S13.E06: Fish Fixe; Hello Prenup; Deux; Hidrent

[JTMacc99]

Quote

 

Nirav Tolia, co-founder of the successful neighborhood networking service, Nextdoor, brings his desire to inspire and mentor the country's sharpest entrepreneurs in this week's all-new episode. First into the Tank are entrepreneurs from Sugarland, Texas, who are sure to make a splash with their convenient healthy food delivery service brought directly to your doorstep. Entrepreneurs from Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Edmonds, Washington, present their online platform that offers an easier and less expensive option for an important protection for couples about to tie the knot. A health conscious entrepreneur from Los Angeles, California, introduces her nutritious take on a classic dessert enhanced with immunity-boosting vitamins; then an entrepreneur from Celina, Texas, pitches his revolutionary online tool to help off-duty firefighters make additional income while helping their community. (TV-PG, L)

The Sharks in this episode are Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec and Guest Shark Nirav Tolia.

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Nirov Tolia is the guest Shark, with Lori, Mark, Kevin and Robert.

1. Fish Fixe-home fish meal delivery.   Biggest issue is acquisition costs, and delivery issues.   Kevin loses to Lori.

2. Hello Prenup-(You do an iron clad prenup with each person having their own attorney, before the wedding, so you avoid the pressure of asking right before, and saying the other person was coerced)- The first digital platform to do a pre-nup online, save money and time.   Terrible idea, in my opinion, you need a great attorney to do this correctly.   One seller is an attorney in marital law in Boston.   Sales are dismal.  Nirov and Kevin make the deal.   (I found a source that says the prenups cost $599 each). 

3. Deux-(pronounced Dough) -Healthy dessert with vitamins.   Enhanced cookie dough with only healthy ingredients.  The online price for a jar is $15.  Robert doesn't care about the product, but wants to invest in the seller, but she wants a smaller percentage for him.  Robert backs out, so no deal. 

4. Hidrent-side hustles for fire fighters.  A handyman service with off-duty firefighters.  Hiring, and payment done through an App.  THey charge the homeowner about $73 an hour, app company takes 23% fee.    They work through Facebook, Next Door, etc.  The founder knows most of their customers are senior citizens, so they launced in cities that are retirement Meccas, like Phoenix.  Lori and Robert make the deal. 

An update on Bertello, outdoor pizza ovens, with Kevin as the investor.   They sold over $6 million last year.   

Edited November 13, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[DEL901]

For the fish product…why can’t they sell their product without the fish. People could by locally.  That way, their costs would be more stable and the product would be shelf stable. 

[KaveDweller]

I guess an online prenup is a decent idea, it is kind of like those sites that let you make your own will online. But they seemed really early in their business and had terrible sales, so I am surprised they got a deal.

I thought it was obnoxious for Robert to rescind his offer when the cookie dough woman tried to negotiate. Half they time they compliment the presenter for negotiating and Mark is always telling people to make counter offers. Maybe she was more annoying in portions we didn't see, because they seemed to not really like her. 

I also get annoyed when the Sharks say they won't invest because something isn't healthy. I think they have all invested in "unhealthy" products.

I'm not sure why you need a separate app for firefighters to have a side hustle. Couldn't they use something like Task Rabbit or other existing apps for offering services?

[Madding crowd]

I didn’t really get the Hidrent thing. It was marketed to seniors but some seniors don’t understand how to download and use apps. And how would they be able to guarantee that firefighters are available to whoever downloads the app. Plus $72 an hour may be out of budget for someone who just needs a picture hung or a chair moved. Maybe start a charity app where firefighters can volunteer to do simple tasks for the seniors. My husband is a cop and we have firefighter friends but most of them do side jobs like laying tile or flipping houses, I’m not sure they would sign up for this app. 

[LittleIggy]

I’m glad the pizza oven is selling well. I got hungry seeing those pizzas!

