S13.E20: Cat Amazing; Lil ADVENTS; HairFin; Browndages

[JTMacc99]

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An entrepreneur from Fort Lee, New Jersey, introduces his "purrfect" product designed to keep your feline stimulated and entertained. A husband and wife from Renton, Washington, turn their potty-training struggle into a product used to aid your toddler to achieve this major milestone; while an entrepreneur from Derby, Connecticut, presents his modern solution to an age-old hair-cutting problem with his all-new measuring tool. A husband and wife from Columbus, Ohio, are on a mission to inspire children with their inclusive product line while providing aid to minor injuries.

 

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In a Shark Tank update, Matt Walsh and Dax Holt from Anaheim, California, update their investor Mark Cuban about Trophy Smack, the ultimate destination for custom fantasy sports trophies.

The Sharks in this episode are Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner and Daymond John.

 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sharks are Mark, Robert, Kevin, Lori, and Daymond.

1.       Cat Amazing- For indoor cats, to relieve boredom.  A set of interactive puzzle feeders.  I love the cat video footage.   There are three different sizes.   Daymond and Lori get the treats out, but the others aren’t so good.   Created to keep Mookie, the seller’s original cat, who is sadly gone now.    They cost $4 to $9 dollars, and sell for $16 to $30 retail.  It’s touching that the seller wants 10% or more to go to help shelter cats.   I think this will sell very well on QVC.  Deal made with Lori.  

2.       Lil Advents-potty training aid, how embarrassing, the sellers have a picture of their daughter and talking on national TV how hard she was to potty train.   Potty training chart, and prizes for potty training.   They have a cut out with Kevin’s head on it.  It’s like a potty training advent chart.  They have a licensing deal for some characters with Hasbro.   Robert points out they only need one kit per kid.  No deal.  

3.       Hair Fin- Home hair cut measuring tool, I looked on Amazon, some of the reviews are great, and some are awful.    This might do well, it’s not as if you can buy Flowbees any longer (been out of stock for over two years now).  2”, 3”, and 4” guides.  I’m not impressed with his haircut. Daymond is getting a big kick out of this. They sell for $14.95, and cost $2.00 to make, and sell on Amazon.   Kevin and Daymond are left, and as Robert says the two remaining Sharks are ‘folically challenged’.    

I suspect the seller cuts his hair dry, and it has some wave to it, so it will always rebound,   He needs to get a real hairdresser to cut his hair, and then trim his hair with the appropriate hair fin length, and then it will look better.   I think his hair needs to be shorter.    

Daymond almost makes the deal (he previously made a deal with Cut Buddy), but drops out, and then makes the deal.  (The Amazon buyers who are happy say the secret is to have your hair wet, and then it's easier to hold onto when you use the measuring device.   I think it will come out more even also). 

4.       Browndages-Inclusive bandages. Bandages in various colors, to match more hues of human skins.     They have character bandages too, and many shades of regular bandages.  A big company tried to copy them, and customers rejected this.  They cost $1.27 to produce, and sell online for $4.99.   Lori wants to partner with Mark and Daymond for 10% each.   Kevin makes a deal.    Lori, Mark, and Daymond make the deal.  (Thanks to the other poster who corrected me, the sellers want a character deal with Hasbro, but Hasbro hasn't responded to them.)

Trophy Smack update, trophies, and championship belts for any occasion.   Mark is their partner, and they’re doing very well.

(I do the recaps, because otherwise I'm doing other things when I watch, and don't even notice what the outcome is.   I also appreciate when others tell me what I goofed on, like the art tool last week when I said no deal, and the seller actually got a deal with Daymond).  

Edited April 20, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kiss my mutt]

@CrazyInAlabama I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your breaking down each episode and providing a helpful synopsis of the show. I’ve been meaning to thank you for awhile now, so thank you!

[30 Helens]

I liked the cat guy, but honestly I could make that with a couple of empty Chewy’s boxes and a box knife.

