S08.E07: EcoFlower, The Style Club, Safe Catch, #BeSomebody

[yeswedo]

Quote

A woman from West Haven, Utah, had to sell off 75% of her faux flower business in order to keep it alive; two men from Sausalito, California, pitch a way to test mercury levels in a single fish; a former corporate executive from Houston, Texas, has a platform to help people pursue their passions; and a millennial from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is looking to finance her fashion brand geared toward the social media generation. Also, an update on Wicked Good Cupcakes, which Kevin O'Leary invested in during season 4.

[starri]

9 minutes ago, yeswedo said:

Also, an update on Wicked Good Cupcakes, which Kevin O'Leary invested in during season 4.

They're doing this on purpose.

[BusyOctober]

Grace & Lace last week. Wicked Good Cupcakes this week.  I'm calling it now...next week's "Beat A Dead Horse and Shove It Down Your Throat Update" will be Robert's damned Tipsy Elves and those friggin sweaters.  Followed by yet another trip to check in on Lori's Scrub Daddy dude.

These Updates have become their own Circle of Hell...wedged right in between "Trapped on Disney's 'It's a Small World' For Eternity" and "All Lines You Wait In Are Now Möbius Strips" 

[KaveDweller]

The updates on Wicked Good Cupcakes always make me want to buy some, which is obviously the intention. I tried them once and they weren't that good (they were decent, but not any better than cupcakes you can get elsewhere for less money), but it still made me hungry. 

That Be Somebody guy was annoying.  

Barbara seems to have trouble understanding some people have different opinions than her. She said she prefers real flowers, which is fine, but she also said she sees faux flowers all over the place and still doesn't think it's a valid business. The Sharks were all kind of out of touch in that segment, being shocked that some people find flowers that will die in a few days a waste of money. I was glad the woman was able to turn around and tell them she had tons of sells. I think the concerns about how much equity she sold off was valid though, I was surprised she got a deal.

[chocolatine]

Is it just me, or has the face of the older cupcake lady really changed from the flashback to the present day? I thought she looked better before the plastic surgeries.

I'm not sure whether it was intentional, but in the EcoFlower woman's package, as she was talking about having been on welfare, the camera zoomed in to the GIANT diamond engagement ring on her hand. I think fake flowers are tacky, but good for her if her sales numbers are legit. At least she's not claiming her business acumen came from being a mom, or "rescuing" Indian orphans, so that already elevates her in my opinion.

Also tacky was the "babe" clothing (and no, millennial idiot, that word is not "empowering"), but I suppose it's a good fit for Urban Outfitters. I have to admit I'm not the sharpest mathematical mind, but did she end up taking the worse deal? Cuban offered her a $500k loan at 8% interest for 22% equity, whereas Daymond offered a $500k investment for 33% equity. She'd have to exit at well over $5M to justify taking Cuban's deal over Daymond's, yes?

Not sure which was worse, "we cost our last investors $13M" tuna guys, or #[some platitude I already forgot] guy. 

Edited November 5, 2016 by chocolatine

[Wings]

I agree with Barbara, I don't like fake flowers, they are tacky dust collectors.  I think her point was that fake flowers abound so it was not a good business investment because it is not propitiatory, as Kevin frequently mentions.  I am stunned she has made so much already; I don't think that will continue.  She got some free advertising before xmas, though. 

5 hours ago, chocolatine said:

At least she's not claiming her business acumen came from being a mom, or "rescuing" Indian orphans, so that already elevates her in my opinion.

HA!

I have no idea what 'besombody' was..  I was on the brink of sleep when I watched and have not bothered go back.  What an obnoxious young man.  Can someone please give me the Cliff notes on that business?  Thanks.  

[theatremouse]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

I have to admit I'm not the sharpest mathematical mind, but did she end up taking the worse deal? Cuban offered her a $500k loan at 8% interest for 22% equity, whereas Daymond offered a $500k investment for 33% equity. She'd have to exit at well over $5M to justify taking Cuban's deal over Daymond's, yes?

