13x19 - Episode 19

[bunniefuu]

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

I've bootstrapped
this whole thing.

I pulled my 401[k].

I maxed out all my credit cards
like twice.

So you are
the perfect entrepreneur

that just needs a
little bit of help. Ah!

Excuse me. I have an
opinion. You don't have to like it.

I took that invention
behind the barn and sh*t it.

- What?
- No!

"Shahks"! I'm Steve
Skillings from New England!

Ooh!

Total dog mom right here.

- Whoa, whoa.
- Wow.

- Go, Lori! Go!
- Oh, my.

Both: Who wants to get busy?!

[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Narrator: First in the t*nk

is a new take on
an old tool for artists.

♪♪

Hello, Sharks.

I am here pitching a
business with millions in sales.

Better yet, my business is
built around my invention.

But... [ Chuckles ]

the most amazing thing of all...

[ Breathing deeply ]

Oh, I'm sorry. Hold
on. Are you okay?

Oh, just give me one...
Oh, this is embarrassing.

-Oh. -Thank you.

[ Laughter ]

Remember a guy
passed out here once?

The most amazing thing of all

is this isn't even the first
time I've been on "Shark t*nk"!

-Oh! -[ Laughs ]

That's right, Sharks,
it's Les Cookson,

the CarSik Bib guy from
Season 2... Oh, yeah.

Back again. Here's
a little reminder.

The CarSik Bib is the smart,
hands-free barf bag for kids.

It's a bib.

It's a bib. It's a CarSik Bib.

It's a feed bag, too.

[ Laughter ]

Then, you know,
when it happens...

Oh! [ Laughter ]

Don't worry, 'cause this time

I'm not pinching
a vomit necklace.

I took that invention
behind the barn and sh*t it.

- Yeah!
- No!

You're welcome,
Mr. Wonderful. Thank you.

But I took what I learned
from watching "Shark t*nk"

to grow one of my other
inventions to massive sales.

So, Sharks, I am
here asking $300,000

for 10% of my
business, LUCID-Art.

At LUCID-Art, we sell
the LUCY drawing tool

that can make anyone an
artist and any artist a master.

Set whatever you want to
draw in front of the LUCY,

look down to the viewing window,

and draw over
the reflected image

to start your
masterpiece in minutes.

The LUCY is my
reinvention of a classic art tool

that has been used
by artists for centuries.

That's right. The
old masters had help.

And now that I've breathed
new life into this old device,

all of today's artists
and would-be artists

can have help, too.

So, Sharks, who wants to
take a ride with an old friend

and crush the modern-art world

with this reinvented
historical drawing tool?

Each of you have a
LUCY in front of you,

but I have one over
here set up ready to draw,

and I would love to invite
Kevin to come up and try it out.

Absolutely. What are
you gonna draw, Kevin?

So, you look
through there. Yeah.

And you see the shark there?

I do. Now put your hand
down here and grab the paper.

And then go ahead, and you...

Basically, you see it reflected.

You see, like, your ghost
hand here. Oh, I see, I see.

And so it doesn't do the
drawing for you. That's kinda cool.

It still requires
practice and patience,

but it helps you
get results quickly

and actually helps
you learn over time.

Very interesting. Who knew?

And you're saying this has
been around for centuries?

The historical tool that it's
based on is the camera lucida,

which was first
patented in like 1807.

I mean, it's been centuries
that artists have used

these sorts of devices to
help collect the image. Really?

But what is he... I can't
see what he's doing.

I'm just tracing
around the shark.

Observe, Lori, how easy
that was. Yeah, let's see.

Isn't that amazing? [ Laughter ]

Thank you. Thank you.

That is absolutely spectacular.

So what do you
attach it to? Oh, yeah.

Like, what are the steps?

Yes, so you clamp
it to the table.

You set whatever's
in front of you.

Then you look through
it and you see basically

what looks like a
three-dimensional hologram

of whatever's in front of you.

Then you can draw over that.

And it's not as simple
as just tracing paper.

It actually involves
a little more skill,

involves a little more practice.

Well, obviously. Look at...

Obviously. The
first time you do it,

and you work with
it for 30 minutes,

you're gonna be drawing things

like you've never
imagined you can draw.

Do you have a patent?

I have a provisional
patent on this.

But you said it's been
around for a long time.

Yeah, I'm sorry. On
the improvements.

And so the historical
device... it had a lot of issues.

It's a reason that
people stopped using it.

The image was
small. It was unsteady.

And I spent four years
tinkering in my garage

making it work and
making it new again

so it's something that artists
want to use again today.

John: So this is for either
artists who already are,

you know, serious about it,

or someone who really
wants to take it serious.

So 20% of our sales are
to people learning to draw.


artists who...

They can actually draw
just as good without it,

but it speeds up their process.

And in the middle...
That 60% in the middle

are people who
are amateur artists

who just want to learn
how to draw better.

Greiner: So you were here
before with that device. Yes.

You took it out behind
the barn and sh*t it. Yes.

Why do you get
into this? [ Laughter ]

Yeah, what has
happened since then?

I've been an artist and
inventor since I was a little kid,

always drawing designs.