Lori really glommed onto that Browndages deal, didn’t she? I’m not sure anyone really wanted her, but she was not about to be left out. (I always wonder how the entrepreneurs feel when multiple sharks start piling on. Yes, they get more shark power, but it costs them a much bigger percentage of the business. And it’s not like they can say no, I’m fine with just one of you. It’s always a package deal.)

Also, I’m kind of shocked that brown bandaids don’t already exist. That’s such an obvious need (and market).

The Hair Fin was kind of hilarious, but why is it just one blade? Wouldn’t multiple fins (capturing the hair like a comb) produce a more even effect? Maybe that’s why the guy’s haircut was so laughably bad. What did they say about it? “When you sort of care about your hair, but not really”? That should totally be the product slogan. Lean into it!

[Vermicious Knid]

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Also, I’m kind of shocked that brown bandaids don’t already exist. That’s such an obvious need (and market).

Yeah, you would think that would be a no-brainer.

I thought the advent potty-training thing was dumb.

[DEL901]

I don’t know how many colours they have but…

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think the brown bandaids on the market are only that one shade, and like the regular bandaids really don't match humans.  I think the Browndages are a great improvement on anything on the market, and with the character tie ins will do great business.     I think with their individual skills the three Sharks will be good partners getting the bandages out there on the market, licensing, and they'll soon be available everywhere.   (The sellers do not have a deal with Hasbro yet about characters). 

Have the Sharks stopped asking most sellers about competition?    Or maybe they just edit that out.  

Edited April 20, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Vanderboom]

I was surprised the cat guy got a deal. Aren't there similar products already?

I'm glad for the Browndages couple; representation and visibility matters. I know there are darker brown bandaids, but it took too long to get even those.

Edited April 16, 2022 by Vanderboom

[EXEAL]

15 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Sharks are Mark, Robert, Kevin, Lori, and Daymond.

1.       Cat Amazing- For indoor cats, to relieve boredom.  A set of interactive puzzle feeders.  I love the cat video footage.   There are three different sizes.   Daymond and Lori get the treats out, but the others aren’t so good.   Created to keep Mookie, the seller’s original cat, who is sadly gone now.    They cost $4 to $9 dollars, and sell for $16 to $30 retail.  It’s touching that the seller wants 10% or more to go to help shelter cats.   I think this will sell very well on QVC.  Deal made with Lori.  

2.       Lil Advents-potty training aid, how embarrassing, the sellers have a picture of their daughter and talking on national TV how hard she was to potty train.   Potty training chart, and prizes for potty training.   They have a cut out with Kevin’s head on it.  It’s like a potty training advent chart.  They have a licensing deal for some characters with Hasbro.   Robert points out they only need one kit per kid.  No deal.  

3.       Hair Fin- Home hair cut measuring tool, I looked on Amazon, some of the reviews are great, and some are awful.    This might do well, it’s not as if you can buy Flowbees any longer (been out of stock for over two years now).  2”, 3”, and 4” guides.  I’m not impressed with his haircut. Daymond is getting a big kick out of this. They sell for $14.95, and cost $2.00 to make, and sell on Amazon.   Kevin and Daymond are left, and as Robert says the two remaining Sharks are ‘folically challenged’.     Daymond almost makes the deal (he previously made a deal with Cut Buddy), but drops out, and then makes the deal.  (The Amazon buyers who are happy say the secret is to have your hair wet, and then it's easier to hold onto when you use the measuring device.   I think it will come out more even also). 

4.       Browndages-Inclusive bandages. Bandages in various colors, to match more hues of human skins.     They have character bandages too, and many shades of regular bandages.  A big company tried to copy them, and customers rejected this.  They cost $1.27 to produce, and sell online for $4.99.   Lori wants to partner with Mark and Daymond for 10% each.   Kevin makes a deal.    Lori, Mark, and Daymond make the deal.

Trophy Smack update, trophies, and championship belts for any occasion.   Mark is their partner, and they’re doing very well.

(I do the recaps, because otherwise I'm doing other things when I watch, and don't even notice what the outcome is.   I also appreciate when others tell me what I goofed on, like the art tool last week when I said no deal, and the seller actually got a deal with Daymond).  

