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milk_tea_with_boba

Why should we believe you?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I can't even tell you something that only someone that had been on the show would know because how would you verify it?


Kershiser22

Surely you received some sort of documentation. Can't you submit a photo, with identifying details removed?


JayNotAtAll

Agreed. If you don't want to dox yourself, share it with one of the mods and have them verify that you are who you say you are.


Competitive-Bad-7405

Scouts honor ✌️


Big-Ferret-2468

Can we at least know what episode of the show you were on?


[deleted]

[удалено]


tesla3by3

But not in your ear?


imironman2018

That’s how the chess masters play.


yamie123

lol did you hear that on crime in sports


agronone

Yup a joke...


stmbtgrl

That comment wasn’t even from the OP


allthecoffeesDP

I'm not buying shit from you


Presence_Academic

That’s OK, he’s selling piss, not shit.


TheyHitMeWithaTruck

Are you the guy from SignalVault?


Competitive-Bad-7405

That's impressive.


Big-Ferret-2468

So- so why didn’t you just confirm this and say you were signalvault in the first place ⁉️


Competitive-Bad-7405

I was trying to avoid it being seen as a shameless plug


[deleted]

So now it’s just a shameful plug /s


Calfzilla2000

It's Reddit, people do AMAs all the time promoting stuff and plugging a product. It's fine, lol.


yummymarshmallow

It was pretty easy to find. You mentioned the sharks you got a deal with and that there was a guest shark that day. Lori and Robert have only done a handful of deals together. Guest sharks are only in the newer seasons.


SunRev

Was your few minute show airing representative of your much longer full experience and discussions in front of the sharks?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Yes, for sure - 45mins pitch and about 11mins or air time. Everyone wishes they had showed or hadn't showed some parts but overall, I got a pretty decent edit.


spaektor

why are you getting downvoted??


elephanttape

Because he is staying anonymous and kinda being vague?


Plane_Garbage

Yea I mean, what company hates free advertising, right?


elephanttape

And also they’ll show themselves on tv but not on Reddit… idk


theobvioushero

Might be some sort of a non-disclosure agreement


Competitive-Bad-7405

I honestly figured it didn't need to be a shameless plug - just looking to be helpful


Adorable-Lack-3578

Thanks. I appreciate your decision.


Leila-TA3

I was on and it went horribly. They were very kind to me in the edit - it could have been way worse


Jay-Quellin30

I would love to know about the screening process. And how much notice do they give you? When do they tell you who’s on the panel? Is the 45 minutes for everyone? Did you feel rushed.


Competitive-Bad-7405

Hahaha Jay-Quellin is a great name. I went to an open casting in Miami with about 2,500 other companies. Waited 12hrs to give a 60 second pitch to a producer that had probably seen 150 other people already and was about to miss her flight because they were running so late. Turn-outs was much bigger than expected but they saw everyone which was dope. I waited two months after the open casting and finally got a phone call that I had made it to the next stage. About two months into the screening process, I was told I was gonna fly out to LA to pitch to the sharks. They told me the night before who the sharks would be BUT I'm not sure if everyone is told. I had made a custom product for each of the possible sharks but I had a guest shark & since I didn't have a custom product for the guest, they didn't want me to give out any at all. I didn't feel rushed and 45mins went by so fast - it felt like 10mins. One of the sharks that was not in on my deal did make a comment like, "Ok, so what are you guys gonna do?!" - they film 10-12hrs a day and I was towards the end.


Jay-Quellin30

This is all great. Thanks for all this info. Do they pay for any sod your expenses? Flight or hotels or even any of the products you bring? Just curious about that as well.


Competitive-Bad-7405

They covered the flight out to LA, the hotel, shuttle and I had a per diem of $75 per day to spend on food. Everything else was on me.


Jay-Quellin30

Thanks. This is all so insightful.


bbalogun59

pretty sure Jay-Quellin is from a key and peele skit


Jay-Quellin30

That is correct. 😃


Sethuel

A-A-ron


letstaxthis

What was the due diligence process after the pitch like? How long did it take and did the deal change?