Not sure which was worse, "we cost our last investors $13M" tuna guys, or #[some platitude I already forgot] guy. 

I might be cross-remembering her with someone else, but didn't she say something about expecting to do 4M next year? Not that expecting is any guarantee of meeting one's projections, but if she thought her main issue was cash to supply demand, or if her not getting a deal meant her next plan was go get a line of credit and his terms really were better by as much as he implied, then it might have seemed a no-brainer to her to hold on to the equity? On the flipside...the other offer's from major clothing guru. So I don't know.

[starri]

9 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Followed by yet another trip to check in on Lori's Scrub Daddy dude.

And then Simple Sugars.

You know, it's been a long time since someone annoyed me as much as #besomebody.  Also, bro, we already have Lin-Manuel Miranda, you don't need to rap your pitch.

Only one thing to say about SafeCatch:  That's too much tuna.

I am kind of amazed that I didn't hate the woman who used "influencers" as every third word.  I don't know, her clothes were all kind of generic (there's nothing proprietary here!), but she seemed to have a decent handle on her business.  I'm just waiting for her to announce Style Bro, so I can continue boycotting Urban Outfitters.

EcoFlowers lady's sob story probably should have annoyed me, but she broke through my cynical shell.  I also thought that the flowers were very nice-looking, and unlike Barbara and Lori, I could actually see a bride wanting a bouquet that she could save, rather than one that's going to rot in a few days.  Daymond proved again why he's my favorite.

[marny]

I'm a bit older than her demographic, but who are these people buying a boring denim hat with the word "Babe" on it? This is fashion?

[Primetimer]

With six Sharks crowding the stage, no one can get a word in edgewise, least of all the people there to ask the Sharks for money.

View the full article

[theatremouse]

I'm wondering how much of the flower lady's pitch was cut...I mean, I know a lot, because they always are, but at least as edited, Lori and Barbara seemed to really not understand the difference between this and other fake flowers, and that thus it really is a different market...or at least a different target customer. These look nothing like the fake, flammable stuff you find in Michael's. The woman even started talking about how the things they mentioned were more for crafting, not what she was going after. She kept saying she was number 1 in her space. I would've thought in the bits that we didn't get to see, she got to explain a bit more how this is different. (Frankly we usually get the moment where Lori says "tell me how this is different") so it was a little jarring to me that the edit here seemed to ignore the distinction. Either that or the point they were trying to hammer was that even after hearing it the sharks didn't buy the distinction. But these weren't just...fake flowers trying to look exactly like real flowers. They were fake, made from recycled stuff, and intentionally styled as their own thing. So it's specifically aimed at people who have a usually-entails-flowers need but who genuinely would prefer not to have real flowers involved, either because it's going to die, or any number of other reasons. She seemed positioned as an alternative more than a replacement, if that makes any sense. Sure, people who just want real flowers wouldn't go for her, ie Barbara, but that's not who she's selling to, and she didn't seem to have a problem selling. I was surprised her sales didn't make more of them a little more receptive (but that also may just have been the editing), even though I do understand why the equity issue was a turn off.

Edited November 5, 2016 by theatremouse

[augmentedfourth]

I guess I am officially an Old Person now, because it took me forever to figure out what the Style Club woman's business actually was. I thought it was similar to an app that was pitched last season or so that made it easier (allegedly) to buy clothing and accessories you see on people's social media pages, but I guess it's just another line of clothes? Meh, good for her, I guess, for her sales, though I doubt I'll ever be a customer.

 

Along those lines, I had the same exact question as Robert for the UNBELIEVABLY OBNOXIOUS Be Somebody guy. Does the app just find you people with similar interests, or local events that you'd be interested in, or are you signing up to take lessons with masters in a certain field? Like most other questions, it never got answered. He might be one of the worst people to ever appear. Rarely do I actively root for someone's failure, but....