@CrazyInAlabama...  Thank you so much for taking the time to recap the episodes. I always come here first and scroll down to read your recaps before I watch each show. For some reason I need to know the outcome before watching. I'm dysfunctional that way.🤷‍♀️😊  So again, thank you.😊👍

[EXEAL]

8 hours ago, DEL901 said:

I don’t know how many colours they have but…

 

 

Here's an article about Band-Aids with different colors to match skin tones. 

https://vocal.media/longevity/band-aids-come-in-different-colors-to-match-skin-tone

[dmeets]

Cat guy: “I’ve never told this to a single living soul but I promised my late cat that I’d donate part of my earnings to rescue animals. Obviously it’d be from my equity, not yours.”

Cat guy 30 seconds later: “How about you take the 10% I asked for instead of 20%, and your other 10% would be donated?”

I think Daymond and I had matching “lol wtf” faces.

Edited April 17, 2022 by dmeets

[LittleIggy]

13 hours ago, Vanderboom said:

I was surprised the cat guy got a deal. Aren't there similar products already?

I'm glad for the Browndages couple; representation and visibility matters. I know there are darker brown bandaids, but it took too long to get even those.

Yes, I see them in Petsmart.

[eel21788]

14 hours ago, Vanderboom said:

I was surprised the cat guy got a deal. Aren't there similar products already?

Plenty, and ironically just before this episode aired, I watched my cat spend thirty minutes trying to open packages of cream cheese and smoked salmon.

He is 100% indoor but never gets bored enough to go for any store-bought cat toys. He finds plenty of things he likes to stalk: pens, chopsticks, whatever is on the desk directly above the computer tower which he likes to stand on and reach up and grab things off the desk from underneath. He even frequently stalks me by attacking my fingers or swatting my heels if I'm not headed in the right direction.

21 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I liked the cat guy, but honestly I could make that with a couple of empty Chewy’s boxes and a box knife.

 That is exactly what I have done with previous cats, then put a plastic egg or superball inside for them to bat around. Some of my cats loved it; others just didn't see the purpose.

[eel21788]

On 4/15/2022 at 8:31 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 Lil Advents-potty training aid, how embarrassing, the sellers have a picture of their daughter and talking on national TV how hard she was to potty train.   Potty training chart, and prizes for potty training.

What besides disposable diapers suddenly made children so hard to potty train? For the last fifty years it has been all about games and bribes and participation trophies. For centuries before that, we just gave them something to drink at quarter-till the hour, then sat them on the pot at the top of the hour and ran the water until they peed. It is just teaching cause and effect. It's hardly rocket science. I'm the last of the baby boomers, so I can chastise Gen X and beyond for not being able to figure out basic parenting skills.

[nlkm9]

18 hours ago, eel21788 said:

What besides disposable diapers suddenly made children so hard to potty train? For the last fifty years it has been all about games and bribes and participation trophies. For centuries before that, we just gave them something to drink at quarter-till the hour, then sat them on the pot at the top of the hour and ran the water until they peed. It is just teaching cause and effect. It's hardly rocket science. I'm the last of the baby boomers, so I can chastise Gen X and beyond for not being able to figure out basic parenting skills.

It was a cute idea, but not much different than m&m’s with a homemade chart. 

[DEL901]

2 hours ago, nlkm9 said:

It was a cute idea, but not much different than m&m’s with a homemade chart. 

Some kids just need the right incentive.  I remember an old Dear Abby letter.  The family had several kids and the youngest had no interest in being potty trained.  So they planned a trip to Disney land.  They got all the kids pumped up and looking forward to it….then told the youngest she’d have to stay behind with grandma because there were no diapers allowed in Disneyland.   She basically toilet trained herself in under a week.  

[bilgistic]

My mother toilet-trained me using M&M's as a reward and thus started my relationship with rewarding myself with food.

I'm kind of joking but not.