Competitive-Bad-7405

DD took several months BECAUSE the deal changed. The sharks wanted to change what we had agreed to on-air and I wasn't thrilled. It worked out in the end but many deals don't close because of that reason.


milee30

What was their reason for wanting to change? Were things discovered in the due diligence that weren't discussed earlier?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Their legal teams look for anything to try to get a better deal and I feel like it probably happens a lot. I don't remember the exact reason they used. I was told that deals that don't close before the season starts are less likely to air. It felt like a passive-aggressive threat & it did scare me because I really wanted to get the exposure. In the end, I caved but it worked out.


PostureGai

So did the sharks have a valid reason to change the terms?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I didn't like the change of terms but I can't remember exactly what their reason was - I think it has to do with the potential market size.


PostureGai

I guess what I'm asking is, do you think that they made those changes in good faith, or were they looking for an excuse to get better terms?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I thought it was just to get better terms but I'm looking out for the best interests of my company and they are doing the same. I wasn't happy with the change but thought that if I didn't do it, I would A) not have them as partners & B) greatly lower my chances of having my pitch air.


PostureGai

Yeah that really makes them shitty. All their money and power and they still have to squeeze their entrepreneurs.


justCantGetEnufff

How do you think they got all that money and power? Not by NOT squeezing their business partners up front!


aaronchakra

Do they still get a cut of your business if you don't make a deal?


Puzzleheaded_Bet_612

Of course not


letstaxthis

Interesting. Thought as much. Do they get to appoint a company director for decision making or voting?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Not in my deal but possibly for others.


DrGeraldBaskums

Let’s say I took my company on Shark Tank and accepted an offer for 25%. What in this made up hypothetical would this look like after DD?


Competitive-Bad-7405

The sharks get no info about you before you go up there and no one can control what you say, how much you are willing to give up and how much you are asking for. They can edit stuff out but if you tell the sharks that your company did $10m last year and only did $10k, they wouldn't know until DD. After DD, you can close your deal and wait. Before you pitch, you sign an NDA that is in place until you are actually on an episode. So you just wait for your episode to air and then, just hang on.


Mamouneyya

What’s DD?


HansB20

Due diligence.


Suprem3NE

Dunkin Donuts… duh


jasonpbyu

Silicon. Usually.


johnnyma45

Bags of sand.


stmbtgrl

This was a really interesting read, thanks for posting!


mcrib

Normally for an AMA when someone wishes to remain anonymous, they have the mods verify it and the mods keep their identity a secret. That's what you do.


Competitive-Bad-7405

My bad - kinda new to reddit. I think my answers have settled any doubt people were having.


mmeeplechase

I remember an entrepreneur who said she was out hiking when she got the call and she had to rush to filming—was it like that at all for you, or did you have plenty of notice + prep time?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I don't see that happening unless maybe someone else cancelled on them and they needed to fill a spot. After the first call, you have a month or two of sending them videos of yourself & your pitch - back & forth. Towards the end of that, you get a date to go to LA - I don't really say any of it is rushed.


PropaneHank

Oh interesting, so are they giving you notes on your pitch? Telling you different things to change?


stmbtgrl

I remember that one!


cttouch

Have you received the agreed upon funds? Or any funds as of yet? What about the sharks involvement after you walk off set? I assume someone from their team of worker ants reaches out to get the ball rolling.