[bilgistic]

I was irrationally irritated by the mispronunciation of the word "deux" which is the French word meaning "two". It sounds kind of like "duh" but with a hard stop. It's definitely not "doh".

https://youtu.be/BHYVAWul5JQ

About Hidrent: The fact that the Sharks didn't mention that there's Task Rabbit and Takl (among others) also irritated me. They can say "what makes this unique?" about every other product/idea but this? OKAY

[DrSpaceman73]

19 hours ago, DEL901 said:

For the fish product…why can’t they sell their product without the fish. People could by locally.  That way, their costs would be more stable and the product would be shelf stable. 

Well then they are just like dozens of other products on the market already with nothing to distinguish them. 

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I was irrationally irritated by the mispronunciation of the word "deux" which is the French word meaning "two". It sounds kind of like "duh" but with a hard stop. It's definitely not "doh".

https://youtu.be/BHYVAWul5JQ

About Hidrent: The fact that the Sharks didn't mention that there's Task Rabbit and Takl (among others) also irritated me. They can say "what makes this unique?" about every other product/idea but this? OKAY

Yes I wondered that too, why this is different from the other apps other than it being fire fighters doing it. That's big competition you are years behind though. 

16 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I’m glad the pizza oven is selling well. I got hungry seeing those pizzas!

I really want one if those!  Might buy one. 

That healthy cookie dough looked gross and expensive.  Just buy cookie dough and some vitamins, much cheaper. 

[callie lee 29]

21 hours ago, DEL901 said:

For the fish product…why can’t they sell their product without the fish. People could by locally.  That way, their costs would be more stable and the product would be shelf stable. 

When I looked at their website there wasn't much of anything else except fish. A couple of crab cake  and the fish.

[eel21788]

On 11/12/2021 at 9:19 PM, Madding crowd said:

I didn’t really get the Hidrent thing. It was marketed to seniors but some seniors don’t understand how to download and use apps. And how would they be able to guarantee that firefighters are available to whoever downloads the app. Plus $72 an hour may be out of budget for someone who just needs a picture hung or a chair moved. 

I didn't see that as being very sustainable with repeat customers. Once a senior knows there is a fire fighter in her neighborhood who wants to do handyman work on the side, what is to stop her from calling/emailing/texting him directly to negotiate her own price for the desired work with 100% of the proceeds going to him instead of some of the money going to the app?

Edited November 14, 2021 by eel21788

[eel21788]

On 11/12/2021 at 7:38 PM, DEL901 said:

For the fish product…why can’t they sell their product without the fish. People could by locally.  That way, their costs would be more stable and the product would be shelf stable. 

I'm in a land locked state after growing up in the Pacific Northwest and hate frozen fish. When she said she had red snapper (my favorite fish), she got my attention until she said it was shipped frozen. I don't even see red snapper as one of the items for sale on her website anyway. Even if she did ship it fresh, I can't use 16 portions before I would either have to freeze it (yuck) or give it to the cat (which by my calculations would be $26.50/pound for cat food--he isn't that spoiled. . . yet). 

My fantasy business is to fly to North Carolina every Tuesday and Friday, charter a fishing boat, pay fisherman to bring in a day's worth of red snapper, flounder and whatever else is available, process it dockside, then ship it fresh overnight to Colorado and sell it Wednesday and Saturday at the Boulder farmer's market. If I ever get my act together, maybe I'll pitch that on Snark Tank.

On 11/12/2021 at 7:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Fish Fixe-home fish meal delivery.   Biggest issue is acquisition costs, and delivery issues.   Kevin loses to Lori.

Kevin would have been a much better partner for her, but she wanted to quibble about a few percentage points.

[eel21788]

6 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

That healthy cookie dough looked gross and expensive.  Just buy cookie dough and some vitamins, much cheaper. 

How many other times have we seen the same product? I can think of at least two, but it is probably a lot more than that. 

I'm also tired of the Vegan of the Week product. Only 4% of people in the US are vegan. That really isn't going to be a huge market.

[eel21788]

On 11/12/2021 at 8:31 PM, KaveDweller said:

I guess an online prenup is a decent idea, it is kind of like those sites that let you make your own will online. But they seemed really early in their business and had terrible sales, so I am surprised they got a deal.