[seacliffsal]

OK, it must just be me, but I never realized that bandaids should match our skin tones until this episode.  I just always assumed they were never intended to "hide" a cut because they never matched anyone's skin tone as far as I ever observed.  Also, with all of the pattern/cartoony bandaids that have been out over the years I kind of thought they were intentionally trying to stand out for whatever reason.  Oh well...sometimes (usually?) I'm just in my own world.

I thought the cat toy just looked cheap and like it would break really easily.  I didn't understand Robert's comment about the toilet training thing (you would only buy it once...yeah for EACH child and there are always more children...).  The hair cutting thing didn't really seen like one would get a good haircut.  

[Tango64]

Another episode full of products that already exist or products that are not needed. Yet they still make deals.

I'm quite white and a typical old school "flesh color" bandage stands out, but I do get that others might want a bandage that more closely approximates their skin tone. They're out there already though, and I don't know if a lot of different shades is enough of a selling point. And it seems the trend lately is for bandages that are fun, bright colors and patterns.

The potty training product is only for parents who can't come up with something similar on their own. I used a magic "potty box" to train my son by getting a little box from the office supply store (designed to hold index cards) and putting some stickers on it. It sat on the tank of the toilet and when he did a good job there would be a small, very modest prize in there for him. Something like a little green army man, or a rubber ball, never food. We'd show him the box was empty and slip a toy in while he was distracted doing his thing. Worked quite well.

The hair cutting tool was hilarious. If you really don't care and that guy's look is your low bar, I guess it could sell.

 

[Vanderboom]

42 minutes ago, Tango64 said:

The hair cutting tool was hilarious. If you really don't care and that guy's look is your low bar, I guess it could sell.

Talk about an extremely niche product for people who care about how their hair looks, but don't care that much!

[Gif: There are dozens of us. Dozens!]

[nlkm9]

16 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Some kids just need the right incentive.  I remember an old Dear Abby letter.  The family had several kids and the youngest had no interest in being potty trained.  So they planned a trip to Disney land.  They got all the kids pumped up and looking forward to it….then told the youngest she’d have to stay behind with grandma because there were no diapers allowed in Disneyland.   She basically toilet trained herself in under a week.  

Well this could seriously veer off topic lol, I have friends who kids just woke up dry it is very early age and they claimed that they were magical a potty training, it took me years to get my daughter trained. Imagine my pleasure when all those perfect moms had their second and third kids who weren’t as easy to train or didn’t just wake up miraculously trained . Disney World would not have helped with my child, every kid has their own timetable and what works for one may not work for another

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, Tango64 said:

Another episode full of products that already exist or products that are not needed. Yet they still make deals.

You didn't finish your first sentence. It should include "with ridiculous valuations."

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

OK, it must just be me, but I never realized that bandaids should match our skin tones until this episode.  I just always assumed they were never intended to "hide" a cut because they never matched anyone's skin tone as far as I ever observed.

If camouflage is the most important part of the bandage, there are some sold that are made with clear tape. Every kid in the classroom can use the same box of bandages. No variety packs needed.

[LuvMyShows]

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I didn't understand Robert's comment about the toilet training thing (you would only buy it once...yeah for EACH child and there are always more children...).  

Yeah, that made no sense.

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

The hair cutting thing didn't really seen like one would get a good haircut.  

OK, so the thing about the cutting fin is that it doesn't actually help with the haircut itself, it only helps evaluate the length for you to cut.  So if you start with a kind of crappy cut/style, like his, then you'll just get that same cut/style, but shorter.  If somehow you are good at cutting your own hair, then I suppose you could get a good haircut at the right length by using it.  But really, most people don't cut their hair to a pre-determined length that they measure before-hand...they cut to the length that seems like it will look right.

[needschocolate]

I have only watched half of the episode but the toilet training couple got me curious....Anybody know what company they used to own that they sold for $8 million?

[eel21788]

23 hours ago, needschocolate said:

I have only watched half of the episode but the toilet training couple got me curious....Anybody know what company they used to own that they sold for $8 million?

 I'm betting it was $8 million in sales, not profit.