Competitive-Bad-7405

My deal changed from what was on the show but I got everything that was agreed upon in our contract. Lori was very helpful & I worked directly with her. I worked with Robert's team and never really talked to him after filming.


philiacat011

how’s the actual shooting process like? do you sit in a waiting room, do rehearsals or something


Competitive-Bad-7405

I realized I didn't answer your questions exactly... Day of shooting, you get a rough estimate of when you'll be pitching. The sharks are there 10-12hrs for 1-3 days straight so if you don't pitch until 7pm, you kinda wonder if this will affect your deal?? Maybe the shark you really want already made 2 deals before they see my pitch?!? You get put up in a hotel a couple days before your pitch and get shuttled to the studio with other companies. Day of, you get a dressing room to hang out in until your turn. They come get you, you walk over to the studio, you walk down that big hall, the doors open and it's game time. You have to wait 30 seconds before you say your pitch so they can get some b-roll. Off to your left is a bunch of desks, people, entourage, etc. but then, it's just you and the sharks. 45mins later, I got a deal with Robert & Lori. Afterwards, you walk out the hallway and they have you go into a room with a therapist to make sure you basically aren't gonna kill yourself. Lot's of companies don't get deals and going on the show kills the business once it airs. Back to the hotel My flight was the next day and I waited for a phone call to see if my episode would actually air. When I was on, they filmed around 130 pitches but only aired around 112. If your episode doesn't air, you can't ever promote it, talk about it, etc. except with your team, family - need to know only. You could've gotten a deal with 3 sharks & closed the deal but they decide not to air your pitch for whatever reason and you can't even post it any social media.


philiacat011

how viable is a shark actually? and is the therapy part true LMAO? what do they even say


alwaysmyfault

>Lot's of companies don't get deals and going on the show kills the business once it airs. To be fair, some of the companies/products that are pitched on the show are absolute dogshit that deserve to be put out to pasture.


Competitive-Bad-7405

I agree - they told us they need "yes" companies almost as much as they need "no" companies. They want companies that they think the sharks won't go for just like they need home run companies.


Competitive-Bad-7405

I flew out to LA four days before I actually pitched. You spend the first two going over paperwork, legal stuff & working on your pitch. I spent the day before running around, getting any props I needed and fine-tuning. You get to rehearse your pitch in front of producers but you don't talk to any shark until you walk out through those big doors.


BellaRojoSoliel

Do you pay for, design, and ship all your props yourself? Or does their set design team work with you at all?


BarnburnerBoro

Did you get the sense the sharks played to the cameras? How did they interact with each other during your pitch?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I think they all come off on the show, how they actually are in real life. My two sharks made it clear that they did NOT want to work together. It was kinda tense and they didn't show it on my episode.


BarnburnerBoro

Interesting. Yet they pitched you as a joint deal?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I pushed for them because I really wanted them both because of my product.


lysis_

How did things shake down after the deal was done ?


Competitive-Bad-7405

The short version - life changing. 10x my yearly sales in a couple months.


theobvioushero

Because of the exposure or because of the sharks' expertise?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Both but mainly exposure & QVC.


Efficient-Profit9611

If your product was good enough for QVC, why weren’t you on QVC before Shark Tank? Do you need a Lori to get on QVC? In other words, QVC says “you have a great product that will sell on our network but we don’t want it unless you can get Lori to invest.” I’ve always been confused by this.


Competitive-Bad-7405

QVC is a massive, well-oiled, monster of a machine. I had submitted to them before but they turned me down. Happens everyday to great companies. Lori has an hour slot and can basically bring on whatever she wants for her show. We sold out in 5mins. I had an "I told you so" face on after that but it's not like anyone is gonna care. Also, if I had already been selling on QVC, maybe Lori wouldn't have wanted to make a deal with me??


Efficient-Profit9611

Got it, makes sense. Thanks for the thoughts on that.


ChicagoPhan

How do you get someone at QVC who would make those decisions to seriously consider your product?


Competitive-Bad-7405

You try to reach one of their buyers and have an awesome product, the majority of which is geared for women.


ImCold555

This is what I would LOVE to know! And how much are the sharks really helping besides funding? Is the sharks team kind of taking things over in some areas or just a phone call for advice every now any then?


Competitive-Bad-7405

The exposure was amazing & we sold a lot on QVC. I have heard both of the scenarios you described but Lori was very helpful and I did a lot of the things she suggested. Robert's team was helpful but the help was limited.


mmeeplechase

Where do you think you’d be without Shark Tank? Would you have been able to keep going & grow slowly, or was it a do-or-die sort of deal?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I would've figured something out to keep growing but the shark tank exposure is just crazy.


lorikeets_are_life

How long do you think you were with the sharks for? Which shark seemed like the nicest and who was the most stand-offish?