I'm guessing it was only going to be valid for short-lived marriages, eg how to divide up whatever assets you currently have going into the marriage. I doubt it would have been complex enough to divide future assets like homes, businesses, etc., determine the custody of children and pets, including visitation, child support, etc. One of them may not feel entitled to alimony now, but if one supports the other while he/she earns gets a PhD or other advanced degree, he/she may feel owed a portion of his/her future earnings when they get divorced.

The people who do their own wills on-line don't have very complex estates. Since you can't predict what your finances or family situation will be like 5, 10 or more years down the road, it could get very complex. I think it would be better to leave it to the professionals.

[eel21788]

On 11/12/2021 at 7:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

   One seller is an attorney in marital law in Boston.   

The first time I looked at this I thought it said "martial law."

Edited November 16, 2021 by eel21788

[UsernameFatigue]

Another example in this episode where it made no sense to me that the the fish woman would go with Lori for the sake of a few percent in equity, rather than Kevin who knows the space so much better. 

I would think that anyone with enough assets to think they need a prenup is going to want to go to a lawyer. They did say that they charge $599, but who knows if it would hold up in court down the road if challenged by a divorcing couple. 

I am so glad that Robert backed out of the cookie dough deal. After he told her he would not negotiate, she tried to negotiate three different times with him. On top of that she was rude to Kevin when she said that he was not her target person. What is her target person? Is he too old? Because I am only a few years younger than Kevin, but do have a big sweet tooth so would buy something that is a bit healthier but still satisfies my sweet tooth. Read the room, indeed. 

Thought the firefighter handyman business was a bit flawed. I thought the price was high if he is targeting seniors, and they might not necessarily want to use an app. In addition just because someone is a firefighter doesn't mean they are handy or know what they are doing. Most towns/cities have odd job Bob types who already do this type of thing. 

[eel21788]

10 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

In addition just because someone is a firefighter doesn't mean they are handy or know what they are doing. 

Good point. Is all repair work they're going to do going to be up to code?

[Whimsy]

On 11/12/2021 at 9:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Nirov Tolia is the guest Shark, with Lori, Mark, Kevin and Robert.

1. Fish Fixe-home fish meal delivery.   Biggest issue is acquisition costs, and delivery issues.   Kevin loses to Lori.

2. Hello Prenup-(You do an iron clad prenup with each person having their own attorney, before the wedding, so you avoid the pressure of asking right before, and saying the other person was coerced)- The first digital platform to do a pre-nup online, save money and time.   Terrible idea, in my opinion, you need a great attorney to do this correctly.   One seller is an attorney in marital law in Boston.   Sales are dismal.  Nirov and Kevin make the deal.   (I found a source that says the prenups cost $599 each). 

3. Deux-(pronounced Dough) -Healthy dessert with vitamins.   Enhanced cookie dough with only healthy ingredients.  The online price for a jar is $15.  Robert doesn't care about the product, but wants to invest in the seller, but she wants a smaller percentage for him.  Robert backs out, so no deal. 

4. Hidrent-side hustles for fire fighters.  A handyman service with off-duty firefighters.  Hiring, and payment done through an App.  THey charge the homeowner about $73 an hour, app company takes 23% fee.    They work through Facebook, Next Door, etc.  The founder knows most of their customers are senior citizens, so they launced in cities that are retirement Meccas, like Phoenix.  Lori and Robert make the deal. 

An update on Bertello, outdoor pizza ovens, with Kevin as the investor.   They sold over $6 million last year.   

Ok. I have some thoughts about Hidrent. My husband has been a firefighter for almost 30 years and the majority of the firefighters I know (from our town and surrounding towns) do have side hustles.

On 11/12/2021 at 11:19 PM, Madding crowd said:

I didn’t really get the Hidrent thing. It was marketed to seniors but some seniors don’t understand how to download and use apps. And how would they be able to guarantee that firefighters are available to whoever downloads the app. Plus $72 an hour may be out of budget for someone who just needs a picture hung or a chair moved. Maybe start a charity app where firefighters can volunteer to do simple tasks for the seniors. My husband is a cop and we have firefighter friends but most of them do side jobs like laying tile or flipping houses, I’m not sure they would sign up for this app. 

