S14.E02: Woobles; Banana Phone; Turbo Trusser; Stealth Bros. & Co.

[JTMacc99]

Quote

First into the Tank are entrepreneurs from Apex, North Carolina, who pitch their step-by-step kit made to teach beginners how to create cuddly and cute animal characters. Entrepreneurs from Bend, Oregon, banana-split their proceeds to support endangered gorillas with their fun Bluetooth-enabled accessory; while entrepreneurs from Canton, Ohio, hope to hook a Shark with their rapid trussing device designed to cook the perfect bird every time. An entrepreneur from Mays Landing, New Jersey, introduces his luxury supply company that provides convenient personal storage for medical necessities on an all-new episode.

 

Quote

In a "Shark Tank" update, Justin Fenchel, Amy Steadman and Brad Schultz from Austin, Texas, update their investor Mark Cuban on Beatbox Beverages, their portable wine-based "Party Punch."

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

[CrazyInAlabama]

Sharks: Mark, Barbara, Kevin, Lori, Robert

1-The Woobles- kits that teach you how to crochet adorable stuffed animals.  You get yarn, crochet hook, QR code to take you to the instructions, $3 manufactured, and $30 to retail.   Most customers are adults.  They’ve sold $5.2 million in the first three years, and expect $7 million this year. 86% gross margins.   They want mentorship, licensing, going into new outlets, and working with companies that do characters (Disney, etc.).      They need to lower their costs of acquiring customers.    Kevin, Barbara, and Lori are interested.   Lori and Mark make the deal.

2-Banana Phone-banana shaped blue tooth phone, pairs with your smart phone, it is a speaker for music too, and some proceeds go to saving gorillas.  Both pitchers have been working this on the side for six years.   Last year $540k in sales.   $6 a unit to make, and sells for $40, pairs with your existing phone.  The Sharks say it’s too much of a gimmick or novelty item. Everyone drops out, no deal.

3-Turbo Trusser-Bird truss kit, sellers are wearing chicken and turkey outfits, cooks a perfect bird every time for chickens and turkeys.    It keeps the juices in the bird.  Can be used in air fryers, ovens, rotisseries, grills, etc. Chef Wonderful demonstrates.   Out of 11,000 units they had 1 return.    Cooks more evenly.  The two men have invented six other failed products.    Margins are 82%.   They looking for social media and marketing help.   Kevin makes a royalty deal.  

4-Stealth Bros. & Co.-safe and discreet way to carry medical kits for individuals, merges function with style.    Seller is transgender, and he needed to property store his injectable meds.   Works for hormones, or hormone therapy, diabetics, IVF, Braxton Fleming is very impressive.  They have sharps containers, different styles to hold meds, and sharps.  They offer kits and sharps kits in bundles of 4.  There are competitors, but this is more fashionable, and better organized, and there are different kits for adults and kids.   He sells only online, $110k this year, last year $140k, margins are fantastic.  His parents were entrepreneurs.     He’s the only employee of the company.   Lori, Kevin,  and Robert are out.   Barbara and Mark want to partner with him.  $100k investment, and $100k in loans, for 20%.   This is a great product, and I bet with the sales from being on the show, he'll have a hard time keeping up with demand. 

I loved the Woobles kits, and the Stealth Bros product, I know so many people that could use this.   Turbo Trusser seems good, but I don't ever make a roasted Chicken or Turkey.   I will not say how bizarre I find the banana phone device, and suspect they only came on the show for publicity, and hoping for a deal with some novelty company.   

Update on Beat Box, bottles of wine.    They now do individual single serve boxes, instead of big boxes.  

Edited October 1, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[DanaK]

I’m only 4 minutes in and it’s already 1000x better without the live audience

[mjc570]

A nice episode, I figure it's a make-up for that abomination last week (the live episode).  There was a lot for me to like - no guest sharks, reasonable products, no sob stories.

I could see the Woobles as a deal, it would be easy to expand both the crochet kits and to include other crafts, and the two people were smart and reasonable.

I don't like bananas, and would never buy that product.  There are tons of similar products, although I did like the gorilla aspect.

