S06.E11: Biaggi, S.W.A.G Essentials, Gameday Couture, Zipz

[yeswedo]

 

A Brooklyn man pitches his business of foldable, wheeled luggage; a Texas woman makes soaps, washes and grooming products; a fashionable line of sports apparel for women; a single-serve wine product; an update on some of Lori Grenier's investments.

 

[Taeolas]

Wow, they finally managed to sell a cup of wine to the sharks. That's pretty impressive. At least this guy was a lot better than the guy that showed up twice. Still, I suspect the deal will fall apart in due diligence. 

 

Women's sporting apparel seems like a good idea, to handle a classic problem. Really there was only one shark he was aiming at and he got it. That one will probably succeed. 

 

Folding luggage, interesting idea. I'd have to see it in use more often and especially see how it handles travelling; but it seems solid enough. Once it's on QVC and Lori gets hawking, it should go far. 

[bilgistic]

Alyssa Milano has/had a line of women's sports clothing, but it may be only NFL/NBA teams. Another line or two have popped up since she started hers. I hate all that sparkly, spangly crap that was on the show. It reminds me of Peggy Bundy, and the woman in the deal was kind of working that look, or the Gemma Teller Morrow update.

The luggage guy seemed smarmy to me. It was a great idea, but that's some expensive luggage. I never travel, though, so I don't really know what I'm talking about.

[LAgator77]

SWAG Essentials was such a TERRIBLE name for a higher end product like that. SWAG Essentials sounds like something that should be sold next to Axe Body Spray. She really needs to come up with a better name for her product. That being said, as a man who suffers from razor burn, I'm intrigued. At $15 a bar, less so.

[cooksdelight]

My expensive SwissGear luggage takes a beating at the hands of Delta Airlines. I don't think the foldable luggage would last me more than a couple of trips.

[Primetimer]

Tonight on Shark Tank, the Sharks hear four perfectly reasonable pitches about four entirely sensible products from a series of reasonably well-adjusted entrepreneurs. Goddammit.

Read the story

[starri]

 

Still, I suspect the deal will fall apart in due diligence.

Kevin apparently still hasn't gotten his own wine into CostCo.  

 

Also, they could have made a drinking game out of the number of times he said CostCo.

 

I kind of hated the couple with the ladies sports apparel.  Because all ladies love sparkles and and sequins.

[zxy556575]

SWAG Essentials was such a TERRIBLE name for a higher end product like that. SWAG Essentials sounds like something that should be sold next to Axe Body Spray. She really needs to come up with a better name for her product. That being said, as a man who suffers from razor burn, I'm intrigued. At $15 a bar, less so.

 

Agree about the name. Not that every product needs to be perfectly unique, but she's fighting against a few existing lines like Tend Skin which have been around for a while and work well, in my experience. It's expensive, too, at $15 for an 8 oz. bottle but that amount lasts a while.

[designing1]

 

I kind of hated the couple with the ladies sports apparel.  Because all ladies love sparkles and and sequins.

 

Thank you. I'd think any true fan would be more than happy to wear the official team stuff, even if it isn't all sparkly and shit.

[rozen]

SWAG Essentials was such a TERRIBLE name for a higher end product like that. SWAG Essentials sounds like something that should be sold next to Axe Body Spray. She really needs to come up with a better name for her product. That being said, as a man who suffers from razor burn, I'm intrigued. At $15 a bar, less so.

 

Imo, she was pretty clearly targeting a certain ethnic demographic, so the name is probably fine. I could see bougie RHOA-types happily picking up such a thing for their manly man husbands. 

 

Thank you. I'd think any true fan would be more than happy to wear the official team stuff, even if it isn't all sparkly and shit.

 

Mm, I'm from OK, and sport team wear is a whole nother animal there. It's not surprising to see someone to wear their team every single day, in season or no (I won't lie, 99% of my t-shirts are Sooners-based). It's a staple, like a black t-shirt, at that point. Having different ways to wear it is smart. The designer wife and her husband are basically finding the intersection between ladies who like their teams and who shop at Deb.

