S12.E23: Grind; Creation Nation; Sneakerasers; BEERMKR

[JTMacc99]

Quote

 

Sharks: Mark, Barbara, Kevin, Lori, Alex

Portable basketball training machine, Organic cookie mix, Clean-tech erasers for your sneakers to remove dirt, with other products that do the same for other materials, Stainless steel, at-home beer brewer 

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

1. Grind-Basketball trainer for the home market.   Love the guy, his story, and the device.  Makes a deal with Barbara, and Mark.

2. Creation Nation-mixes for protein bars, balls, and something else.    Whether it's Keto or whatever, depends on what you mix into it. No deal.

3. Sneakerasers-clean sneakers, they also make auto erasers.   Lori, and Alex Rodriguez want a deal,   Mark wants a deal.  Kevin has an offer too. I would go with Mark, he's already talking about marketing ideas, but the sellers screw up the offer from Mark, and he's out.    Lori and A-Rod  makes the deal.

4. BEERMKR-home stainless steel beer maker.  It's automated, talks to your phone, and is the only home automated countertop model.  I'm out, I don't drink.    Millions in debt, margins aren't great.   Kevin is the only offer, The sellers turn down Kevin, no deal.   

[mjc570]

As a consumer, I'd be really interested in the protein mixes.  I think there must have been a lot of editing or something, I can't believe someone would not know basic numbers, unless she was really nervous.  That was nice of Barbara to reassure her,

[KaveDweller]

38 minutes ago, mjc570 said:

As a consumer, I'd be really interested in the protein mixes.  I think there must have been a lot of editing or something, I can't believe someone would not know basic numbers, unless she was really nervous.  That was nice of Barbara to reassure her,

Nice of Barbara to reassure her, but rude of Barbara to ask for details of why she was in foster care. I know they are probably encouraged to make good TV, but no one is in foster care for a happy reason. If she'd wanted to share more on TV she would have in her original story.

I thought the mixes looked interesting too, and the Sharks said they tasted good.

[DrSpaceman73]

The basketball trainer still think it's too much for the home market.  And his margins are too low to make much money.  So he's kind of stuck.  

The protein bars .....something was missing in the presentation because she isn't making money and was obviously trying to avoid the discussion as to why that was/is

The sneaker cleaners have the most potential though I personally dont get it, I don't care if my shoes are white. 

Same with the beermakr.  I guess I'm not into beer enough to wait 9 days for a beer from a kit made from scratch like mr. Wonderful pointed out. I'd rather just buy their beers at the store.  You're aren't really making the beer yourself that way.  Plus they are trying to sell the beer more than the beer maker. I don't know....seems like a good idea for the machine but badly marketed.   I guess you can compare it to a home coffee maker but you aren't waiting 10 days for a cop of coffee.  

 

[Msample]

A 12 pack of beer every 9 days seems to be on the low side - I'd think about double the amount would be more marketable. 

There def was something off about the protein bar mix - she could never articulate why she wasn't profitable even though her product margins seemed fine. 

I disagreed with Barbara's criticism of the sneaker cleaners branching out - Lori was correct. Having a line of products is better than relying on just one thing.  Its not like they were inventing totally different products.  It def makes it easier to get into big box retail with multiple SKUs. And creating a different brand for downmarket was very clever and something more entrepreneurs should consider. 

[DrSpaceman73]

2 hours ago, Msample said:

A 12 pack of beer every 9 days seems to be on the low side - I'd think about double the amount would be more marketable. 

There def was something off about the protein bar mix - she could never articulate why she wasn't profitable even though her product margins seemed fine. 

I disagreed with Barbara's criticism of the sneaker cleaners branching out - Lori was correct. Having a line of products is better than relying on just one thing.  Its not like they were inventing totally different products.  It def makes it easier to get into big box retail with multiple SKUs. And creating a different brand for downmarket was very clever and something more entrepreneurs should consider. 

Yes I agree too, the sneaker people diversifying is a great idea.  The tire cleaner I can see selling well, though I'd thank a car wash may do the same.  

[eel21788]

23 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Nice of Barbara to reassure her, but rude of Barbara to ask for details of why she was in foster care. I know they are probably encouraged to make good TV, but no one is in foster care for a happy reason. If she'd wanted to share more on TV she would have in her original story.

I was really hoping she would say, "None of your damn business!."

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

 You're aren't really making the beer yourself that way. 

I thought the reason people brewed their own beers was because they wanted to experiment with different combinations of ingredients. I don't see the value of using the same prearranged mixture to come up with the same beer over and over. Then again, I'm not a beer drinker, so I wouldn't be interested in it anyway.

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The protein bars .....something was missing in the presentation because she isn't making money and was obviously trying to avoid the discussion as to why that was/is

I think the biggest flaw in her product was that you have to add ingredients to it other than just a liquid. If you have to plan ahead to have additional stuff on hand, some perishable, then you might as well just start with your own protein powder and other dry ingredients.

Her website is begging an influencer to advertise for her. I don't know why she was encouraging people to watch her Snark Tank episode since it was such a dismal failure.

[eel21788]

10 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

The sneaker cleaners have the most potential though I personally dont get it, I don't care if my shoes are white. 

I'm definitely not the target market, either. However, I can see how people who are obsessed with their shoes would go crazy for them.

[Vermicious Knid]

Multi-billion dollar sneaker business, with dedicated sneakerheads. Even the resale market is nuts. Capitalizing on that is a good idea. 

[DrSpaceman73]

3 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I thought the reason people brewed their own beers was because they wanted to experiment with different combinations of ingredients. I don't see the value of using the same prearranged mixture to come up with the same beer over and over. Then again, I'm not a beer drinker, so I wouldn't be interested in it anyway.