Maybe its me, but that trusser (which is really a very good idea) just didn't look like it would do a good job of holding the legs and wings in tight enough.  It did not seem secure to me, but then, I am not intimidated by using twine - all you need to do is wrap it and tie it.

Totally loved the trans man, his story and his products.  I can see that company being tremendously successful, and useful to many people.

[khyber]

This was a million times better than the "live" monstrosity of last week.

[bilgistic]

I've seen some stupid shit on Shark Tank, but that banana phone takes the cake.

I can't believe those two bros got on the show with that Spencer's novelty toy.

Edited October 1, 2022 by bilgistic

[EXEAL]

17 hours ago, DanaK said:

I’m only 4 minutes in and it’s already 1000x better without the live audience

Four of the sharks were guests on The View last week and talked about doing the live show. They loved it. Said it energized them being live. Hopefully it didn't energize them enough to plan another one.🙄

[JTMacc99]

I LOVED the Woobles deal.

I loved when Mark asked them about how they came up with the valuation, and they said "we know it's low". Because I was doing back of the napkin math and that 5% for $250K was a $5M valuation. Which for a company with $7M current annual sales and 30%+ net margins was REALLY low. Then Kevin saying to them "Low?" and Mark looking at him smiling and going "Yes!"

They ended up taking $450K for 6% which is $7.5M.  Still totally low, but they awesomely dictated that they wanted Lori and Mark for their sharks, and those two were like "Works for us!"

I got the chills watching that. That was fantastic. It's so nice to see someone SO competent making a pitch with SO much success proven in black and white results, and them genuinely wanting shark business partners (as opposed to just wanting to be on TV for exposure), and happily selling off a small percentage (at a discount) of their company for the partners.

[shoregirl]

Those Woobles are so cute . I went on the website say they have  instructions for Right and Left handed people. So many kits like that only have right handed instructions. When I was younger my aunt tried to teach me to crochet but couldn't switch her hand to teach me left-handed and I tried right-handed but was pretty hopeless trying to learn on my non dominant hand.

The Stealth Bros is so practical. I could see it helping so many people. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by shoregirl

[eel21788]

7 hours ago, khyber said:

This was a million times better than the "live" monstrosity of last week.

However, I did prefer Barbara's lamp shade dress last week to the dominatrix outfit Lori was wearing this week.

[dogdays2]

I already know how to knit and crochet, so that product wasn’t for me.  I agree that animals are better than pot holders but I hope they have kits for other stuff because animals will get boring.  And once you learn the skill, you want to make more “advanced” things. Trust me on this.  It does creat a lot of opportunity for expansion. 

The sharps product seemed ok.  I’m not someone who would need it but am sure many do.  Think he should focus on diabetics and others who make up a greater demographic as I doubt there are enough folks on hormone therapy to make this a huge thing.  Also, once someone has one of these, do they need more?  I think it’s a great idea but not sure it can be a mega product. Then again, I could well be wrong. 
 

Count me as another who was so happy to see the live audience gone.  BTW, I’m ok with live provided no audience.  

[Vermicious Knid]

Stupid hockey game. Just watched the delayed broadcast, some things to like, some things that make you go "Huh?" I do and don't get the crochet kit. Everybody is looking for hobbies, they've made a killing already, but there have to be thousands of instructional videos out there that aren't behind a paywall. Places like Michaels have kits available. Once you make the one animal that comes with any kit you have to go out and buy more yarn anyway. Get a hook, get yarn, pull up youtube. Or ask a grandma. Banana phone is silly but there are people who buy it. Don't know about the trusser, since I don't really cook. But agreeing to a royalty in perpetuity? Nope, nope, nope.

As he said, there are many reasons people might need to inject during the day, not just hormone therapy. I just looked it up and almost 300,000 kids are diabetic alone.

[eel21788]

12 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

I just looked it up and almost 300,000 kids are diabetic alone.

Diabetics have been dealing with carrying insulin and disposing of the needles for nearly 100 years. That includes back in the days when insulin was never supposed to leave the refrigerator. He didn't say anything about them being insulated to keep things cool.

He really isn't doing anything to make it any different except his bags look more "designer" than what is already on the market (or so he says).

His sharps container also doesn't meet OSHA standards. As a nurse, he should know that.