 

As a Sooners fan, I was lfmao-ing at the husband wearing OSU, the wife wearing the flipping Cowboys, and OU gear was stuck on one mannequin almost all the way under the table. I see y'all. See which ones sells more after Bedlam, ya'hear?

[Teddybear]

Speaking of bad company names, I'm not too fond of a wine called Zipz! There has to be a better name which better illustrates the design.   

[mjc570]

I agree about Zipz being a terrible name for a glass of wine.  I saw that Amazon has a similar product, Vino2Go Set of 2 Double Wall Insulated Wine Tumblers Merlot and Verde Slide Tops Drink Lid 10 oz., for a price of $10.77 (list $25.98), which seems about right.  Of course, I am assuming that does not include the wine, which makes it much less of an impulse items than the one on Shark Tank.

 

None of the items was tempting to me. 

[Amarsir]

Wow, they finally managed to sell a cup of wine to the sharks. That's pretty impressive. At least this guy was a lot better than the guy that showed up twice. Still, I suspect the deal will fall apart in due diligence. 

According to Twitter it hasn't fallen through yet

 

I agree with you guys (and Mark) that "Zipz" is a terrible name. And I don't understand why he was doing private label anyway, since the very first thing he said was about packaging and licensing.  But Kevin's a good partner, and I thought it was a very interesting offer. Just goes to show how many different ways there are to arrange a deal.

[bilgistic]

I kind of hated the couple with the ladies sports apparel. Because all ladies love sparkles and and sequins.

Only about half as much as we love pink.

[LeGrandElephant]

Single cups of wine should do better in Europe - it's a great picnic item, but it's illegal to drink in parks in the US. I think I mentioned on TWOP when the copa de vino guy was there, but I remember seeing single serve wine cups in England for exactly that purpose. I was confused then about him saying his product was new, but I guess this episode explained that.

Edited December 7, 2014 by LeGrandElephant

[theatremouse]

Thank you. I'd think any true fan would be more than happy to wear the official team stuff, even if it isn't all sparkly and shit.

Not to mention I didn't buy their bullshit about an oversized men's jersey vs a pink T-Shirt being the only options. I don't follow other sports so much, but MLB has a ton of women's options, including just slightly more flattering cuts for what otherwise are the standard jerseys, which, as a fan, I far prefer to anything pink, or sparkly, or pastel colored or otherwise girlificated (or whatever some marketing person thinks it means to feminize sports apparel). Heck, I still do usually end up with the men's jersey's anyway because if I want a reproduction I want an actual reproduction, and as yet, all MLB players are men. I mean good for them for having sales, but it seemed to me their market isn't actual female sports fans, it's the girlfriends and wives of sports fans, who themselves go along and like to dress the part, but probably themselves don't have any personal attachment to the team. And even if I'm wrong about that, I don't see a lack of attempts from the official apparel.

 

Also, if Daymond says he tried and no one wanted it, I believe him.

 

I see this as another one of Mark's "I'm a billionaire and my wife would like this so I'll buy into the company because even if it ends up a loss and I have a ton of the inventory, she'll like it and it's chump change to me" deals.

[woodscommaelle]

Was the sports team lady wearing a Cowboys shirt? The lettering was terrible. And shouldn't the colors have been blue and white? I know nothing about sports gear except that I hate football jerseys. Don't know why I have such a dislike of them. Or maybe it's just the fans I don't like.

Guess the wine glass won't ever see it's time at a Jewish wedding. If the guy could stand on it and it not break, no way a groom would be able to break it under the chuppah!

Edited December 7, 2014 by woodscommaelle

[theatremouse]

I didn't buy his standing on it. He didn't even seem to stay up there two seconds. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to stay up there more like 30 seconds it might crack. I think his point was just they're not super fragile.

[Lizzing]

I saw some single serving wine glasses at the grocery store last week for the first time.  I can't remember the brand, but they were advertized as "perfect for tailgating" by the store, which is true here, so I thought it was quite clever.  Though not maybe specifically legal, there's no shortage of drinking at LSU tailgates. ;)

[portia7]

Oklahoma State (?) Cowboys colors are black and orange I believe.

[woodscommaelle]

Oklahoma State (?) Cowboys colors are black and orange I believe.

Lol! That makes WAY more sense. Thank you!