 

I expected to hate the Eco Flower woman...and didn't. I'm actually one of those women she spoke about who think fresh flower arrangements are a dumb gift (though I did have real flowers at my wedding), though to each her own, and I thought her flowers looked pretty good for what they were. With all her equity issues, I thought she did a decent job of negotiating and walked away with the best deal she could have gotten, all things considered. At the beginning, when they were showing her life story, Mr. Fourth and I were placing bets on how long it would take for her to cry in front of the sharks. We lost, she won, so good for her.

 

Mercury in tuna is one of those things that I get is an issue, but can't bring myself to get too worked up over. It sort of falls into the "whatever, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow" category for me. Also, the display on the machine looked like it came out of the mid 90s.

Edited November 5, 2016 by augmentedfourth
accidentally hit the button too early

[retrograde]

Yeah I had no trouble understanding how the Eco flowers served a different niche to the stuff from craft stores and real flowers. I never buy real flowers and would be annoyed if my partner bought them for me. I wouldn't buy Eco flowers either, probably (I just don't ever need flowers!), but I can see them being a hit with the Etsy/Pintrest wedding crowd. Like the word "babe" I think this is probably a generation gap thing. 

[itsadryheat]

I continue to be fascinated with people who believe non stop verbal spewing is communicating.

#I Never Shut Up Guy is a perfect example.

Have no clue what his product was, Why I would want it, and How it generates $.

I was hoping Cuban would jump out of his seat and deck him.

He was on the wrong show, should be on a Bravo Real Housewives show.

[annewithaneee]

Eco Flower is probably going to be the first Shark Tank product I actually buy. I really liked the woman, though the equity thing was a head-scratcher....in many other ways she seemed really well prepared: her personalized samples (the one for Robert was amazing!), having a huge marketing and sales push just before so she could demonstrate the very real demand, etc. It would have gone better for her had she found a way to already buy back some of those shares, or at least much more quickly explained the investors' willingness to give up equity, worked that into her initial pitch more.

 

I just poked around their site a bit, and there's a lot of great, smart stuff there. The flowers are really gorgeous, and there's cute vases too, like ones made with book pages. They even have a monthly subscription box offerings, and their home decor is really cute! Definitely much better than anything I could DIY, and Etsy takes forever and can be unpredictable in quality. I was a little annoyed that Lori and Barbara couldn't seem to fathom the customer base and kept comparing them to cheap silk flowers. Anyway, right up my street, and my mom's too -- she loves flowers, but has a cat who tries to murder himself any time there's any bouquets or plants in the house.

[basiltherat]

Fake flower lady should have given the $money flowers$ to Mr. Wonderful instead of Mark!

Every time I hear the word "Babe" I think of the cute little pig from the movies!  Lori and Barbara come from an older generation who didn't want to be called "babe" and probably spent most of their lives being women instead of babes.  Millennials may be different (I'm old, so I don't know).

[theatremouse]

The way the rambling idiot kept going on, he kept hammering how he had trademarked the hell out of the phrase? Or seemed like he was. I half expected him to say it doesn't matter what his business is he's just going to sue people for using the phrase, and/or he expects people to use that phrase anyway so he can always say he's trending when it's really just a phrase people would tend to use. So he's selling his brand that is nothing but a brand. Which of course doesn't work because you can't keep a mark if it isn't actually associated with your brand. Not that I was thinking he made sense beyond that, but he seemed to be mainly proud of himself for owning the name. Weird, nonsensical asshole. That's why we didn't really get an answer on what the business really aims to do.

Edited November 5, 2016 by theatremouse

[hula-la]

I had a Registered Dietitian tell me that the smaller tunas, like skipjack, have less mercury in them, so that's what I buy. Keep in mind that I generally buy only canned tuna, and don't often eat tuna sashimi or tuna steaks, where albacore would be desirable. I tend to focus more on how the tuna was caught, and don't really think about the mercury level.