In my early 20s, I was going
to school, and my teacher

had brought in the
historical device into class,

and I was so mesmerized

that something so simple
could create that image.

And he started talking
about the problems with it,

that it doesn't work very well.

So I spent four years tinkering
in my garage to make a design

that was something
that was way better

than one that's
ever been before.

Then I went from the
inventor in my garage

to the entrepreneur
trying to sell this thing,

and I hit a roadblock
in like 2010.

And so I got sidetracked
with a few things,

including a bib that you barf in

that I actually ended
up on "Shark t*nk" with.

So, Les. Yes.

What do you sell it for?
What's it cost you to make?

What are your sales
in the last 12 months?

Okay, so the LUCY Flex...

That's gonna cost about $128.

It costs us $25.50 to make it.

Past 12 months,
we did $2.3 million.

- Wow! -What?!
- What?!

I told you millions
right at the beginning.

Do you think I was lying?
You were lying... No, wait.

Would I lie to an old friend?

- That's impressive.
- That's amazing.

Did you make any money on that?

Last year, we did
$3.7 million total,

and we made $1.6 million profit.

- Wow!
- This is incredible.

And what has been
your lifetime sales?

$10 million. What?!

$10 million?! Over $10 million.

Oh!

So let's break down who
you're selling to. Yeah.

So you're selling
direct to consumer.



Direct to consumer
from our website.

And how are you getting people?

Are you doing Facebook
ads, Instagram ads? Yeah.

What works best for you, Les?

Well, YouTube is really good

because people who
are going on YouTube

and they're gonna
watch a drawing tutorial...

Right, so they're typing
in "how to learn to draw"...

Exactly, yeah.

How much are you
spending on advertising?

Last year was a big year.

We did about $70,000 a
month in advertising. Wow.

From watching "Shark t*nk,"
every time I saw an entrepreneur

coming in with these
awesome numbers,

they said social media
was what was driving it.

And so I sat down and actually
spent hours watching videos,

learned how to do it.

So then advertising
started taking off.

In 2018 when I did
that... $1 million.



Then, of course, $3.7 million
in 2020. Herjavec: Wow.

But, Les, why do
you need the money?

You made $1.6 million. Oh, yes.

I'm here for a Shark.

Our biggest pain point right now

that I think a Shark can help
us with is cost per acquisition.

Look, it's a challenge because
the customer acquisition...

You have to find
a subset of people

that would use a tool,
that want to draw, right?

So whatever your customer
acquisition costs are now...

And what are they?

It's about $48 on
average for the year.

Okay, and your margin
when you sell one unit is what?

Costs us $25. We're
selling it for like $130.

So you're basically
over $100 with a profit,

so you're giving up half your
profit to acquire the customer.

So now I understand
your problem.

You want to get that...
Every dollar you can reduce

in your customer acquisition
goes straight to your pocket.

So this is really
about driving sales

through customer
acquisition, that's it. Yes.

Cuban: So let me step in.

Congratulations on what
you've been able to accomplish,

but this is not a product
that gets me excited at all.

So for those reasons, I'm out.

Okay, I'm sorry to hear
that, but I got into a little bit

about what I want a
partnership with a Shark about...

You know, cost per acquisition,
and those sorts of things.

One thing, too, is we
don't have recurring income.

This would be a perfect product
to marry with online courses

to be able to teach
people how to draw with it.

Look, I'm in awe
of your journey.

No kidding. One day
you're the barf-bag guy...

[ Laughs ] ...and then you
sell $10 million of something.

And guess what
you are? A success.

Everybody in this country
gets a second chance.

You've done an amazing job.

But it's just not a product
I'm passionate about.

Sincerely, congratulations.
Very proud of you.

I'm out.

Thank you. Thank
you. I appreciate that.

Greiner: You know,
it's a very cool device.

What I find most amazing

is that you are making
boatloads of money.

Yeah. And you came in asking,

you know, a very
fair ask of a Shark.

I think you're doing
phenomenally by yourself.

And I feel like it's the
right product for you.

Not for me.

But I wish you
good luck. I'm out.

Thank you very much for your
kind words and for your time.

I appreciate it.
O'Leary: You know, Les,

I just can't believe how
advanced I've become.

[ Laughs ]

For me, it's just not something
I want to go down the pike on

because it's too
nichey a market for me.

I like to do scale, like, big.

I'm just... I gotta tell you,
I didn't even believe you.

[ Chuckles ]

And, you know, you
are the barf-bag guy.

That's how I remember you.

Greiner: No, now you're the LUCY guy.
No, he's not. He's the $10 million man now.

Yeah. Listen, I'm
really impressed,

but it's just not for me.

Thank you, Les. I'm out.

I think everybody's
out except for me.

♪♪

Narrator: Four Sharks are out.

Daymond is Les's
last chance for a deal

for his drawing tool, LUCID-Art.

I think everybody's
out except for me.

I'm absolutely blown away
with these numbers, man.

Why do you believe
that we can change

your customer-acquisition
costs to lower?

Because anybody in the
world who'd walk up to you

and look at your business
from an acquisition cost

and say, "I can do
better than that 100%"

when you have done so
well... they're lying to you.