[Gregg247]

This was a good episode.  I hate when they bring out some doofus with a crazy company idea and everyone gets to make fun of him.  I prefer these episodes with smart people working with good ideas, and the Sharks crafting different kinds of deal offers.  I feel like I'm learning something while also being entertained.

 

I thought the skin-care product was a good idea and I didn't understand at first why all the Sharks turned her down until they explained the whole "too early" thing.  That makes sense, but a I wish maybe she could find a min-shark to help her until she got to the next level.

 

The sports shirts didn't make much sense to me.  Here in the South, there's no shortage WHATSOEVER of team sports clothing/gear of all types, so yet another one seems like a bad investment to me.  Talk about a heavily saturated market!

[Skittl1321]

I thought the sports shirts looked nice, but cost more than I liked to spend. But I don't understand how they are different from the 900 million places that sell collegiate apparel. Is it just that they go ALL the schools?

[needschocolate]

I got a new appreciation for Daymond when he took back his offer because he felt Laurie would be better for the suitcase guy.  He sounded sincere too, and not like he changed his mind and was trying to find a way out (I don't think he would have a problem saying he changed his mind and why). 

 

I have noticed at least glimpses of a heart in Daymond, Mark, Robert, and Barbara, but I am still looking for signs of one in Laurie and Kevin.  Laurie just seems so insincere when she is trying to sound kind.  Kevin is just a pompous jerk most of the time - I know he has shed a tear or two, but I think it was really just his allergies. 

 

Speaking of bad company names, I'm not too fond of a wine called Zipz! There has to be a better name which better illustrates the design.   

 

Oh, think of the catch phrases - "Treat your Lipz to a glass of Zipz" or "Get Tipzy on Zipzy"

 

I saw some single serving wine glasses at the grocery store last week for the first time.  I can't remember the brand, but they were advertized as "perfect for tailgating" by the store, which is true here, so I thought it was quite clever.  Though not maybe specifically legal, there's no shortage of drinking at LSU tailgates. ;)

 

Hmm, maybe the wine guy can team up with the team shirts people.....

[Guest]

My expensive SwissGear luggage takes a beating at the hands of Delta Airlines. I don't think the foldable luggage would last me more than a couple of trips.

I agree.  And I don't think the few extra inches in depth you gained would be much storage benefit, to 99% of buyers.  There are rollable, large duffel bags sold for $40ish, for those that really need something flatten-able.  They're not bad looking, either.

 

The louffah encased in soap didn't look any more useful than the two products separate.  

 

I never get the single-serve wine.  Most of the appeal of wine is the experience, if you ask me-- the bottle, the cork, the glasses, sharing (or having your own bottle).  Boxed wines and smaller plastic bottles and even juice-box type cartons of wine have been around forever as alternatives.  

 

I guess the idea for the stemmed single serve options is people value the stem, even in glass-free, single-serve environments?  At a stadium or something, I'd rather get a $5, poured 6 oz. plastic tumbler of wine than a $6 sealed 4 oz. plastic stemmed cup.  Especially since the stemmed cup isn't going to sit in the cupholder at the seat.  

[Amarsir]

I got a new appreciation for Daymond when he took back his offer because he felt Laurie would be better for the suitcase guy.  He sounded sincere too, and not like he changed his mind and was trying to find a way out (I don't think he would have a problem saying he changed his mind and why). 

 

I have noticed at least glimpses of a heart in Daymond, Mark, Robert, and Barbara, but I am still looking for signs of one in Laurie and Kevin.  Laurie just seems so insincere when she is trying to sound kind. 

I couldn't help but notice that when Daymond said "you've got 20 seconds", Lori wasted the full time with nonsense and waited until it was over to say "I'll make you an offer".  Now I can't really blame her. She wanted Daymond to go out for the same reason he wanted a quick answer: less competition. But how much more respect would I have for her if she'd simply said "Don't worry about his games, I'll make the same offer".  And then elaborated about what a great partner she is or whatnot.