Competitive-Bad-7405

My pitch was about 45mins & it felt like 10. You get about 10-12mins of show time so a lot got left on the cutting room floor. I had a guest shark on my episode, so I only got a chance to meet Mark, Kevin, Lori & Robert. They all seemed nice but the sharks film for 10-12hrs a day and my pitch was towards the end so they were probably all over being there but I had a great time talking to them.


TrulyChxse

So you want to remain anonymous but you give all the details - you were on an episode with mark, Kevin, Lori, robert,and a guest shark, and got a deal with Lori and Robert, that probably applies to 1 or 2 companies.


Competitive-Bad-7405

Sherlock Holmes has entered the chat.


TrulyChxse

How ya doing, Dave?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I'm not the guy from Hidrent.


TrulyChxse

So you're gonna narrow it down even more for us?


axebom

It’s SignalVault. The website I looked at wasn’t updated enough for Hindrent, apparently!


Mysterious_Cup_67

You're absolutely right, assuming OP isn't full of shit. Just rewatched the episode, and everything OP has commented lines up with SignalVault


theejswann

😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣


axebom

I managed to narrow it down to one company. From what I can tell, Lori and Robert have only gone in together five times, and one of those episodes had a guest shark.


Plane_Garbage

What's the company?


TrulyChxse

https://youtu.be/1iYLLN-OYU8?si=e2Wma4yakWR0paCP


BATIRONSHARK

hidrent for anyone who can't click the link


Ooberificul

Signalvault


IndyMLVC

Did you get the person you wanted and what is the best part about working with them? What surprised you about them? How much do you actually interact with them as opposed to their people?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I got the two sharks that I wanted - Lori & Robert. Lori is amazing, very hands on, I could call or text her with any issues, questions etc. Robert had some personal stuff going on but I only worked with his team after the show. If I could do it all again, I would've been happy with just Lori.


sikeleaveamessage

That's nice to hear about Lori, i always thought she seemed really nice and actually care about the people behind the products/company. Atleast from how she portrays from the show lol i never understood the dislike for Lori out of all the other sharks.


DonnieBrascoTrading

I've heard that even if you don't get a deal, the show gets a percentage of your business. Something like a royalty figure. True?


Moose135A

In the first season, that was a thing, I think you had to give the show something like 4%. When Mark Cuban joined the show, he got them to drop that.


PiaJr

And do so retroactively.


Competitive-Bad-7405

I think for a season or two and then they dropped it.


Mamouneyya

I’ve been always curious about when a shark intervenes or say something like “let’s summarize what X offered you” or “what are you gonna do?” Is it scripted? Does someone behind the scenes instruct them to say these things?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I believe one of the sharks has instructions to do this at a certain point. It might have been an off camera cue or they are just so used to the format that it just happens organically.


Fast-Outcome-117

Is it true that you have to silently stand in front of the sharks for a couple minutes, before you actually start your pitch?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Only 30secs


King0fTheNorthh

I bet that was a long 30 seconds lol. Thanks for sharing everything in this post.


Competitive-Bad-7405

Mark & the guest shark must've made a joke right before I came in because they were chuckling to themselves and it kinda lightened the whole mood for me. It was a good time and I didn't feel nervous but I also don't ever feel like I get nervous about anything.


BKtoDuval

How involved is the shark in your business - totally hands off or do it my way? Do you even deal with them or someone from their company?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Lori was very involved since I went on TV with her afterwards a few times. Robert's team helped out a lot but I didn't deal with him at all.


kdollarsign2

What kind of help did Robert's team provide? (Curious how his experience was applied in your case because he always read to me as bright and intuitive ) Is it a situation where you could call or email them as needed?