I'm not under the delusion that
somehow bringing in a Shark

is gonna be able
to run my business

magically better
than I can. Okay.

I just know that you
will bring more value

than equity that I
give you in terms of

not just the acquisition,
but also the courses.

Well, you don't know
that till you hear his offer.

I know the courses,
for sure. Yes.

Listen... I've never
done that before.

I don't have
expertise in that area,

and that's a... we
have 70,000 e-mails,


who have bought them before

that we don't have
anything to sell them and...

Oh, that's... 70,000 e-mails?

Yeah. Oh, that's
like talking dirty.

We could at the
very... [ Laughter ]

Here's what I want to do.

I'll offer you the
$300,000 for 20%.

So, I mean, I think I came in

with a pretty
reasonable valuation,

valuing at $3 million,

which is five times
cash flow after tax.

You absolutely did, but
you're in the t*nk, baby.

I understand. Come
on! This is what we do!

Sometimes people come
in here and they evaluate it

based on sales
they're projecting

with bozo math into
the future. You're right.

And I came with real hard sales.

Yeah, 100%.

Would you do it for 12%?

Let me paint the
picture for you.

[ Laughter ]



[ Sighs ]

Okay, so the highest I can go...

is 15%.

That's exactly where
I wanted to land.

Gotcha. Thank
you. Appreciate it!

Give it to me! Come
on, baby. There you go.

Ah! All right, all right, don't
second-guess that now.

I love you, man. Thank you, man.

- Good job.
- Congratulations, Les.

♪♪

Cookson: Last time I left the t*nk,
I was determined not to give up.

So if you have an idea
that doesn't work out,

take a behind the
barn and sh**t it

because you are more
than the ideas you have.

You can create something
bigger, something better,

and start over.

And that's what America's about.

And that's what
this pitch was about.

And making a deal with
Daymond is just amazing.

♪♪

Narrator: Earlier this season, Hans
Dose made a deal with Daymond John

for his octopus-inspired
phone mount, Tenikle.

My mentors believed in
me. I had nothing, zero.

Yeah. I believe in you.

Narrator: Let's see
what he's up to now.

Dose: When I went
to pitch to the Sharks,

Tenikle was struggling.

I had about $270,000 in debt.

I was living in an
RV with my wife.

And I only had $39 in the bank.

So many other entrepreneurs
never tell the hard stuff

of what they're going through.

Because I was vulnerable, I
really connected with Daymond,

who had been in a very
similar situation before.

Before "Shark t*nk,"
Tenikle was averaging

$800 a week in sales.

Within five minutes of
airing, we sold out on Amazon,

and that sh*t us up
to the number-one spot

in the phone-mount category.

It's been just over a month
and a half since we aired,

and I did $375,000 in sales.

I'm so excited about this thing

'cause it's moving
at lightning speed.

When I did the deal with Hans,

I decided to call an expert
that I know, Cody Grandadam.

The man knows
how to manufacture.

He knows how to
sell in this category,

and we decided to make
him our strategic partner.

I was on the call with
one of our best customers.

They saw the
Tenikle on the desk.

They immediately
asked, "What is that?"

I sent them some samples,
and we have a commitment

for over $1 million at retail.

Are you kidding me?

John: I decided to take
the chance on Hans

because people took a
chance on me, and it paid off.

The future is bright for Tenikle

and, more importantly, for Hans.

Dose: We never would
have made it this far

if it weren't for my wife
and her decision to say,

"Yes, let's go live in an
RV. Let's follow this dream."

I love her so much
for believing in me.

Because of "Shark t*nk,"
we've got a great partner,

a profitable business,
and money in the bank

so that we can
go look for a house

and get out of that RV.

If I could give any advice
to other entrepreneurs...

Be real about how
hard things are.

That success is right
around the corner.

Be okay with being
uncomfortable.

Be okay with being
vulnerable. Make it happen.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next up
is an exciting way

to keep your best friend active.

♪♪

[ Chuckles ]

Hi, Sharks. I'm Meghan.

This is Piper. And we're
from Malabar, Florida.

I'm seeking $240,000

for 6% equity in
my company... Oh!

SwiftPaws.

If you're anything like
me, your pets are family.

Total dog mom right here.

But we feel guilty when
we don't have enough time

to give them all the attention

and exercise that
they need every day.

Introducing SwiftPaws
Home, the pet-enrichment toy

that lets you create the
best game of chase ever

in your backyard.

You just set the course
wherever you want,

run the string around,

and when you pull this
trigger, it goes zipping around.

- Oh, wow!
- Oh, my God!

[ Laughter ]

Wolfgram: Get it, Piper!

- Pretty cool.
- Go, baby, go!

- Go, Piper! Go, Piper!
- That's brilliant, actually.

Oh, that's good!
You got it, baby.

- That's brilliant.
- That is so cool.

Oh, I got her! [ Laughs ]

How does it work? Does it
just change direction on its own?

Okay. No, it doesn't.
You control it.

Daymond, would you
like to give it a try? Sure.

So you press the on/off
button right on the side of it.