From https://www.inventorsdigest.com/articles/kids-fun-on-the-go/ :

My husband, Brandon, and I have been sellers on Amazon since 2009. It was the Wild West time of Amazon, when they recently opened the marketplace to products other than books.

We started selling small home and kitchen goods as a side gig in hopes it would become a full-time job for us. We lived in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment in Green Lake, Washington, about a 10-minute drive from downtown Seattle. We lined our apartment walls with shelving to house our product and used our bedroom as a shipping station. Our bed was in place of the dining table. 

In 2011, we quit our other jobs (interior design and pressure washing) and moved to Renton, Washington, and bought our first home—which is where we still live—to do this full time. By 2015, we were doing over $1 million in sales annually on Amazon. This continued and we thrived until 2018 when Amazon Basics launched, and the market became oversaturated with sellers and duplicate listings. 

[needschocolate]

1 hour ago, eel21788 said:

 I'm betting it was $8 million in sales, not profit.

From https://www.inventorsdigest.com/articles/kids-fun-on-the-go/ :

My husband, Brandon, and I have been sellers on Amazon since 2009. It was the Wild West time of Amazon, when they recently opened the marketplace to products other than books.

We started selling small home and kitchen goods as a side gig in hopes it would become a full-time job for us. We lived in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment in Green Lake, Washington, about a 10-minute drive from downtown Seattle. We lined our apartment walls with shelving to house our product and used our bedroom as a shipping station. Our bed was in place of the dining table. 

In 2011, we quit our other jobs (interior design and pressure washing) and moved to Renton, Washington, and bought our first home—which is where we still live—to do this full time. By 2015, we were doing over $1 million in sales annually on Amazon. This continued and we thrived until 2018 when Amazon Basics launched, and the market became oversaturated with sellers and duplicate listings. 

Thank you!  I did some snooping around the internet and all I kept coming up with was that they stopped when Amazon Basics started.  

[aemom]

Cat Amazing: I liked him and the cat boxes seemed cool, but that they would not hold up well under use.  I had a long line of cats who did indeed, love destroying all kinds of boxes.

Lil Advents: Training my older son was a complete nightmare and this thing would not have solved my problem which was that he was willing to pee, but not poop in the toilet.  I should write a short story about how I finally solved that problem.

Browndages: I liked the couple and what they are trying to do, but honestly, I do not care what color my bandage is, I care more that it sticks!  I am very fair skinned, so bandages look as obvious on me as a light-colored one looks on a dark-skinned person, but my beef is that bandages don't stick well.  I am at the point where I only buy those heavy-duty, super sticky ones.  Those stick, but don't blend at all with my skin tone, and I don't care.  I have seen, and even bought, clear ones as another poster alluded to.  They "hide" quite well on everybody.

Hairfin: So rarely do I love the pitcher but hate the product.  He was delightfully charming. I think that this might help someone who knows how to cut hair to actually cut their own, but as we saw, it doesn't really do the greatest job for amateurs.  And all I could think throughout the presentation was that he looked so much like Philip's persona Clark on "The Americans:"

Edited April 20, 2022 by aemom
Typo

[eel21788]

On 4/18/2022 at 9:46 AM, seacliffsal said:

I didn't understand Robert's comment about the toilet training thing (you would only buy it once...yeah for EACH child and there are always more children...).  

On the internet, they admit that it takes two or three of them to get a child fully trained. I don't know why they didn't bring that up.

On 4/15/2022 at 8:31 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

They have a licensing deal for some characters with Hasbro. 

 Again, from interviews on the 'net, they have requested licensing from Hasbro. They are still waiting for a response back from them.  

Edited April 21, 2022 by eel21788

[eel21788]

On 4/18/2022 at 9:46 AM, seacliffsal said:

I thought the cat toy just looked cheap and like it would break really easily. 

Here's the canine version: (much better than the one we saw pitched last week as far as I'm concerned):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDCiTERoao8

[lh25]

I wasn't paying total attention, but didn't Lori say something about how that advent toilet training thing was something you'd just buy once for each kids as a reason to not invest.  While bringing up the Squatty Potty she did invest in?  Where you need one per bathroom?