S02.E03: Beyond The Tank Episode 203

[yeswedo]

 

The creators of The Paintbrush Cover try to take their business to the next level; the investors of Lollacup try to reinvigorate sales; a brand of gluten-free cookies is successful despite not getting an investment from the sharks.

 

[vesperholly]

Robert is looking fiiiiine ... and adorably making toddlers laugh?! *fans self*

 

Glad Lori held her ground on that paint brush cover. The original design was beyond awful.

Edited January 15, 2016 by vesperholly

[mjc570]

Wow, I guess this is the Lori reputation rehab show - this is the second time where I thought she was right on with her business advice.  She was absolutely correct about the paint brush cover packaging.  I guess there is a reason, beyond QVC, why folks want her as their shark.

 

While I liked the lollacup couple, there was way too much of them and their family.  There could have been some footage of the design process, or their quest for customers.  Don't they go to trade shows?  Having a focus group (I'm no statistician, but that seemed like a might narrow sampling, with not much in terms of diversity.  Speaking of the focus group - couldn't they have offered some snacks?  While Robert was adorable with the children, it doesn't seem like he offered them much actual help. I've never been in retail or other business, but even I know that more types of products = more sales.  Obviously, it will appeal to customers with different needs and budgets, and give more opportunities for bundling. 

[phoenix780]

I wish this were more like The Profit.  I totally agree that the last segment was way too heavy on the family.  When they said they host focus groups in their home...doesn't that create bias?  Could they talk about how that would impact consumer perception?

 

I dunno.  The three episodes of this last year didn't feel so...Very Special Episode.

[BubblingKettle]

I agree with the previous posters about having too much saccharine in the recipe lately. The business angle of Shark Tank/Beyond the Tank is really the best part. However, we have to sit through the family/divorce/disease/death drivel, and we hear less and less about the products themselves. I don't need to see the couple in their homes using laptops in their beds, feeding their kids, etc. I ended up turning the tv off when I saw the bumper with the rotating cup couple  crying and talking about illness. 

 

I'd rather see more focus groups, production, warehouse, orders/customer service, data and numbers, round-table discussions with workers/shareholders, etc. For example, the people with the gluten-free cookies no one liked.... it would have been interesting to see the data attached to their decision to create the chocolate-covered things (sales slumps, customer requests, etc.); what adjustments did they have to make on the production line; packaging and pricing options.  

[Showthyme]

I purchased a paint brush holder. It worked great the first time. The brush hardened the second time. I wonder how long this partnership will have 3 partners plus Lori.

The lollacup people seem like they would make a good employee but not a good business owner. I don't think that they have what is takes to have a multi-million dollar business. This couple would have been better on The Profit where they would have someone who is 100% in charge. I don't think that the world needs another glass baby bottle.

Loved Robert fusing over the babies.

[starri]

Wow, I guess this is the Lori reputation rehab show - this is the second time where I thought she was right on with her business advice.  She was absolutely correct about the paint brush cover packaging.  I guess there is a reason, beyond QVC, why folks want her as their shark.

I'm scared that Beyond the Tank may turn me into a fan of hers. She may be fake and a dreadful human being, but she's got a very good business sense.

Speaking of rehab, am I crazy, or has she rehabbed her boobs?

I guess Liz Lovely was only the life's dream of one half of that former couple. I mean, I know splitting up after a decades-long relationship is awful, but that's not what this show should be about. Also, I'm so sorry about your hard life where you are scraping by and are still able to pay the nanny.

[vesperholly]

Yeah, less family drama and more business drama and behind-the-scenes stuff would be so much better. There's no crying in business.

[bilgistic]

I was laughing to myself during the whole first segment, thinking that Lori's redesign of the paintbrush cover was going to say "Paintbrush Stuffins".

The redesign wasn't that fantastic, either, Lori. Calm down.

Anyone else think Liz Lovely's ex-husband's "business trip" was a thinly veiled reference to his affair?

[valdawn]

I'm scared that Beyond the Tank may turn me into a fan of hers. She may be fake and a dreadful human being, but she's got a very good business sense.

Speaking of rehab, am I crazy, or has she rehabbed her boobs?

I guess Liz Lovely was only the life's dream of one half of that former couple. I mean, I know splitting up after a decades-long relationship is awful, but that's not what this show should be about. Also, I'm so sorry about your hard life where you are scraping by and are still able to pay the nanny.

I very recently started watching Shark Tank, so in not familiar with the Sharks really. What's wrong with Lori?

I was laughing to myself during the whole first segment, thinking that Lori's redesign of the paintbrush cover was going to say "Paintbrush Stuffins".

The redesign wasn't that fantastic, either, Lori. Calm down.

Anyone else think Liz Lovely's ex-husband's "business trip" was a thinly veiled reference to his affair?

Yes that is exactly what I though by "business trip".

[columbot]

So...what about that skin condition? I must have missed it, but how exactly did it get that bad? Was it a reaction to the steroids? And how did it get better?

[bilgistic]

She had eczema, which her doctor treated with topical steroids. She had some kind of widespread adrenal gland reaction to the steroids. I don't recall them saying how she recovered.

Eczema is a non-infectious hereditary skin rash. I've had it all my life. My mother has it. It was much worse when I was a child. I had it on the back of my neck, and the bends of my elbows and knees. I would scratch my arms so much that I would bleed. The itch can be incredibly intense. Mild cases are typically treated with over-the-counter Cortisone (very mild steroid cream) or anti-itch lotion like Benadryl.

Edited January 16, 2016 by bilgistic

[starri]

I very recently started watching Shark Tank, so in not familiar with the Sharks really. What's wrong with Lori?

There's a lot of things to dislike.  She's incredibly fake, she likes to go on long rants about how great she is, she has annoying catch phrases, she talks down to Barbara, and more than once she's made comments that make her seem like she's not the sharpest tooth in the shark's mouth.

 

With that said, with the exception of the much mocked "Bagel Stuffins" fiasco, she does have pretty good instincts (she'll be glad to tell you how quickly she can tell if a product is "a zero or a hero," which is usually followed by some of us throwing things at our TVs), she's a good negotiator, and she's made some good deals.

[marny]

She also wears hideous shoes all the time, but that's just my personal problem with Lori.

[columbot]

Oh yeah, the Liz Lovely lady named her boy Wilder. Why would you do that to someone?

[bilgistic]

I made comments to the TV and my cat at that one. I guess poor, mumsy ELIZABETH (not fit for a queen or anything) wanted her kid to be special. Barf.

[Kiss my mutt]

As soon as we saw Liz with her two kids, my husband and I turned to each other no said "divorce!" I'm thinking his business trip was a euphemism for affair.

I felt so bad for Hannah. That looks like a horrendous thing to go through especially with three little kids, one being a newborn. I thought the focus group was pretty silly and useless. I think they would have gotten more useful feedback if they had someone outside the family doing it.