It should vibrate when
you do that. Yep, got it.

One at the time, guys. We
don't want to drive her nuts. Ooh.

And then you pull that trigger,
and she is just gonna go mad.

Go, Daymond! See if you
can keep it away from her.

Go get it, Piper! Go! Go! Go!

[ Laughter ]

- It's very cool.
- All right, I'm gonna try it.

- Off.
- That is so cool.

Aah! Whoa, whoa.

- Go, Lori! Go!
- Oh, my.

- Lori!
- Oh, my God!

I let go. Wait. It
said Kevin's doing it.

I got it! I got it.

[ Laughter ]

- Stop it!
- Kevin, stop.

All right, all right. I'm
gonna stop it now. All right.

I can say Mr. Wonderful
ran circles around my dog.

Yeah, I love it. He
did. He h*jacked it.

- Good job, Piper.
- Good job.

- I'm dizzy from watching that.
- Oh, my gosh.

I think Piper deserves
some water. Yes.

So I am gonna bring her
out, and I'll be right back.

Bye, Piper. Wow. What a
workout that dog just got.

Kevin, why don't you
go there and try it?

Well, you gotta
put a $10 bill there.

Then I'll do it.

It's amazing what
you'll do for $10.

So, Meghan, how did
you come up with this?

I learned about this as a sport.

It's a competitive sport,
just like dog agility.

- What?
- Really?

Yes! 50,000 entrants in the
sports of chasing last year.

So these sports are
growing, and people love

competing with their dogs
for points, titles, invitationals.

What are they chasing?

Basically a plastic bag.

This is our pro-grade equipment

and this is the straight-line
competitive sport

of Fast Cat. Wow.

This is our
professional-grade equipment,

which is what we call... You have
professional-grade equipment?

Yes, so we started as
the American manufacturer

of professional-grade
lure-coursing equipment,

and that is what
this was called. Wow.

And this is some of our home
equipment on a larger field.

- That's great.
- Wow.

So how did you get
into this? Tell us that...

So, I was a recent college
grad. I got a degree in economics.

And I took the summer
off just to do dog sports.

I was doing dog agility.

I discovered the
sport of lure coursing.

Wait, what's it called?
It's called lure coursing.

- Lure coursing.
- Lure coursing.

With Piper?

Actually, this got started
with a little dog named Pretzel,

and I lost Pretzel in May.

- Aw, I'm sorry.
- What happened?

He was 14 1/2. I lost
him to kidney disease.

There he is. Oh, so cute.

Cuban: He looks like a pretzel.

[ Voice breaking ] It's still
hard for me because that dog...

He was my sidekick.

He had a great, long life.

[ Normal voice ] He didn't
really like to play with toys,

but he loved chasing stuff.

Is Piper your dog,
too? So, Piper's my dog.

I got Piper a
couple of years ago.

Meghan, take us through
the progression, like...

Absolutely. So we got our start
making pro-grade equipment.

The equipment out there
that people would build...

And when did you
start doing this? In 2012.

I built my first one
with the help of my dad.

My dog loved it.

I invited my agility
friends. They loved it.

I actually... How big
is the agility sport?

Hundreds of thousands of entries

in thousands of competitions
every year. Come on!

I built professional-grade
equipment.

We filed for our patent,
and then in about 2017,

we were going around the country

selling this to zoos, dog
trainers, doggie day cares,

and then everybody who
would come to these events.

Average dog owners would
say, "I need this in my backyard."

So I couldn't let it go. I
said, "I have to make one,"

because the pro-grade
equipment costs over $2,500.

And that's just not affordable.

So then we launched this
with a Kickstarter in 2018.

We shipped our
first units in 2019.

So what are sales now?

So I want to get to sales.

I don't want to leave
you guys hanging.

So I ended up doing a
seed round in 2020. Ah.

And I did that on
a convertible note,

$2.5 million cap.

I raised $670,000.

- Ooh!
- Wow!

Greiner: Good for you.

So what percentage
do you own now?

If those notes all
converted today,

I would be at 63%.

What are the
prices of the units?

So SwiftPaws Home
retails for $449 for the kit.

Our cost... everything
into the box...

Is $135.

Okay, Meghan, now's the moment.

Are we ever gonna
hear the sales?

Now's the moment. You
can tell us sales. Sales! Sales!

Year-to-date we've
done $750,000. Wow.

We're on target
to do $1.5 million,

and we've done
$1.5 million lifetime.

What do you think you'll
make on the $1.5 million?

$140,000.

Why so little?

How much did you
lose last year, Meghan?

So last year we did
$425,000 in sales,

and we lost $380,000.

-Oh! -Oh! [ Laughs ]

Wait a minute. Let me tell you
why... we actually didn't get back

in stock until June,
and that was because

of materials delays
early in the year.

And then we did $425,000
from June to December last year.

But you lost $380,000.

That means you
kept the staff on.

I kept everybody on. In
fact, I actually increased.

So January 2020, I hired my first
employee. Cuban: Good for you.

That's business
karma right there.

That's admirable.

You raised $670,000. You
have some sales coming in.

- Yes.
- Where did the cash go?