My first concern is the marketed to seniors. Besides their general lack of technology savvy, that cost is way too high!!  I believe most seniors are on very fixed income.  To charge $70 an hour... is this regardless of what the job even is??  

18 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I was irrationally irritated by the mispronunciation of the word "deux" which is the French word meaning "two". It sounds kind of like "duh" but with a hard stop. It's definitely not "doh".

https://youtu.be/BHYVAWul5JQ

About Hidrent: The fact that the Sharks didn't mention that there's Task Rabbit and Takl (among others) also irritated me. They can say "what makes this unique?" about every other product/idea but this? OKAY

I think what he was saying is unique about this is that all of the workers through the apps are firefighters, ie “heroes” (yes, my husband is a FF but I still put that in quotes. Just because someone is a FF doesn’t make them better than anyone else). I think this does two things 1. Gives the comfort a sense of safety and 2. Makes them feel like they are helping out a local hero. Don’t ge me wrong. I have a lot of reverence for the profession, obviously. I just know that, like any other group, there are good and there are bad people. No matter who they are, you need to be careful. I would hope this app does background checks, etc. 

9 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I didn't see that as being very sustainable with repeat customers. Once a senior knows there is a fire fighter in her neighborhood who wants to do handyman work on the side, what is to stop her from calling/emailing/texting him directly to negotiate her own price for the desired work with 100% of the proceeds going to him instead of some of the money going to the app?

Agreed. This is a stupid app lol. Not exactly the same, but I was using the Handy app to get some housecleaning. They offered a deal if I signed up for 6 months. The house cleaners that came in (I had lie 3 different ones and then stuck with my favorite) ALL tried to poach me to go with them separately after my Handy contract was up. It was just a special treat for myself, but I had to cancel due to finances, but I would for sure do it outside the app if I wanted more cleaning done. Also, Handy has lots and lots of other services that charge based on what it is you want to get done, so another ding against the $70/hour. 

7 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Good point. Is all repair work they're going to do going to be up to code?

Most firefighters are tradesmen. I know tons of licensed/bonded electricians, plumbers, construction workers, etc. Sadly, like many other professions, they need to have two jobs to make ends meet. The only good thing with being a FF with 2 jobs is that their schedules allow much more flexibility in working multiple jobs. My husband works a 24 hour shift, has a day off, works his 2nd 24 hour shift and then has 5 days off. He can get overtime, but it’s never guaranteed, which is why they usually have that side job. We are lucky that my husband was promoted to Captain, so there was a pay bump, but he still does other work like being a member of the Hazmat team. 

[lh25]

5 hours ago, Whimsy said:

I would hope this app does background checks, etc. 

That was my concern as well.  The firefighters I know are great people, but like all groups there are bad apples.  And marketing towards seniors who need help doing things indicated a more vulnerable population

[LuvMyShows]

I'm using my special ranting keyboard to type this message, so you've been warned!

On 11/12/2021 at 9:00 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

3. Deux-(pronounced Dough) -Healthy dessert with vitamins.   Enhanced cookie dough with only healthy ingredients. 

There is a special place in hell for people like the woman behind Deux.  No matter what she says, or how many 'healthy' ingredients she puts into them, her cookies ARE NOT HEALTHY.  8 grams of sugar in 1 1/2 tbsp (1 serving) does not equal healthy, especially when promoting a product that you can eat right out of the jar, so you know that people won't stop at even close to 1 serving.  

If you do a Google search, beside the entry for her website it says "Good-For-You Cookie Dough".  That is also what you see on the favicon (the little browser tab icon) for her site.  Yet the website itself doesn't say that anywhere.  I'm guessing she got grief about actually saying that it is good for you, rather than implying it or having testimonials do it for you (which the site includes).

On 11/13/2021 at 5:11 PM, DrSpaceman73 said:

Just buy cookie dough and some vitamins, much cheaper. 