I thought the trusser was more deserving of a decent deal than he was.

Edited October 2, 2022 by eel21788

[Tango64]

The chicken trusser and the inventors underscored everything I hate about this show.

First, the device itself is not a bad idea. It’s a bit cumbersome to tie the legs properly on a wet, raw chicken. I tuck the wings under the back though. So I could see the device having some use. But they overstated it and claimed that it made such delicious chicken. No, it’s a convenience but it doesn’t have that kind of impact.

Second, the sharks are so detached from ordinary life that someone puts a bit of roast chicken in front of them and they say, “Oh your device makes delicious chicken! It works!” 🙄 

And third, I’m so tired of seeing people dress up in stupid costumes like the chicken outfits and debase themselves in front of the gazillionaire sharks. It’s like court jesters humiliating themselves to beg for just a crumb of approval from their betters. It’s cringeworthy.

[KaveDweller]

4 hours ago, Tango64 said:

The chicken trusser and the inventors underscored everything I hate about this show.

First, the device itself is not a bad idea. It’s a bit cumbersome to tie the legs properly on a wet, raw chicken. I tuck the wings under the back though. So I could see the device having some use. But they overstated it and claimed that it made such delicious chicken. No, it’s a convenience but it doesn’t have that kind of impact.

Second, the sharks are so detached from ordinary life that someone puts a bit of roast chicken in front of them and they say, “Oh your device makes delicious chicken! It works!” 🙄 

And third, I’m so tired of seeing people dress up in stupid costumes like the chicken outfits and debase themselves in front of the gazillionaire sharks. It’s like court jesters humiliating themselves to beg for just a crumb of approval from their betters. It’s cringeworthy.

I feel like they would have had a better shot at a deal if they dressed normally. It is one thing to dress up when you have a silly product (like a banana phone or something for kids), but the trusser seemed like a legit product for people who cook. But because they were dressed in a chicken suit I don't think anyone took them seriously and dismissed the idea of investing.

That offer from Kevin was pretty crappy, I guess they were desperate.

[hifihifi]

I'm confused about the Banana Phone which they didn't explain. Is it a real Banana or if it looks like a banana, big deal, it's just a novelty phone.

[CrazyInAlabama]

15 hours ago, hifihifi said:

I'm confused about the Banana Phone which they didn't explain. Is it a real Banana or if it looks like a banana, big deal, it's just a novelty phone.

They called it a banana phone, but it's actually a blue-tooth device you pair with your phone.   (By the way, I have no idea how that works.)  It's just a novelty item, and will sell a few, and then disappear.  

With the medical kit, the diabetics, or others who use injection kits, they only would need a day or a week of sharps in the container in the kit, and would empty into a regular home sharps container.   So, they only need space for a few needles for the day. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[bilgistic]

I was wondering if they actually thought people are going to carry around fake bananas in their pockets? [Insert "happy to see me" joke here.] Like, the "joke" might be funny the first time, but after that, you just look like an asshole who doesn't stop trying to make people laugh over a dumb gag. Or a crazy person on the street talking into a banana.

[seacliffsal]

I actually liked the poultry trusser (?).  It made sense to me.  But, I don't think they demonstrated it well.  Kevin was the right shark for them (because of his chef stuff) but that deal wasn't good for anyone but Kevin.  Theirs was a quick solution for many cooks (probably not going to make tons of money/sales) that could be a fixture in kitchen/cooking stores.  Kevin will get it a lot of traction and initial sales, but that royalty will really lessen what the presenters make off of it.  

Not interested in crocheting, but there are lots of people who may purchase at least one kit.  Banana phone?  Yeh, a joke to use once in an office after which people won't be interested.  Medical pouch?  I can see people buying this, but as Lori used to say when not investing in certain products, it's a buy it once product.  A poster above wrote that the needle disposal container doesn't meet OSHA requirements so I think there may be some issues with that (or they will redesign it so it does meet the requirements).

[bilgistic]

My dad puts his used insulin needles in an empty single-serve soft drink bottle that he keeps on top of the fridge. That's hardly safe, but the V.A. doesn't give out biohazard containers.