So the rest of the
cash was materials.

So we buy all of our materials.
We bring them into my hometown.

We do all of our
assembly in my hometown.

I really think that there
are ways to reduce

my manufacturing
costs. Greiner: For sure.


minimum order quantity

on some of my parts.

I don't understand why
you're assembling them here,

when you should be
doing it all offshore. Right.

I would be open
to exploring that.

Here's what I'm here for.

I want to improve the lives
of as many dogs as I can.

Look, I'm very impressed
with what you've built here.

I think your costs
are way out of whack.

I would be taking this to
a factory and completely

redesigning the process
of manufacturing it.

I think it's too expensive.

$449 is a lot for a family,
even that loves dogs.

I think you're terrific,
but this is not for me.

I'm out. Okay. Thank you.

So I was gonna b*at
you up on the price,

but I got to tell you, you
know, with your history

raising capital, keeping
your employees...

You're really the real deal.

But I don't think
that I can help you

as much as I would
love to for this price.

So I'm out. Thank you.

Herjavec: Okay, Meghan,
I just have one question.

Yes. I'm trying to figure out,

am I interested enough
to make an offer?

I love my dog.

But $449 is a lot of money.

Do you think if it was $199,

is it a $5 million company?

I think that SwiftPaws is
a $100 million company

in the next two to
three years... That...

because this is a $100
billion industry... pets.

And I love that you said $199.

That's my target price.

Cuban: Look, I think
it's a great product.

What you've been able
to accomplish is just...

You are the American dream.

You are doing it
the exact right way.

And you love the
product so much,

you just want to
spend all day selling it.

I do. You are the
perfect entrepreneur

that just needs
a little bit of help.

I just don't know that I'm
the right person to help you.

So for those reasons, I'm not.

Thank you.

You still have two
Sharks left, Meghan.

Meghan, everything
that you have done,

you made it yourself.

You did everything you
could to make this work,

and you understand business.

Really, you're so impressive.

And then the product, I
think, is really phenomenal.

And I think you can sell
millions and millions of these.

Yep. One time a
year I do something.

I give away my Golden Ticket.

- Oh, Lord.
- Oh, my God.

I do. I do it once a year

to somebody I feel
really deserves it.

I hope the dog eats that thing.

No, you know what?
You really deserve it.

And so I am offering
you my Golden Ticket,

which means that I give you
what you came in asking for,

which is the $240,000 for 6%.

Oh, I was not going
to offer you that.

[ Voice breaking ]
Lori, Pretzel's paw prints

are on the bottom of every unit,

and I want to continue
this journey with you.

Oh, yay! [ Normal
voice ] You got a deal!

I'm so glad.

I love it. You deserve
it. Great job, Lori.

♪♪

[ Voice breaking ] I've
been up so many nights.

There's gonna be
so many happy dogs.

So many happy dogs.

Congrats, guys. You're
all a part of my journey now.

Thank you.

- Aw, thank you, Meghan.
- Congratulations.

♪♪

I can't believe it. Lori
and the Golden Ticket.

And I'm so glad that she
saw everything that I fought for.

[ Sniffles ]

I know, baby.

All right. Kevin, chase!

- Okay.
- Go, Kevin! Go!

- Wait, wait, wait.
- Okay.

- Okay.
- I got it.

[ Laughter ]

Greiner: Make it
go faster, Robert.

♪♪

Narrator: Next in the
t*nk is a productivity tool

when working from home.

♪♪

"Shahks"! I'm Steve
Skillings from New England!

[ Laughs ] I'm the
CEO of BusyBox,

and we're here seeking
$200,000 for 15% of the company.

Sharks, are you tired of
accidental interruptions

ruining your meetings
and your focus?

Hey, Steve, you busy?

Oh, yeah, I'm in a
meeting, man. Sorry.

Not good.

Uh, what was I saying?

Meeting focus.
Oh, meeting focus.

Sharks, at the beginning
of the pandemic,

my house turned into

a four-person
work-from-home space,

and accidental interruptions
were a constant problem.

Being an inventor
type, I set out to fix it.

At first, I tried to train
my dog to guard the door,

but she couldn't tell
the difference between

a good visitor and a bad one.

Who's my good little guard dog?

Who's my good... Oh.

[ Laughter ]

After a while, I tried a lot
of stuff, and nothing worked,

so I tried a simple
solution, right?

Lock the door.

Steve. It's Connor.
Are you ready?

Shh! I'm in a meeting. Shh.

What? I can't hear you.

I'm in a meeting. Don't come in.

What?! I can't come
in. The door is locked!

[ Laughter ]

It's unlocked.

Hi. I'm Steve's
teammate, Connor.

Sharks, this is why
we invented BusyBox,

the first data sign made

for work-from-home
professionals.

To use it, you simply
mount it on your door.

You connect it to our app.

And you can change
the lighting and brightness

and even connect
it to your calendar

so it automatically
lets people know

when you're off that
five-hour marathon call.

And with the BusyBox Digital,

you can create any message
you want using our HD screen.

So the options are unlimited.

That's right, Sharks.