So here's the issue about just buying cookie dough and eating it.  According to Dr. Google, you aren't supposed to eat 'regular' cookie dough any more (like we did in the olden days) because "it contains uncooked eggs and flour, which can cause food poisoning if they are contaminated with harmful bacteria."  Hence the burgeoning market for edible cookie dough.  And I am all in favor of it, for anyone who wants to eat some dough and/or bake a cookie as a sweet treat.  In fact, in the interest of full disclosure, I have ordered three jars!  But it's not because I'm looking for some bull-sh*t health benefit...it's because I like to eat cookie dough and then occasionally actually bake cookies!  Such a deal she had on the site...the jars are $12 each, or you could get bundles of 3 for $36 or 4 for $48...um, yeah, ok.

And I learned something new on the site.  There is a term 'functional', which I had never heard applied to food.  According to the Mayo Clinic, "Functional foods are foods that have a potentially positive effect on health beyond basic nutrition. Proponents of functional foods say they promote optimal health and help reduce the risk of disease.  A familiar example of a functional food is oatmeal because it contains soluble fiber that can help lower cholesterol levels. Some foods are modified to have health benefits. An example is orange juice that's been fortified with calcium for bone health."  Yep, she includes the logo for Functional foods on her website.  SMH

And she double-punched her express ticket to hell by having a testimonial that mentions "clean ingredients".  According to Medical News Today, "Taking a clean approach to food can be beneficial because a person is making healthful choices and eating foods that contain few preservatives and added sugars and salt."  However, those 8 grams of sugar per serving are 'added sugars', and there is 85 mg of sodium.  Given that the directions on the site say to roll the dough into a ball and then flatten to make a cookie, that's going to take about 2 servings of dough for just one cookie, let alone the many many servings most people will eat at once if they eat from the jar.  Do the math...not so f*ing "clean".  Arsenic and hemlock are also 'clean', but they don't belong in my cookie either!

On 11/13/2021 at 2:35 PM, bilgistic said:

I was irrationally irritated by the mispronunciation of the word "deux" which is the French word meaning "two". It sounds kind of like "duh" but with a hard stop. It's definitely not "doh".

I kept waiting for Lori to tell the lady that the name has to go.  Yes, the pronunciation thing makes absolutely no sense whatsoever...if you know French, you will think it is pronounced the 'correct' way for the word in French, and if you don't know French, you will think it is pronounced "de-ucks".  But perhaps more importantly, what part of the word "deux", whether you know the French or not, makes you think cookie, let alone edible dough?  I was gleefully anticipating Lori's truth bomb about the ridiculous naming, but either she didn't mention it or they chose not to air it. 

19 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I am so glad that Robert backed out of the cookie dough deal. After he told her he would not negotiate, she tried to negotiate three different times with him. On top of that she was rude to Kevin when she said that he was not her target person. What is her target person? Is he too old? Because I am only a few years younger than Kevin, but do have a big sweet tooth so would buy something that is a bit healthier but still satisfies my sweet tooth. Read the room, indeed. 

I thought it was funny how Mark made the "read the room" comment, and Robert basically took offense at it and defended the woman...but then Mark also found himself having that same sentiment!  And not sure why 'older' people aren't in her demographic...does she really think that there are just tons of millenials with the discretionary income to waste on her cookie dough?  And anyway, they seem to be the ones who would be discerning enough to realize how not-clean and not-healthy her product is.

On 11/12/2021 at 10:31 PM, KaveDweller said:

I thought it was obnoxious for Robert to rescind his offer when the cookie dough woman tried to negotiate. Half they time they compliment the presenter for negotiating and Mark is always telling people to make counter offers. Maybe she was more annoying in portions we didn't see, because they seemed to not really like her. 

IIRC, Robert got so annoyed because, in addition to what UsernameFatigue mentioned above, everyone had gone out and he had come back in to make that offer and basically save her, and she still persisted.  I got the impression she is used to people fawning over her fabulousness, and was really caught off guard when Robert rescinded and she was left with nothing.