[DEL901]

4 hours ago, bilgistic said:

My dad puts his used insulin needles in an empty single-serve soft drink bottle that he keeps on top of the fridge. That's hardly safe, but the V.A. doesn't give out biohazard containers.

My pharmacy gave me a container when I had to start testing my blood sugar.  It is larger than a cereal box. I have had it for 3 years and it is only a third full.  when I went home with my first set of blood test supplies, the pharmacy called me in a panic because the forgot to give me one.

When it is full, I just trade it in for another free one. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by DEL901

[theredhead77]

On 10/1/2022 at 5:18 PM, JTMacc99 said:

I LOVED the Woobles deal.

I loved when Mark asked them about how they came up with the valuation, and they said "we know it's low". Because I was doing back of the napkin math and that 5% for $250K was a $5M valuation. Which for a company with $7M current annual sales and 30%+ net margins was REALLY low. Then Kevin saying to them "Low?" and Mark looking at him smiling and going "Yes!"

They ended up taking $450K for 6% which is $7.5M.  Still totally low, but they awesomely dictated that they wanted Lori and Mark for their sharks, and those two were like "Works for us!"

I got the chills watching that. That was fantastic. It's so nice to see someone SO competent making a pitch with SO much success proven in black and white results, and them genuinely wanting shark business partners (as opposed to just wanting to be on TV for exposure), and happily selling off a small percentage (at a discount) of their company for the partners.

I literally came here to see what was being said about this deal. I LOVE The Woobles and have been raving about them for a few years now.* I've had personal interaction with Justine and just can't say enough good things about this company or their customer service. If you want to learn to crochet, buy a kit or 4 and join their FB group, too. You can search my posts for "The Woobles". Not affiliated, just a super excited customer.

Top image (L-R) Bjørn, Fred the Dino (non-disco), Nico, Cola, Pierre (my first) and Ralph the Reindeer. Not shown is Sebastian the Lion which lives with my parents.

Bottom image is on my own (w/ pattern) a snowman, bumble bee (most recent), my own version of their Tanya the Tiger (I used existing patterns), a turkey, pumpkin, candy corn (squished one is one of my first creations, pointy one is this year, after lots of practice), and some holiday nights.

*Edit - from the timing it looks like I may have been one of their first batch of customers. Still the best (but sadly, not only) Instagram purchase.

*2nd edit - I forgot to include Sharkie the Shark (made from a pattern I found online) and I made my dad the USS Enterprise (not shown) for Hanukkah last year.

Edited October 4, 2022 by theredhead77

[eel21788]

9 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 With the medical kit, the diabetics, or others who use injection kits, they only would need a day or a week of sharps in the container in the kit, and would empty into a regular home sharps container.   So, they only need space for a few needles for the day. 

You're not supposed to transfer used, uncapped needles from one container to another. That is also an OSHA no-no. Also, with insulin syringes the needle is attached to syringe, so you need room to dispose of the whole thing, not just the used needle.

[eel21788]

4 hours ago, bilgistic said:

My dad puts his used insulin needles in an empty single-serve soft drink bottle that he keeps on top of the fridge. That's hardly safe, but the V.A. doesn't give out biohazard containers.

How does he dispose of it once it is full?

[aemom]

On 10/2/2022 at 5:56 PM, Tango64 said:

The chicken trusser and the inventors underscored everything I hate about this show.

First, the device itself is not a bad idea. It’s a bit cumbersome to tie the legs properly on a wet, raw chicken. I tuck the wings under the back though. So I could see the device having some use. But they overstated it and claimed that it made such delicious chicken. No, it’s a convenience but it doesn’t have that kind of impact.

Second, the sharks are so detached from ordinary life that someone puts a bit of roast chicken in front of them and they say, “Oh your device makes delicious chicken! It works!” 🙄 

And third, I’m so tired of seeing people dress up in stupid costumes like the chicken outfits and debase themselves in front of the gazillionaire sharks. It’s like court jesters humiliating themselves to beg for just a crumb of approval from their betters. It’s cringeworthy.

I remember seeing one of the earlier episodes of Dragon's Den (Canada's Shark Tank) and a pitcher came out wearing a bikini with a hot dog cart.  Arlene told the pitcher that she should have used a model because it was very hard to take her seriously as a business woman dressed in a bikini.