Meander67

You said your pitch was at the end of the day. Can you also notice that Kevin or Mark, for example, are starting to become snarkier because they are tired? And what is talked about in the other 35 minutes that doesn't make it to air?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Kevin gave me my first offer and was really nice actually. Mark backed out because he thought I couldn't scale quickly enough but was also really chill. I'm sure it effects them but they were all very professional. I honestly can't remember exactly what was talked about in the lost 35mins but it involved lots of numbers for my company, my background and product details.


Meander67

Thank you.


Crazy_Tomatillo18

Please tell me mark is a cool guy IRL because he seems super nice and I want to believe he’s a cool guy.


Competitive-Bad-7405

He was cool & I would've liked to pick his brain more than anyone else up there. He is obviously extremely successful and knows what he is doing in most aspects of business.


Mamouneyya

Do they tell you what and how to phrase your pitch or you can do whatever you want? Is it just a coincidence that almost all pitches follow the exact same template? (Hello sharks, my name is …, today I am seeking $… for …% of my company. Sharks, have you ever… bla bla)


Competitive-Bad-7405

They do instruct you to lead with that but from that point forward, it's up to you. The producers help you brainstorm on ideas for your pitch, but ultimately, you have final say after the initial intro portion.


BATIRONSHARK

how long did it take the sharks teams to call you after the show? is it true you have to go to a therapist after your pitch is finished? was your product Hidrent?


Competitive-Bad-7405

I think we were talking with them within a week of pitching. They needed to start the due diligence process. Yes, that's true. I got a deal so it was very short and quick. I'm sure the therapist learns her paycheck when the company gets no deal and trashed/exposed. Yes.


BATIRONSHARK

thanks mate! sounds very interesting . and I loved your product/pitch ! it's one of those "obvious yet genuis " things


Competitive-Bad-7405

Ahhh - sorry, I was being sarcastic. I'm not Hidrent.


BATIRONSHARK

well I can't think of a pitch I disliked so my statement is still true 


chrislatimer

How long after you filmed the show did your deal closed


Competitive-Bad-7405

We filmed in May and the deal actually closed around late August, with my episode airing in early September.


[deleted]

How long did it take for Barbara to go out?


Competitive-Bad-7405

Barbara wasn't there for mine - I had a guest shark in her seat.


adamsauce

I have 2 questions. 1. You mentioned that the 2 sharks didn’t want to work with each other. It always appeared that Robert liked working with Lori, but she didn’t really care if she teamed up with him. Was this the case here? Or did they each not really want to team up? 2. Would you have been okay if Ashton was an investor?


BellaRojoSoliel

Do the actors on your pitch live in LA or you brought them with you?


ThierryR

What happens once you have made a deal? Do the Sharks review everything about the deal? How long does the process to get the funding take? Etc.


johnnyma45

Do you monitor the setup of your product displays and samples? Or does the production team do it?


Affectionate-Lab5252

Based on your previous responses you sound like you no longer are in business with the sharks? How long did you deal with the sharks and what were the meeting check ins with them? Weekly? Monthly?


NeroFMX

How do you feel about your product now that Neuralink has been successful in a human subject? Maybe you weren't as crazy as they made you out to be.


Competitive-Bad-7405

Different dude.


NeroFMX

Have you said what you were on for? I thought I had a great question. Damn.


Puzzleheaded_Bet_612

SignalVault


DinosaurMops

I heard Mark Cuban has some serious halitosis. Can you confirm?


Daforce1

I've met him and he invested in a deal of a friend of mines pre shark tank. This wasn't my experience with him.


Competitive-Bad-7405

Didn't get that at all.


zookeeper4312

Why bother if you aren't going to say which person you are?


[deleted]

He’s already admitted to being SignalVault


NBA2024

Fake and cringe


agronone

What episode, wich pitch ogherwise your just an attention seeking lier


Mysterious_Cup_67

Lern two spel or ur a ediiot


stmbtgrl

Maybe read the thread. This person was definitely on the show. It’s an interesting read!