[KaveDweller]

22 hours ago, eel21788 said:

I'm guessing it was only going to be valid for short-lived marriages, eg how to divide up whatever assets you currently have going into the marriage. I doubt it would have been complex enough to divide future assets like homes, businesses, etc., determine the custody of children and pets, including visitation, child support, etc. One of them may not feel entitled to alimony now, but if one supports the other while he/she earns gets a PhD or other advanced degree, he/she may feel owed a portion of his/her future earnings when they get divorced.

The people who do their own wills on-line don't have very complex estates. Since you can't predict what your finances or family situation will be like 5, 10 or more years down the road, it could get very complex. I think it would be better to leave it to the professionals.

Yes, it seemed like the target audience for the app would be people who aren't really that rich but still want to be able to say they got a prenup. I don't know if that audience exists, but that is what they are going for, I guess. 

Anyone who is really rich would just use a real lawyer and would not wait until the last minute.

25 minutes ago, LuvMyShows said:

IIRC, Robert got so annoyed because, in addition to what UsernameFatigue mentioned above, everyone had gone out and he had come back in to make that offer and basically save her, and she still persisted.  I got the impression she is used to people fawning over her fabulousness, and was really caught off guard when Robert rescinded and she was left with nothing.

Yes, he had come back in to save her, but I feel like the entrepreneurs are usually encouraged to negotiate, so him punishing her for it seemed tough. But maybe there was more we didn't see.

She definitely did seem really shocked when she was left with nothing.

What's hilarious is she has a picture/quote from Robert on her website, from when he was talking about how great she was.

Edited November 15, 2021 by KaveDweller

[LuvMyShows]

13 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

And not sure why 'older' people aren't in her demographic...does she really think that there are just tons of millenials with the discretionary income to waste on her cookie dough?  And anyway, they seem to be the ones who would be discerning enough to realize how not-clean and not-healthy her product is.

Quoting myself because after I ordered, I received an email that really confirmed her push for a not-older demographic.  The subject line was, in all caps, DAMN YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE.  It then went on to say "Welcome to the DEUX fam, besties."  And there was a message from the founder: "We believe good-for-you should taste good!  That's why we created DEUX, where our vegan, gluten-free recipes taste deuxlicious and are enhanced with the vitamins & boosts, our hype functions.  We're a small, mighty team that actually gives a sh*t.  We use clean, plant-based ingredients, sustainable packaging, and are activists who stand up for what we believe in, and that goes beyond healthy food. Love you, mean it, xx, Sabeena Ladha, DEUX founder                                                                                    Barf. 😝 (my reactions, not part of her message!)

Edited November 15, 2021 by LuvMyShows

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Quoting myself because after I ordered, I received an email that really confirmed her push for a not-older demographic.  The subject line was, in all caps, DAMN YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE.  It then went on to say "Welcome to the DEUX fam, besties."  And there was a message from the founder: "We believe good-for-you should taste good!  That's why we created DEUX, where our vegan, gluten-free recipes taste deuxlicious and are enhanced with the vitamins & boosts, our hype functions.  We're a small, mighty team that actually gives a sh*t.  We use clean, plant-based ingredients, sustainable packaging, and are activists who stand up for what we believe in, and that goes beyond healthy food. Love you, mean it, xx, Sabeena Ladha, DEUX founder                                                                                    Barf. 😝 (my reactions, not part of her message!)

What a ridiculous message. 

I believe her product tastes good, and I am not going to suggest people aren't allowed to sell unhealthy foods, but just because her dough is gluten-free and vegan doesn't mean it is healthy. It is still pretty high in fat/sugar and there are much better ways to get your vitamins. 

 

[Vermicious Knid]

50% of marriages end in divorce, so there is absolutely a market for prenups. Even if they don't have a very complicated estate it would still be smart. And yes, it would be perfectly legal. Even as boilerplate a lawyer would have written it, and the courts have upheld oral contracts and contracts written on napkins.