Edited November 5, 2016 by hula-la
Every sentence began with "I", and it's not all about me.

[Latverian Diplomat]

Kash Shakedown accomplished the near impossible. I actually liked Mark after that segment. He completely called out all the BS Kash was pitching.

The liability thing was huge, and insistence on exclusivity meant that no successful vendors providing those sorts of experiences would have any interest in signing on...you would at best get lots of well meaning amateurs, and at worst, plenty of rip off artists too.

For the fake flowers stuff, I prefer a more natural looking result, so the newsprint etc. was a real turnoff for me. OTOH, not every purchase of flowers is for an early courtship date, so if you know somebody who would enjoy that look, and is not hung up on fresh flowers, or would think you're a cheap weirdo, why not? 

Barbara mentioned that you see a lot of fake flower arrangements in certain contexts (e.g., bathrooms, lobbies, etc.) I wonder who is in that space? And could they easily adapt Eccoflowers business model if that was creating a new market for their product? I don't see why not?

The Tuna guys were insane. You're not a tech business. You're an attempt to recover something of value from the ashes of a failed tech business. Price yourselves accordingly, and be honest about who you are? Turning a lemon into lemonade would have gotten them credit with the sharks, I think, if they had been more honest about it from the beginning of their pitch (and in their valuation).

ETA: For the people confused about the #besomebody business model. I think he wants to be an Uber/AirBnB style matchmaker for lifestyle events/training like those offered at gyms, dojos, University Extension courses etc. (for a 20% cut, I think he said). Yet another problem with this idea is that I don't think people  have a hard time finding those sorts of things on their own, if they really want to.

Edited November 5, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[zxy556575]

The Eco Flower site has, as of now, 14 bouquet styles, 16 home décor items, and 3 sizes of a monthly subscription "surprise" box. I refuse to believe that those measly skus have brought in $2.8M in sales over 18 months. REFUSE!

Not that I even dislike the pieces, but that's a lot of sales for bouquets that can't be customized and home goods that are no more appealing than a vastly more varied selection of tchotkes found at any number of crafts and home furnishing stores.

[marny]

24 minutes ago, lordonia said:

Not that I even dislike the pieces, but that's a lot of sales for bouquets that can't be customized and home goods that are no more appealing than a vastly more varied selection of tchotkes found at any number of crafts and home furnishing stores.

You can customize them-- she also sells them in a format where you purchase a number of flowers and can pick the colors to make your own bouquet.  If her sales numbers weren't legit, the due diligence after the show would reveal that and tank her deal (no pun intended). If she really wants a deal, she wouldn't risk that.

Edited November 5, 2016 by marny

[jaigurudeva]

"EcoFlower" is forgetting a key target: allergic people.  As much as I love looking at flowers, I'm terribly allergic.  She'd hit a niche market if she can get some kind of "allergen free" rating done on her products. Also, Mr. Wonderful really should have considered putting this into his "wedding business" thing.  A married couple could decorate their venue and remain "allergen friendly," the bride can keep her bouquet to display next to the wedding pictures, and guests can keep the table decor as favors.

Edited November 5, 2016 by jaigurudeva

[annewithaneee]

17 minutes ago, marny said:

39 minutes ago, lordonia said:

Not that I even dislike the pieces, but that's a lot of sales for bouquets that can't be customized and home goods that are no more appealing than a vastly more varied selection of tchotkes found at any number of crafts and home furnishing stores.

You can customize them-- she also sells them in a format where you purchase a number of flowers and can pick the colors to make your own bouquet.  If her sales numbers weren't legit, the due diligence after the show would reveal that and tank her deal (no pun intended). If she really wants a deal, she wouldn't risk that.

