Anyone here watch ' Sharks Tank ' and are there any Sharks in here ??

[discrat]

It is a prettty good show. You learn some but I have to admit the Sharks can drop the ball every once in awhile.

Case in point the woman with the diferent cartoonish figures on Surgical Masks. The Sharks thought it was cute but didnt see a Market for it and thought Doctors wearing such things in a Surgery room was kind of ridicolous for such a serious matter.. The woman said something about the American Pediatric Association contacting her and for some reason that went over the heads of the Sharks. Its like "whoaaa people" you missed the whole point.

My Wife who is an RN couldnt believe they didnt catch this and said that this product would be incredible in Childrens' Hospitals across the World.
Children with Spongecake on a brain Surgeons mask are you kidding me ?? This would do wonders for a young child's nerves and calm them down before they are about to undergo serious surgery. Its an unbelievable idea and with constant re-orders from Childrens Hospitals........Get the F- out of here !! This is Gravy !!

One of you inventor types out there ought to take this and run with it.
I dont have the time but I will accept a 4% Royalty in perpetuity !!

[Lou Diamond]

Hello,
I watch the show and I think it is a disgrace.
The sharks want to take controlling interest in just about every project.
The sharks missed the hinged guitar,they wanted the patent on the hinge for
1 million bucks and the patent holder was smart enough to turn it down.
That special hinge will make the inventor many many millions.

[Derek S]

I agree with Lou,

I actualy find myself yelling at the TV.

These people put their life into their business only to be strong armed into giving their company away for penuts and instantly become their own employee.

The only way I would go on this show is if I had a product I knew would make me an income but had no emotional attachment to...

I would then use the sharks to fund and grow the company with plans to personally sell off my % and use that funding and experience to create a new business on my own.

[Marian Berghes]

I think the people that go to that show should go find some angel investors if their idea is really good.

Go to one of those expo's like Techcrunch 50 and stuff, where you present your business, the current state and why should they invest in it...if your lucky you can get a whole lot of investors, and you don't have to give 51% of the company to them so that they will invest.

Just look at mint.com...they won Techcrunch 40 or something, got alot of investors and now sold for $170 million.

[Scott Ames]

I love that show. The sharks are named sharks for a reason. They are after their own self interests. They want a return and the hedge their bets. Brutal but that's business. Notice they are not in charity mode.

Do they get it wrong sometimes? I'm sure they do. Hopefully no one will give up a dream if they get turned down by all the sharks. How many people have been turned down and have made it big? Lots.

[katiec]

I've watched this show and I despise it. A lot of my Marketing Guru friends adore it, but I find it to be a horrible disgrace.

[smartsites]

I love the show just to see the cool ideas people have come up with. I think the sharks are a joke! I mean they have made a gazillion dollars yet they still want to stick it to the little guy starting out.

[captivereef]

Business is business, its not charity and its not fair. The sharks are smart business men/women who have something the other people want, their money. Whey should they just give it away??? If they lose money nobody will give it back to them.

[The Redfox]

Yep, I watch the show, and LOVE it! It reminds me of business school. I was in a few business plan competitions back in the day, and the Sharks remind me of that! These guys are greedy and WILL take you for everything you are worth, if the you let them. However, I have to disagree that it is all bad; with some of their marketing expertise some of these owners will make it HUGE where they could not have on their own.

If you saw the episode with the 2 immigrants that had an online therapy website, this illustrates my point. These guys had a so-so idea; nothing to earth shattering. However, with the expertise of the "internet guru" on the show and the other software developer; I am sure they will do 10 times the business.

Anyway, I happen to work in the financing/consulting business in the "real world". I can tell you that going to an investor should be the LAST STRAW for financing. If you can self finance, that's the best. Secondly, borrow from a bank. You can go to friends and family although I dont recommend it. Do everything you can to keep ownership of your business.

Only use an investor if you are desperate OR the investor will make your business skyrocket! (which may be the case with the Sharks). Anyway, WAY too many small businesses seek out Angels or VCs only to lose most of their company.

Great show!!

[JohnMcCabe]

I watch it. The right deal can make a huge difference when a guppy wants to swim in the big bad ocean. On the last episode, they did an update on the pie maker from one of the early shows. His business took off thanks to his deal with the sharks.

As for that "keeping the little guy down" crapola, one of the sharks nailed it. He said it was all about money, and money has no soul.

If I come up with an idea, and someone tells me I can have a pile of money now and royalties on the gross for life, I'd probably grab it. Deposit the checks and take on a new project knowing I had a lifetime income stream.

Do the Sharks whiff on a few? Absolutely. When a deal comes in that's in their wheelhouse, they fight for it. When it's not something they're comfortable with, they say no. Seems pretty smart to me...

[Drew Castle]

Probably my favorite show on television right now. You get to see all of these great ideas that entrepreneurs have, and see how the Sharks break down numbers and figures of a market. They're sometimes brutal, but sometimes that is exactly what business owners need to hear sometimes.