[seacliffsal]

I couldn't believe the Fish Fixe presenters went with Lori instead of Kevin.  He is so in the "chef" space and sells several different items on QVC (don't judge) including his wines, meats, etc.  He has some chef bonafides that Lori doesn't have (nor does she claim).  I think the presenters missed the real opportunity there.  Yes, I get that a lot (if not most) presenters want Lori or Mark, but that doesn't mean they are the best fit for their particular products.

I was surprised Robert went back in with the faux-cookie dough presenter as I found her exhausting (yes, I know, I'm not her "target demographic").  I was glad he went out (he was only asking for 5% more on a $300,000 investment).

I agree with others that the Hidrent doesn't seem viable long-term (find a worker you like and work outside of the app).  I also didn't like that the presenter kind of argued about the obstacles to developing a national base of localities from the founder of NextDoor (another example of "know your audience").  I think this deal will fall through as he seemed very resistant to listening to advice and the first thing Lori said was that they needed to change the name.  We shall see.

Oh, and the pre-nup.  Don't different states have different legalities concerning these?  If so, they may have some real problems expanding.  As others have state-horrible sales for the price they were asking.  I think a lot of these would be challenged down the road and may be hard to defend (and one would have to hire a lawyer to contest/defend it).  It's kind of like taxes-many people use professionals who are certified to represent/defend the tax payer should the IRS come a lookin' while others use the lowest cost (or free) services in which the tax payer would have to hire outside representation in that case.  I can see the appeal to Kevin though to offer it as part of his wedding offerings.

At least we didn't have yet another clothing line... 

[bilgistic]

What I have learned is that I will never buy anything that Kevin has invested in because he'll sell my name to his other investments!

[aemom]

On 11/13/2021 at 2:35 PM, bilgistic said:

I was irrationally irritated by the mispronunciation of the word "deux" which is the French word meaning "two". It sounds kind of like "duh" but with a hard stop. It's definitely not "doh".

As someone who speaks French very well, this made me nuts.

I think that she thought that she was all that, and then when Robert backed out, it took her down a peg a little bit.  I often disagree with Mark, but read the room indeed.

 

On 11/14/2021 at 9:00 AM, Whimsy said:

Most firefighters are tradesmen. I know tons of licensed/bonded electricians, plumbers, construction workers, etc. Sadly, like many other professions, they need to have two jobs to make ends meet. The only good thing with being a FF with 2 jobs is that their schedules allow much more flexibility in working multiple jobs. My husband works a 24 hour shift, has a day off, works his 2nd 24 hour shift and then has 5 days off. He can get overtime, but it’s never guaranteed, which is why they usually have that side job. We are lucky that my husband was promoted to Captain, so there was a pay bump, but he still does other work like being a member of the Hazmat team. 

I am shocked that someone who takes on a job with the level of danger as a FF, has to work a second job to make ends meet.  That's just not right.

[ljenkins782]

On 11/14/2021 at 2:57 PM, lh25 said:

That was my concern as well.  The firefighters I know are great people, but like all groups there are bad apples.  And marketing towards seniors who need help doing things indicated a more vulnerable population

Yes, I find the blanket application of "good guy" to people in certain professions, FFs, cops, military suspect. Because while I'm sure there are a large number who got into those professions in a protect and serve capacity, there are plenty of others who are total a-holes. 

Not to mention that it just seems TOO niche to limit it to one single profession and with the existence of Task Rabbit and a million other services, which I'm sure do background checks, I don't see the need. I know you need to pass a background check just to deliver food with GrubHub and DoorDash and those people don't even go inside. I have to imagine that any kind of service that requires people to go inside someone's home will want to vet the people working for them, so I don't think this guy is filling any kind of market need.

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I couldn't believe the Fish Fixe presenters went with Lori instead of Kevin.  He is so in the "chef" space and sells several different items on QVC (don't judge) including his wines, meats, etc.  He has some chef bonafides that Lori doesn't have (nor does she claim).  I think the presenters missed the real opportunity there.  Yes, I get that a lot (if not most) presenters want Lori or Mark, but that doesn't mean they are the best fit for their particular products.