Also, each bouquet has several fragrance options, and there are vase add-ons. There's also a "giving back" line, where all proceeds go to select charities, and those are all different products from the main range: wall plaques, bouquets, centerpieces, jewelry, a coffee table game. And as Marny mentioned, there are also wholesale loose flowers where the buyer can pick from a large variety of colors and scents.

Personally, I think her figures were probably legit, and it has to be smarter not to have a million SKUs. I decided to get my mom one of the charity options, this guy. Fits her rustic style (she lives in Amish country), and she'll be tickled that the proceeds went to a food bank/shelter. I also sprung on a centerpiece for myself. I'll probably post in the products thread once I get them with a review. Shipping was free, and it really wasn't expensive (I think I paid 70ish for two centerpieces and a vase, there's a 25% off promo code), and will supposedly  be here in 3-5 business days. I'd prefer that to a ton of customizations and longer processing -- if they went that route, there'd be much less to give them an advantage over Etsy sellers. 

[bilgistic]

@starri, I think we got prahnked by the tuna guys.

Putting on my old lady hat, too, because I am irrationally bothered by people trying to sell "virtual" stuff that isn't concrete product. I couldn't tell you what Babe/Urban Outfitters woman was selling. Clothes? But the whole deal about the video? And forthcoming app? What? Why? I hate the word "influencer". Don't get me started on "disrupter".

I agree that Lori totally didn't get the difference between EcoFlowers and tacky plastic flowers from Michaels. I wish to god she'd just shut it and say "I'm out" instead of giving a thesis on every deal before gracing us with her depature from it. You are not that important, lady.

And douchebro at the end. Jesus. Where was the giant hook to pull him offstage?

Edited November 5, 2016 by bilgistic

[Wings]

Many people apply to be on this show, thousands probably.  The first couple of seasons seemed to have more interesting inventions/products.  I hope they are not going down the route of choosing those who will be the most entertaining vs a viable idea.   They clearly knew the besomebody guy would fail not only with his product but his presentation.  Why bother with him if not for the possibility of irritation and rejection?  Sigh  I sure hope not.  

Mercury testing, oh good god.  Aw shucks, this tuna has too high a count so we have to throw it away.  Come on.  No way would he ever get a deal.  

[UsernameFatigue]

This show is really ticking me off with the ridiculous valuations that the pitchers are coming to the tank with. This episode was one of the worst. It used to be the sharks would be all over the pitchers if their valuation was in la-la land, now it just seems like a given. Sometimes the sharks don't even bother questioning it which drives me nuts. 

The #I'm An Idiot guy was so obnoxious. A couple of times during his pitch MrUserName said "I still don't know what he is selling". I replied that I didn't either, but it was worth 10 million dollars. Sheesh.

I hated the fake flower lady's product. Maybe if I went onto her website (which I can't be bothered to do) I would have a different opinion but the samples that she brought looked like what my fresh flowers look like after they die. I have nothing against fake flowers, but the point for me of flowers is to lift my mood, not depress me. Which is what her flowers did. I also give a side eye to her claims of sales. And I was shocked that she got a deal, given that she had sold 75% of her business for very little money. Usually that is the kiss of death. 

Add in the guys who went through 14 million dollars of other peoples' money and are now asking for more, and this episode in general had me shaking my head. 

[bilgistic]

I loved the irony of the Sharks telling the flower lady that "no new company should give up too much equity" while the Sharks try to take as much equity as possible from every presenter that comes on the show. This effing show.

[shksabelle]

Perhaps I misheard, but did the "Babe" twit say she had $400K in sales, and that $300K of that was from the baseball cap, which I would imagine is probably the most inexpensive item in her line.  If I did hear that correctly, I can't believe someone didn't call her out for having a "product" and not a business.

Kash Moron Be Somebody sounded like he was coked up. 