[TheOriginalDonald]

I was thinking when he made the deal for GameDay Couture Mark was gonna ask them to do apparel for Indiana University

[bilgistic]

Alyssa Milano's sports apparel line has Mavericks clothing for women: http://touch.fanatics.com/NBA_Dallas_Mavericks_Touch_by_Alyssa_Milano. I hate sports but somehow knew about this, I guess because Alyssa Milano was my childhood idol and almost-contemporary.

It looks like the clothing is only pro teams, not collegiate.

[needschocolate]

I agree.  And I don't think the few extra inches in depth you gained would be much storage benefit, to 99% of buyers.  There are rollable, large duffel bags sold for $40ish, for those that really need something flatten-able.  They're not bad looking, either. 

 

My luggage isn't very expensive, but we have never had a problem with it and the pieces nest inside each other.  Probably takes up less room that if the pieces were separate and collapsed

[Eolivet]

The SWAG looked absolutely terrible! My husband said "Is that a piece of beef?" and he's their target audience. I don't care if it works well -- if it's that visually unappealing, it's not going to sell. Especially to men! She needs a marketing consultant or something to make it look less...beefy.

[Lola16]

I got a new appreciation for Daymond when he took back his offer because he felt Laurie would be better for the suitcase guy.  He sounded sincere too, and not like he changed his mind and was trying to find a way out (I don't think he would have a problem saying he changed his mind and why). 

My take was that Daymond realized how indecisive this guy was and that he'd always be calling his father and that's why Daymond passed him over to Lori.

[bilgistic]

The SWAG looked absolutely terrible! My husband said "Is that a piece of beef?" and he's their target audience. I don't care if it works well -- if it's that visually unappealing, it's not going to sell. Especially to men! She needs a marketing consultant or something to make it look less...beefy.

I'm all about natural products, but I do. not. get. how that soap/loofah stuff is supposed to work. If you are scrubbing the soap directly on your skin, aren't you just transferring your scuzzy face (or whatever) bacteria onto the soap and then retransferring it back to your face (or whatever) the next time you use it? And when the soap starts dissolving, the loofah material won't. What do you do then--cut the whole thing with a knife so you have a flat surface again? How do you get to the soap that's inside the loofah holes? So many questions.

[designing1]

Loofahs are breeding grounds for bacteria to begin with. I'm not sure how this helps anyone with skin issues. Better off selling the natural soap with a companion washcloth that can be laundered.

[bilgistic]

And then! Didn't she say there are 63(!!) different ingredients in her soap?? My troubled skin runs screaming at the thought of that, and leaves my skeleton behind, like in a cartoon! I use only Dr. Bronner's baby mild castille soap, which is made with, like, four organic and natural things, and is biodegradable. Upset skin needs exposure to fewer potentially further irritating products, not a whole 21st-century apothecary thrown at it!

[needschocolate]

There didn't seem to be more than anecdotal evidence with the soap either - some people in her brother's barbershop like it.  I thought the sharks would have trouble with the unsubstantiated claims. 

 

My take was that Daymond realized how indecisive this guy was and that he'd always be calling his father and that's why Daymond passed him over to Lori.

 

I don't think Daymond would have a problem saying - "II want to go into business with you, but I don't want to have to confer with your relatives every time we make a decision."  Plus, if he really wanted to just be rid of the guy and was making it up, after the guy left, he probably would have told Laurie "You better enjoy working with his dad because he is going to call him every 20 minutes. I am glad you got stuck with them!" 

[Shibori]

Laurie just seems so insincere when she is trying to sound kind. Kevin is just a pompous jerk most of the time

I'll take Kevin's genuine assholery over Laurie's sticky-sweet condescending crap anytime. With Kevin, he may not give a shit about people skills, but he makes it pretty clear that money drives his decision making and he doesn't play games. When Laurie babbles about understanding people and their products and genuinely wanting to help, it couldn't be more insincere.

[Lola16]

Daymond's expressions told me why he backed out of the luggage deal.  Maybe he's more mature and doesn't need to announce it.

 

ZIPZ was on local TV today.  Guy said that Lori came in after the show and is now part of the deal.  Says she wants to be Martha Stewart.  OK...

[starri]

 

Guy said that Lori came in after the show and is now part of the deal.  Says she wants to be Martha Stewart.

No matter how cold-blooded Lori thinks she is, she's got nothing on Martha Stewart.