Who wants to be more
productive at home

and help us build a brand

for work-from-home
professionals?

Shahks!

Both: Who wants to get busy?!

- Shahks!
- Shahks!

I love that. Shahks!

So we put some BusyBoxes
there in front of you and phones.

And we'd love to have
you dive in and play.

There are two models there...

The standard and the digital.

- Ta-da!
- Ta-da!

We made everyone a
special assortment of presets

so you could have
some fun there.

Oh! Oh, there we go!

- I did it.
- I got it!

So the digital is our
more expensive model.

So this, you have to go
with whatever is there.

Yeah, exactly.

So with that model,
to keep the cost down,

we have slide-in-and-out signs.

So you can see everyone
has a few different signs.

- Got it.
- How much does it cost?

That model there is $299.

Wait, I'm sorry. $299?

- Yes, sir.
- Wow.

Why are you
charging $299 for it?

I'm curious.

We want to grow
slow and methodical,

and we want to have
margin to make sure

that we have great
features that we can build

and connect with customers.

So what are your sales?

So we have lifetime sales

of $429,000.

We did $299,000 in 2020.

We did $129,000 so far.

- Not bad, though, hey.
- Yeah, I'm surprised.

You know what?
You're not full of crap.

You guys have gotten a lot
of press for this, haven't you?

No, none. No? 'Cause I've
seen something very similar.

There are people
making similar devices,

but they're made for
sitting on your desk.

They're made to look at.

We're going after the
work-from-home market

where we want to put this
on the outside of the door.

Now, are you two related?

[ Laughs ] No.

So why don't you
tell us about you,

what each of you do, and
how you two got together?

I came up with the idea at
the start of the pandemic.

I'm sitting there
on a video call.

My wife comes
in and says, "Hey,"

and she walks in and she's like,

"Oh, I feel bad. Sorry."
Turns and walks out.

A little while later, my
daughter does the same thing.

And I'm like, "Agh!
This is crazy."

So I was like, oh,
you know what?

One of those old on-air signs.

And what I'll do is I'll
just mount that on my door

and away I go.

Guess what? What?

None exists. Nothing.

Really? You can buy... Yeah.

I was about to say to you,

can't you just go get a
light or a something...

Yeah, I would think
they're everywhere.

So the hard-wired
lights... no problem.

If you want to cut
a hole in the wall,

run electrical wire... Right.

Add a switch, absolutely.

So I come up with
this product idea

and I go, "I'm gonna build
a nice little business here."

But then along the
way, I started to realize

that there's a big
market opportunity

beyond just data signs.

What's the opportunity?

We're looking for building

productivity products
like the BusyBox

that helps you to be more
productive in that space

that you call your busy space...

Things that help
you communicate.

So, your microphone,
your video camera.

The lights in your room

could know what
you're doing and adjust.

We want to bring
wellness into it as well.

Oy. Okay, let me
get things started.

Look, guys, you've
certainly put in the effort,

so I give you credit there,

but you're going off
on all these tangents,

and whenever something
evolves to the wellness space,

I'm out. Okay. I understand.

My feeling is it's cute.
It's novel. I see the need.

But $299 for it

I think is just way
too high a price point.

I just think that
it's never... Right.

Going to really become something

in a lot of households.
Yes. Right.

So for those reasons, I'm out.

Thank you.

Look, I think you
guys hit a trend.

Your next idea, wellness...

It's a little reaching
for me. Sure.

I admire the fact you
started something,

and you should be proud of that.

But as an investor, I'm...

Sorry to hear that.

Thank you for supporting
entrepreneurship as well.

The weird thing about
all this is there's probably

a market for this thing.

I wish both of you the
best. Congratulations.

You made it to "Shark
t*nk." Good luck to you.

I'm out. Okay.

So, guys, you showed
us where it's going

at a price that is just
not comprehensible

to the everyday
person for you to scale.

It's not investable for me
at the moment, so I'm out.

- Sorry to hear that.
- Thank you, guys. Thank you.

Congrats, guys. All the best.

- Bye-bye.
- Appreciate it.

♪♪

Well, I got too excited.

Ugh! Dang it.

We're looking forward
to just keep grinding

and keep doing good things

and, you know,
we'll make it happen

and we'll just grow a lot slower

than if we had the Sharks
being able to rocket our sales.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: Next up is an
innovation in sweet treats.

♪♪

Hi. My name is Shahira Marei.

I'm from Orange
County, California.

I'm seeking $500,000

in exchange for 5%
equity in my company.

- Whoa! -Ooh.
- Wow.

Sharks, aren't you tired of
sending the same fruit baskets,

cookies, and cupcakes to
all your friends and family?

The edible gifting
space is impersonal

and hasn't had much
change since 1960

with the addition of
chocolate-covered strawberries.

That's why we
created Dirty Cookie,

a unique, delicious,
and memorable gift.

The cookie sh*t glass...

Yep, we've taken sh*t glasses
and turned them into cookies,

and they may look
like hard cookies to you,

but they're actually
super soft and chewy,

turned into edible sh*t
glasses that you can fill

with any beverage, from
milk, coffee, sweet liqueur,

or my personal favorite,
chocolate ice cream.