[PepperMonkey]

I liked Meagan. I liked her family, I liked her story. I personally LOVE getting flowers, REAL flowers, but I do always get sad when they die. I'm not a faux flower person except for the gigantic fake rose Mr Monkey bought me for Valentine's Day many years ago. It's HUGE and people always comment on it. He just bought it cause he thought it was weird and he knows I'm weird so he thought we'd love each other. I'm glad she got a deal and Daymond is my current favourite shark so I hope he can convince the other partners to take a fair buyout based on what they paid for what she gave them. I'm not optimistic about it though, because, greed.

Fucking Austin, man. And I say that as a native Texan who went to The University of Texas and adores Austin. But every hipster and wanna be from around the country moves to Austin so they can be weird and unique, and everyone IN Austin is weird and unique, it's just not as fun anymore. #besomebody guy was ridiculous.

Can't figure out why Mark invested in babe clothing. That one will have me scratching my head for a while.

[chocolatine]

8 minutes ago, PepperMonkey said:

I'm glad she got a deal and Daymond is my current favourite shark so I hope he can convince the other partners to take a fair buyout based on what they paid for what she gave them. I'm not optimistic about it though, because, greed.

It's not greed, it's business. She agreed to their terms when she took their investment, and they took a risk, like all investors do, so they deserve to be bought out at a fair current valuation.

[Silly Angel]

8 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

and will supposedly  be here in 3-5 business days. I'd prefer that to a ton of customizations and longer processing -- if they went that route, there'd be much less to give them an advantage over Etsy sellers. 

Going by Eco Flower's reviews, you'll be lucky to see your blooms by 2017. Almost uniformly negative to the point of outright rage, all about the same issues: customer service, not receiving product. I checked it out to look into a gift for my sister, who works long hours and isn't very "housey," so she'd have something pretty to come home to that she didn't have to fuss with. Also, the owner lady never checked in and responded to the complaints. She just doesn't seem on top of her business. My suspicion is her true passion was getting on Shark Tank.

I liked her but that turned me off. At least she didn't say "influencers" or "passionaries."

[sarah82]

The flowers seemed so Etsy to me.  I think there are 2,000 people on Etsy selling the same thing.  Sorry Meagan, there are people on Etsy selling bouquets of craftsy flowers.  Etsy used to have a wedding blog where they showcased people who bought a lot of stuff on Etsy, and they all had the same look.  The craftsy non flower flowers - flowers made from books or maps are especially popular, also bouquets made from broaches - mismatched plates, vintage suitcases, and the bride wearing a non-traditional short dress.

[Machiabelly]

I think the guy on the tire was from American Ninja Warrior...not a traditional ninja

[Amarsir]

On 11/5/2016 at 1:23 AM, chocolatine said:

Also tacky was the "babe" clothing (and no, millennial idiot, that word is not "empowering"), but I suppose it's a good fit for Urban Outfitters. I have to admit I'm not the sharpest mathematical mind, but did she end up taking the worse deal? Cuban offered her a $500k loan at 8% interest for 22% equity, whereas Daymond offered a $500k investment for 33% equity. She'd have to exit at well over $5M to justify taking Cuban's deal over Daymond's, yes?

Pretty much. Daymond gets an extra 11%; Cuban gets is $500k back plus interest.  Let's be wildly optimistic and assume 1 year's worth or $40k. The break even is $540,000 / .11 = $4.9m.

Of course she did say she needed tech help more than clothing expertise, so maybe Cuban was the right partner for her regardless of price. Now I don't really get what he saw in the business, but any time a shark makes a debt offer it means they're more worried about the downside than the payoff.

Quote

Not sure which was worse, "we cost our last investors $13M" tuna guys, or #[some platitude I already forgot] guy. 

To be fair, they didn't lose the $13M. Someone else lost it and they grabbed the tech in the proceeding bankruptcy. Now admittedly that's not the selling point they seemed to think it was, but it does open the possibility that what they're doing is different from the prior owners.