Sometimes we see people come in with models/helpers dressed in costumes/product samples and I think that is a far more successful approach.

While I don't think that they reinvented cooking poultry, I'm pretty sure that their trusser does improve the cooking process somewhat.

On 10/3/2022 at 6:47 PM, theredhead77 said:

I literally came here to see what was being said about this deal. I LOVE The Woobles and have been raving about them for a few years now.* I've had personal interaction with Justine and just can't say enough good things about this company or their customer service. If you want to learn to crochet, buy a kit or 4 and join their FB group, too. You can search my posts for "The Woobles". Not affiliated, just a super excited customer.

Top image (L-R) Bjørn, Fred the Dino (non-disco), Nico, Cola, Pierre (my first) and Ralph the Reindeer. Not shown is Sebastian the Lion which lives with my parents.

Bottom image is on my own (w/ pattern) a snowman, bumble bee (most recent), my own version of their Tanya the Tiger (I used existing patterns), a turkey, pumpkin, candy corn (squished one is one of my first creations, pointy one is this year, after lots of practice), and some holiday nights.

*Edit - from the timing it looks like I may have been one of their first batch of customers. Still the best (but sadly, not only) Instagram purchase.

*2nd edit - I forgot to include Sharkie the Shark (made from a pattern I found online) and I made my dad the USS Enterprise (not shown) for Hanukkah last year.

Very nice!  Damn, I want to see the Enterprise!

That banana-not phone was really dumb.  Your best bet would be to use it as a bluetooth speaker for some music, which could be fun at a backyard party, but you could probably get a better quality speaker for less money.

I don't know anything about the self-injecting market, but the pitcher was well spoken and seemed to have made a good product.  If he does well, good for him.

Edited to add: So happy that this was back to the original pre-taped format.

Edited October 5, 2022 by aemom
Forgot comment about Live episode

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 10/3/2022 at 6:36 PM, eel21788 said:

You're not supposed to transfer used, uncapped needles from one container to another. That is also an OSHA no-no. Also, with insulin syringes the needle is attached to syringe, so you need room to dispose of the whole thing, not just the used needle.

I've working in office settings with too many people who inject and are totally careless with the used syringes and needles to  think a lot of people will do things the right way.      

[LuvMyShows]

On 10/2/2022 at 4:16 PM, eel21788 said:

He didn't say anything about them being insulated to keep things cool.

His sharps container also doesn't meet OSHA standards. As a nurse, he should know that.

I wondered about both of those aspects.

[Vermicious Knid]

Can't help you with the Enterprise but this one does Star Wars.

[Jax7917]

On 10/2/2022 at 10:30 PM, KaveDweller said:

I feel like they would have had a better shot at a deal if they dressed normally. It is one thing to dress up when you have a silly product (like a banana phone or something for kids), but the trusser seemed like a legit product for people who cook. But because they were dressed in a chicken suit I don't think anyone took them seriously and dismissed the idea of investing.

That offer from Kevin was pretty crappy, I guess they were desperate.

I got the feeling that they ended up just taking the offer because they knew they didn't have to end up going through with it, but it looked good if the audience knew that they made a deal with a shark. I could tell how hesitant the two of them were to take the deal and I just got the feeling that all parties knew it wasn't going to go through once the episode was over.

[theredhead77]

On 10/5/2022 at 11:46 AM, aemom said:

Damn, I want to see the Enterprise!

Quoting this so I hopefully remember to take a picture when I am home next month. Here is the pattern.

I also made my mom Sushi Cat (pattern here). Image is from the pattern.

Edited November 21, 2022 by theredhead77

[CrazyInAlabama]

I read on one of the Shark Tank update pages, that the deal with Woobles didn't go through. 

[questionfear]

I just started taking testosterone and I ordered the regular dopp and the jr dopp from Stealth Bros and Co (I've been waiting to order it until then ever since I saw him on Shark Tank). I am super impressed-quite honestly, he's pricing these extremely fairly for the quality of the products and I'm super psyched to have supported him. I got both, so I have the big one to hold syringes and needles and the little one for when I'm traveling on shot day. The shipping was fast, and I really am impressed with how many little zips and sections there are in these-they're so cute!