We have DIY decorating kits
and gift boxes for any occasion,

from birthdays,
graduations, showers.

We even have vegan,
gluten-free options for you, too.

All right, Sharks, who's
ready to talk cookie to me

and take a sh*t
with Dirty Cookie?

What do we have here, Shahira?

So you have our chocolate chip,

red velvet, double
chocolate, churro,

and our vegan, gluten-free
double chocolate.

Ooh! Tastes great. Thank you.

Oh, I love the double chocolate.

So the idea is I sip
and then I bite into it.

Yes, so instead of, like,
dunking your cookies in milk,

you drink your milk
out of your cookie.

And we customize them. Oh.

You can see some
of them have logos.

Greiner: Wow.

Okay. What's the story here?

Well, my family
moved here from Egypt

when I was five years old.

I got a job at Boeing.

I was the youngest
female project manager,

managing $20 million
worth of projects. Wow.

And then three years
later, I had my daughter.

And that was also a
pivotal moment in my life

because I realized, okay, I
have an amazing corporate job,

but I don't have
my dream business.

I've always wanted a business
since I was like 10 years old.

How did you create
the idea to do it?

So I was inspired a lot
by Pinterest, to be honest.

So I saw a lady molding
cookie dough on a bowl.

And I love milk and cookies,

so when I saw her doing that,
I called my engineer at Boeing.

Me and him got together.

We designed and
manufactured our own molds.

We actually have a
patent on the mold.

What do you charge
for them, Shahira?

We never heard what they cost.

The dozen is $49.99.

It costs us $12.92 per dozen.

And you were saying
that they are customizable.

How does that work?

So these are our DIY
kits for any occasion,

for, like, Christmas
or Hanukkah.

Kids or parents put them on.

We send them
chocolate, sprinkles...

Oh, cute... and they
decorate them themselves.

And when did you
start the business?

Yeah, so I started
in brick-and-mortar

for three years in 2015.

It was a terrible location.

I realized really quickly within
a year I wanted to get out,

but I didn't close it till 2018.

What was the 2018 sales?

So 2018 was about
$300,000. Okay.



And 2020 was $1.27 million.

- What?!
- Boom!

- What?
- What happened?

When COVID hit, that's
where the DIY kits came to me.

It was right before Easter.

We sold 400 units in 48 hours
and we didn't have enough,

so I just stopped 'cause it
was just me and my C. O. O.

- Congratulations.
- Yeah, love that you pivoted.

So what about 2021?

$2.6 million.

And what are gonna make
off the $2.6 million? Wow.

$250,000.

- Wait.
- Why so low?

Because... So this
is why I need funding,

because our cost to make
these cookies is pretty high.

We don't have the
right equipment,

so every cookie
sh*t is handmade.

Oh! But there is a
machine out there.

I went to Italy and I tested
it out, and it's amazing.

- How much does it cost?
- $400,000.

- Oh, is that all?
- Yeah.

- Get two!
- I know, right?

But with 10 people right now,

I make 15,000
cookie sh*ts a week.

With that machine, I
could do 4,000 an hour.

- Whoa.
- An hour! Wow.

An hour.

And what would that
take your cost down to?

It would help us
more like capacity.

So last year, we had to turn
off advertising three weeks early

because we couldn't
keep up with demand.

How much money
did you make last year?

- Profit?
- Yeah.

$50,000.

Uh, were you hoping to
give us the sweet liqueur

so we wouldn't catch
the $10 million valuation?!

[ Laughs ] Good one.

Talk to us about that.

$2.6 million is what we're
projected to hit this year.


is the industry standard,

so I picked 4, and we
have a bunch of partnerships

coming up next
year, licensing deals.

We just got into FTD, which
was a flower-gifting company,

and we're working for next
year with 1-800-Flowers.

Have you raised money?

No, I've bootstrapped
this whole thing.

Do you have debt?

I have about half a million
in debt right now. Whoa!

Did you put money into it?

Yeah, so I sold my house
in 2019 to fund us... What?!

After I closed
the store. You did?

I pulled my 401[k] from Boeing.

I maxed out all my
credit cards like twice...

Man... and paid them off.

- Wow.
- Don't worry.

Your cookie got dirty, Shahira.

Yeah, yeah.

I don't know if you're
committed enough.

Do you have a partner?

No, I'm 100% equity
owner right now.

Good for you. But I
would like to eventually...

My C. O. O., she's been working
as hard as me for three years,

and I'd like to give her equity.

What do you think
growth is for 2022?

I'd like to get to
$6 million in 2022.

How are you gonna do that?

Well, these partnerships
that we're bringing...

Yeah, but you don't know

the conversion on
those partnerships yet.

I've been down this road.

This idea that you're
going to $6 million,

that's extremely aggressive.

I am very ambitious, yes.

Cuban: Yes, you are.

But, Shahira, one of
the challenges you have

is you compete
with all gifts, right?

You compete with all things fun

and all things
tasty, right? Yes.

So you kind of are capped on
how much you can charge. Yes.

You're kind of in that
really, really stressful,

gerbil cage just
running and running

and running and running,
just trying to keep up.

