

Besides $400,000.

Well, a strategic partnership
to help us build this brand.

All right? We got
franchises selling.

We're excited about those.

We know we can move this
company along at a nice, snail pace.

It doesn't sound like a snail
pace to me. Herjavec: Yeah, no.

I'll tell you the
hiccup, though.

We're a young company,

so when we go to
banks and we walk in,

and we're looking nice
and pretty and are like,

"Yeah, so we need some
money to open up a new store."

And they're like, "No, you're
still considered a startup."

So that was the issue.
So, we've been taking

our own profits and
opening up these stores,

which, I've learned
now, that is not healthy.

Why is that not healthy?

Because we're sucking
up all the cash flow.

But do you have any debt today?

$70,000 of debt on the
business. Nothing huge, right?

Okay, but I think it's a
fundamental question.

Like, would you rather
grow with a lot of debt

and scale and maybe
not make a profit,

or do it the way
you're doing it?

You started this when you
only had $18 in your account,

and now you're running
a $2 million business.

I mean, you should
be so proud of that.

Thank you. Thank you.
Johanna: Thank you.

But the issue is we want to
have more speed, because I know

that somebody else is going
to come into this market.

Listen, I think you're
doing everything right.

I think when you race and
run with something like this,

where you have to make sure
you land in the right places,

that you do
everything correctly...

Right... it's not
like you have to

blitz the market with it fast.

People can't copy that.

I would not want
to speed it out there,

I would not want to race it.

I wish you good
luck, but I'm out.

Thank you so much, Lori. Thank
you so much. Thank you, Lori.

So, the five-year plan for us
is to open one corporate store

every year in the
next five years,

and that's going to end up,

at the end of five
years, at $10 million.

Cuban: So, guys. Mm-hmm?

Running a restaurant
is a hard business.

Once you franchise,
you're in a second business,

you're in the
babysitting business,

you're in the daycare
business. Mm, so true.

Yeah. Because you're
taking $29,500 from somebody

and they're buying your dream.

Mm. And when they want
your help, you better be there.

Mm-hmm. If you
guys were just in this,

I was interested,

but you're in two
different businesses.

I think that's
going to crush you.

So for those reasons, I'm out.

Ah, wow. Wow. Okay.
Thank you, Mark.

So, very impressive.
It's delicious.

But, frankly, with the change
of my lifestyle of eating,

I wouldn't eat this.

And I like to get behind
the products that I invest in

so I can use my face
to push the business.

Right. Right. You know?

I'm out.

You know what I think? I think
you don't really need anybody.

I think you have
the whole package,

you have each other,
you're progressing nicely,

and I think you'll continue
that way, so I'm out.

Thank you so much.
Thank you, Barbara.

You still have one Shark left.
Robert, what are you doing?

Herjavec: All right,
guys, what I've learned is,

if you find great people,
great things can happen.

And you guys are amazing.

Thank you. I mean, to
go from where you were,

no money, to build
this size of business,

I've been there. Mm-hmm.

Let's figure out
this thing together.

Okay. But...

the only thing I
hate is the valuation.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Four Sharks are out.

Robert is James and
Johanna's last chance for a deal

for their Latin-inspired French
fry business, Buena Papa.

Let's figure out
this thing together.

Okay.

But the only thing I
hate is the valuation.

There's no way this
is worth $5.1 million.

Let's talk about it. Okay.

You're making $120,000 a
year. How is it worth $5 million?

Actually, Robert, it's a
$5.7 million valuation.

Thank you, Kevin. [ Laughter ]

So, after Miami opens
up, with our four stores

and our franchise stores,

we should be about
$6 million in gross sales.

Gross sales? In gross sales.

Next year. But that's not today.

It's probably worth
about $2 million today.

Well, I'm valuing it off of what
we're going to do next year.

Future earnings. Yeah.

Well, I'm valuing it off
what it's worth today.

I got you. Make us an offer.

So, for me, it's about $2
million, so $400,000, 20%.

Okay. Okay.

Can we counter offer you?

That's the beauty
of "Shark t*nk."

You can do whatever you want.

Let's talk papas. All right.

A good potato.



No. $400,000, 20%.

You know I'm going to be
there. We're going to invest more.

Let's meet halfway.


eat some papas, and let's go.

$400,000, 20%. Let's go.





What do you say,
honey? Oh, gosh.

Oh, my goodness. 19%, 19%.

Squeezing the
potatoes. Squeezing!



[ Cheering ]

[ Laughter ]

Whoo!

Thank you, sir.
I appreciate you.

Thank you so much. Buena Papa!

Buena Papa!

The food was amazing. Yay!

Congrats.

Congratulations, guys.

Thank you, guys.

♪♪

We got a deal. We got
a deal. Aah! [ Laughing ]

We got a deal. We got
a deal. We got a deal.

The sky is the limit for
Buena Papa right now.

We're gonna take Buena Papa
from Raleigh, North Carolina...

Yes... and it's going to travel

all over these United States

until it's in every metropolitan
city in the United States.

Whoo!

Narrator: for a chance to
win a video chat with a Shark,

"Shark t*nk" gear, or a
visit to the "Shark t*nk" set.

Winners will be
contacted on Instagram.

We can only contact followers

of "Shark t*nk" 's
official Instagram.


♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