I had the same thoughts which is what I don't get about it.  

[lh25]

21 hours ago, Msample said:

I disagreed with Barbara's criticism of the sneaker cleaners branching out - Lori was correct. Having a line of products is better than relying on just one thing

I agree with you.  I've heard them turn down making a deal because they only had one product and wasn't a business yet.

[bilgistic]

The Grind pitch/product was what Shark Tank used to be about—an entrepreneur with a great product but not a lot of sales yet because of the need to figure out all the logistics—and it was a brief breath of fresh air.

[marny]

It’s hard to buy the sharks saying stuff like “5% doesn’t get me out of bed in the morning” when we watched several of them beg that other company for 3% of the business a few weeks ago. But consistency has never been strong with the sharks. 

[TM101]

I thought the Grind thing was ridiculous and nothing more than maybe a cool gadget to have in a rich kids basement.

Maybe I missed it but does the ball shoot back at you at if you are moving in different directions? Can it at the same distance as the typical range of a 3pt line? Who the hell is going to shlep that thing to a park and just randomly shoot baskets on the grass? I played basketball as a kid and I never had a problem fetching the ball. Yeah it can be a pain at times but you also get a sweat in moving at different paces and directions or just find a friend to practice with.

Edited May 10, 2021 by TM101

[theartandsound]

21 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Multi-billion dollar sneaker business, with dedicated sneakerheads. Even the resale market is nuts. Capitalizing on that is a good idea. 

It's gotten so overheated that eBay has introduced an authentication service for sneakers. I work in e-commerce and several of our offerings have to go through this process now.

[jabRI]

Could not get excited about any of these products. Would never think to clean the sides of my sneakers.  And like the earlier post said, the whole point of brewing your own beer is to experiment with different tastes.  If you are just adding preselected ingredients on a subscription basis, why wait a week? Go to your local store and try something new.  One of my local stores has a huge selection of craft beer from across the country, and you can make your own 6-pack.  

[seacliffsal]

Grind is really for wealthier families IMO.  I can see this going in driveways in subdivisions and becoming an eyesore.  It's a hefty price to get out of retrieving balls.  Sure it's nice to have a goal of playing in the NBA, but it's such a small percentage of those who have this "plan" who actually make it.  I was surprised they left the scenes of Mark missing the shot, but there were so many references to that during the ptich (by other Sharks) that I guess they needed to keep those scenes.  I bet Mark wasn't happy about that.

My sister would love the sneaker eraser so I may look for them to get for her.  Seemed like a product that a lot of people would buy and it was impressive that they already paid off the home equity loan.  Mark would have been a good partner, but I think Lori and Alex were the better option for them.

$25 million valuation for the beer maker?  I can see some people (with money to burn) buying it and using it a couple of times.  They are counting on a "subscription" revenue stream that may not actually be there.  They should have taken Kevin's offer-he's the only one I can see who would actually be able to help them due to his presence in the business.  I would rather just spend $10 for a six-pack of craft beer than $500 on a contraption that still looks like a lot of work.

I agree with others that they should never have asked about that presenter's experiences in foster care.  "It was like Disneyland every day" is NEVER going to be the answer.  They should not have left that in since she did not get a deal.  My issue with her product is the $11 price for the mix when one then has to add things and make it.  There must be similar "pre-made" snacks on the market.  Never hide profits/losses when the Sharks ask-they won't let it go and they pre-determine that they will not invest based on that alone.  I was glad that Barbara went to make sure she was okay, but it did make me wonder if they have counselors for the presenters to speak with after presentations.  If not, they definitely should (especially when kids make the presentations that don't end in getting a deal.

[eel21788]

7 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

  I was glad that Barbara went to make sure she was okay, but it did make me wonder if they have counselors for the presenters to speak with after presentations.  If not, they definitely should (especially when kids make the presentations that don't end in getting a deal.

Everyone meets with a psychologist after their presentations whether or not they got a deal.

[eel21788]

On 5/8/2021 at 9:34 PM, eel21788 said:

I thought the reason people brewed their own beers was because they wanted to experiment with different combinations of ingredients. 

 

On 5/9/2021 at 12:52 AM, DrSpaceman73 said:

I had the same thoughts which is what I don't get about it.  

 

7 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

  They are counting on a "subscription" revenue stream that may not actually be there.  

They emphasized the subscription model on the show as a continued revenue stream. However, their website puts a lot of emphasis on experimenting on your own and customizing ingredients. They really need to choose which path they want to go down.

[LuvMyShows]

On 5/8/2021 at 2:00 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

The basketball trainer still think it's too much for the home market.  

On 5/9/2021 at 8:37 PM, TM101 said:

Maybe I missed it but does the ball shoot back at you at if you are moving in different directions?

They showed that it can shoot the ball back out at different directions, but I think that was pre-positioned directions, as in, now I'm going to take shots from the right, and now from the center, and now from the left.  I don't think it has the ability to 'follow' the shooter.

And I was surprised that none of the sharks mentioned (or they didn't show it) that the Grind netting was way above the rim...meaning, that every single shot you take with Grind must be very high, and completely different from how you've been shooting your whole life and how you shoot in practice and in games. 

I went to the website and it actually costs $1595, which is $100 more than the price was on the show.  Well, that's the price that the home page showed.  If you click on it as though you're going to order it, it magically jumps up to $1695!!

On 5/8/2021 at 2:00 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

The sneaker cleaners have the most potential though I personally dont get it, I don't care if my shoes are white. 

I thought it was funny how the pitch showed all the (supposedly) different kinds of shoes you can use it on, but all the shoes were just variations on the same base type of shoe.