Yeah. Because
the bigger you get,

the harder you work till you
get these other devices. Yeah.

That means you're
not very capital-efficient,

and that makes it
really hard to invest in.

So for those reasons, I'm out.

Look, I give you three
years to start making money.

And if you can't,
it's just a hobby.

And the reason is... 250
grand is nothing to sneeze at.

Excuse me. I have an
opinion. You don't have to like it.

I'm just telling
you what I think.

The reason the model's broken

is the $12 cost of goods.

It has to be $4.

That's the only thing you
should be focusing on.

And still, with your vision,

your COGS aren't
gonna go down that much.

I'm sorry. I hate
your business model.

I'm out.

I think we all agree that
you're a wonderful person,

but the profit is not
being brought in,

and we're all struggling
with your business model.

It's such a dangerous
opportunity for me

with all those
variables, so I'm out.

Look, there is no
doubt about you,

but there's a flaw
in this business,

and it scares me that
somebody as smart as you

after six years
hasn't figured it out.

There's too many
unknowns. I'm out.

You're great.

I love the concept
of it. I love the DIY.

Actually, I'll tell you
what I love the most.

You pivoted... Yes.

When COVID hit and your sales
shut down. Yeah. Good for you.

That's a true entrepreneur.

I'll never give up because
I made a promise to myself

when I was younger.

So my father, he also felt
like I wasn't good enough.

He wanted a boy really
bad and he got me as a girl.

Oh, that sucks. So I
always struggled with that.

I wanted to prove to him
that I can be successful.

[ Voice breaking ] So
that's why I'll never give up.

I have to prove to
him that I'll make it.

And I think a lot of
women understand that

because a lot of women
are challenged with that.

Here's my problem.

You're on track
to do $2.6 million,

but you're not profitable yet.

You have to buy this machinery.

There's a lot of
mountains to climb.

I'm gonna make you an offer,

but you might not like it.

♪♪

Narrator: Four Sharks are out.

Lori is Shahira's last
chance for an offer

for her cookie sh*t-glass
company, the Dirty Cookie.

I will give you $250,000
as a loan at 8% interest,

and I'll give you the
other $250,000 for equity.

And because it is so risky,

I'm going to ask for...



I know it's a lot.

Cuban: That's nothing 'cause
you own 100% of the company

and now you get help.

I want to be able to give


Did you say 25%?

I did, because I know
what it's going to take.

Would you do it at


and then 10% on the loan?

You'll pay more interest
on the loan? Yeah.

Not 8%. You'll pay 10%. Yeah.

How long is the
term of the note?

Three years.

I have another cut at
it, if you don't mind, Lori.

First of all, you know,
I relate to everything.

Like, my entire life,

people told me I'm
not good enough.

I'm not gonna
amount to anything.

And it took years
to let that go,

until I realized it's not them.

It's me.

You're the one that thinks
that. You gotta let that father...

I did. I've been
doing a lot of healing.

Like, you started a business.
You're a successful mom.

I've been doing a lot of
healing the last few years,

and I have let that go,

but that's why I
know I will not give up.

No, and understand it. So let
me... I have an offer to make.

[ Exhales deeply ]

I'll give you the $500,000

for 30%... but let me finish.

But if you hit your
projection next year,

I'll go down to 15%.

Ooh.

Next year? Not this year?

Yeah, you told me you're
gonna do $6 million next year.

- Oh, wow.
- Oh.

- No, but she did.
- You're right.

- Yeah, she did.
- You're right.

Am I right or wrong
on that? You're right.

All right, I'm gonna
put my money

where your mouth is,

because at that point,
the valuation makes sense.

I will match that.

If you hit it, I would
go to 15%, too.

Always copying my offer.

So $250,000 loan
at 8%, three-year,

then $250,000 for 25%.

Which goes down to 15%.
If you hit your projection,

I'll go down to 15%.
I'll be real happy.

You don't need a loan.
You need a partner.

Shahira, this is a bet on you.

Robert, is there any way
you'd go down to 20%?

I'll give you the $500,000.

I'll start at 25%.

I'll take your
projection for next year.

We'll discount some of it,
which we always do in forecast.

If you're telling me $6 million,
maybe we shave it down.

$6 million, minus 15%,
so roughly $5 million.

And if you hit it, my money
goes in your confidence.

I'll go down to the 15%.

- You gotta make a decision.
- I know.

♪♪

I'll take it. I'll
take it. Done!

- [ Laughs ]
- Congratulations.

- Congratulations.
- Oh, my God.

Thank you so much, Robert.

Oh, thank you, Shahira.
Oh, my gosh. Thank you.

You gotta figure out this
problem, though. I'll figure it out.

- Come on!
- I promise.

- Congratulations, Shahira.
- Congratulations.

All right. Thank
you guys so much.

Oh, my god.

So it is a risky deal for us,
but I do thrive under pressure,

so I will figure this out.

I'm just really
grateful for all of them

because they believed in me,

which I don't get a lot of that
from the closest people to me.

So seeing it from the
Sharks, all of them...

That is priceless.

♪♪

♪♪