I do think Kevin was a better fit for their business, but I did go to their website during the show and saw a note about how they fixed their distribution issues, so Lori either helped them or they figured it out on their own and I'm sure the exposure from the show is a boost no matter what. 

I was impressed by them as entrepreneurs, they never got rattled and seemed like intelligent, competent business owners. I am a little interested in their product, but I never seem to get around to checking out mail order food. 

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Quoting myself because after I ordered, I received an email that really confirmed her push for a not-older demographic.  The subject line was, in all caps, DAMN YOU HAVE GOOD TASTE.  It then went on to say "Welcome to the DEUX fam, besties."  And there was a message from the founder: "We believe good-for-you should taste good!  That's why we created DEUX, where our vegan, gluten-free recipes taste deuxlicious and are enhanced with the vitamins & boosts, our hype functions.  We're a small, mighty team that actually gives a sh*t.  We use clean, plant-based ingredients, sustainable packaging, and are activists who stand up for what we believe in, and that goes beyond healthy food. Love you, mean it, xx, Sabeena Ladha, DEUX founder                                                                                    Barf. 😝 (my reactions, not part of her message!)

 

Wow, that message was something else. And frankly, it's so over the top that it kinda reads like something written by someone "not in her target demographic" trying to sound like the kids today, like:

 

Edited November 17, 2021 by ljenkins782

[hacman00]

Re: The pizza oven

Rewatched the original pitch and original retail was $250.  Checked Amazon and they're going for $369.  Guess Mr. Wonderful's big contribution was to gouge the customers.

Edited November 17, 2021 by hacman00

[eel21788]

31 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

I do think Kevin was a better fit for their business, but I did go to their website during the show and saw a note about how they fixed their distribution issues, so Lori either helped them or they figured it out on their own and I'm sure the exposure from the show is a boost no matter what. 

They say they have fixed their distribution problems; however, they also say they are not doing any shipping until November 29! That doesn't sound as though they have it figured out to me, or that they are going to be able to take advantage of the publicity from the show, which will probably be short-lived.

[ljenkins782]

17 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

They say they have fixed their distribution problems; however, they also say they are not doing any shipping until November 29! That doesn't sound as though they have it figured out to me, or that they are going to be able to take advantage of the publicity from the show, which will probably be short-lived.

The show just aired this past week and November 29 is only 12 days away (with a major holiday in between). That doesn't seem like a huge lag time to me, I've seen people wait months and months for Shark Tank products. 

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Re: The pizza oven

Rewatched the original pitch and original retail was $250.  Checked Amazon and they're going for $369.  Guess Mr. Wonderful's big contribution was to gouge the customers.

 

I do always wonder about the products who have HUGE margins and announce it to the world. Like this costs us 10 cents to make and we sell it for $100!!! I see why that would appeal to the sharks as investors, but it seems like a turn-off for the consumers.

[LuvMyShows]

On 11/15/2021 at 7:25 PM, KaveDweller said:

I believe her product tastes good, and I am not going to suggest people aren't allowed to sell unhealthy foods, but just because her dough is gluten-free and vegan doesn't mean it is healthy. 

And my final posting on the subject...the cookie dough wasn't very good.  Nor was it actually bad.  It just wasn't worth wasting calories on.  The gingerbread one was overwhelmingly ginger-y tasting.  The birthday cake didn't taste at all like the birthday cake-flavored things I've had...it didn't really taste like anything.  The sugar and spice was probably the best.  As dough to eat, these definitely weren't worth it; maybe as baked cookies it would be OK.  My 20-something son agreed with my assessment on the three different flavors.  He wasn't crazy about them, but asked to bring them with him to a gathering at a friend's house, so maybe someone will enjoy them. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I’m really down on the prenup idea. I’m an attorney, and I have seen a lot of disastrous do-it-yourself wills and POAs from some of the big web sites.

The worst example was someone who managed to make a combination will and power of attorney in one document.  Let me tell you, you just can't do that. 

Edited November 20, 2021 by GussieK