The problem with the device is that the fishermen don't want it. A customer only taking the cleanest fish is a problem for them. If everyone has these readers, the fish gets tossed. If some have them then you're actually raising the average mercury level at the ones who don't.  If they had a way to clean out the mercury that would be amazing. But effectively all they're doing is pointing out a problem without a solution.

[cmfran]

The " babe" hat looked like something you'd see for sale in a truck stop. I've had enough of people putting a stupid saying on a novelty shirt or hat and saying they're in the "fashion business." They're about as much in the fashion business as the companies that made Bart Simpson t-shirts.

[scootypuffjr]

What was the purpose of the live mannequins with the "Babe" lady? If they "vogued" or changed up poses regularly, that might be one thing, but it seemed they were trying to stay very still and fool us into thinking they weren't real. The camera caught them both blinking several times, so they weren't fooling anybody for long. I expected some sort of big "surprise" reveal early on, but they just stood there (though I noticed that the one dropped her hand from her sunglasses eventually). I don't understand why she just didn't use real mannequins, as the models didn't do much more than they would have done.

I didn't care for the EcoFlowers concept. It's kind of sad, maybe, but the point of real flowers is that they do die and go away. Just how many of these non-perishable bouquets does one need? What about the husband who buys his wife flowers for her birthday, for their anniversary, for Valentine's Day, etc? He'll have to come up with a Plan B pretty quick or their house will be overflowing with bouquets before too long. Dust-catchers, IMO. I might buy one arrangement if I particularly like it, but I really don't see the need for monthly subscription deals. I obviously am missing something, as she seems to be making good money.

[theatremouse]

3 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

What was the purpose of the live mannequins with the "Babe" lady? If they "vogued" or changed up poses regularly, that might be one thing, but it seemed they were trying to stay very still and fool us into thinking they weren't real. The camera caught them both blinking several times, so they weren't fooling anybody for long. I expected some sort of big "surprise" reveal early on, but they just stood there (though I noticed that the one dropped her hand from her sunglasses eventually). I don't understand why she just didn't use real mannequins, as the models didn't do much more than they would have done.

I have no insider information, but I'm guessing maybe there was some sort of "reveal" or discussion moment and it just wasn't interesting enough, or didn't fit with the narrative enough of what the show wanted to go with for her segment, so it was edited out. I imagine she brought them thinking it'd make her look cool on TV, but...it didn't. But they couldn't edit them out completely either so it ended up with this sort of inconclusive anticlimax of...ok...so...they're there? That we saw.

Edited November 6, 2016 by theatremouse

[starri]

Did anyone else think they were drag queens?

[Maria Von Trapp]

3 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

What was the purpose of the live mannequins with the "Babe" lady? If they "vogued" or changed up poses regularly, that might be one thing, but it seemed they were trying to stay very still and fool us into thinking they weren't real. The camera caught them both blinking several times, so they weren't fooling anybody for long. I expected some sort of big "surprise" reveal early on, but they just stood there (though I noticed that the one dropped her hand from her sunglasses eventually). I don't understand why she just didn't use real mannequins, as the models didn't do much more than they would have done.

I didn't care for the EcoFlowers concept. It's kind of sad, maybe, but the point of real flowers is that they do die and go away. Just how many of these non-perishable bouquets does one need? What about the husband who buys his wife flowers for her birthday, for their anniversary, for Valentine's Day, etc? He'll have to come up with a Plan B pretty quick or their house will be overflowing with bouquets before too long. Dust-catchers, IMO. I might buy one arrangement if I particularly like it, but I really don't see the need for monthly subscription deals. I obviously am missing something, as she seems to be making good money.

Totally agree. How many of these bouquets etc would a person have lying around the house gathering dust if the sales continue at the rate that the Eco flower lady claims. Or is the idea that you would eventually get bored of them and throw them out , thus defeating the whole purpose? I just don't believe she's sold millions of dollars worth in such a short time. I do see a niche for them for people who are allergic , as a previous poster mentioned, and also for hospitals , where fresh flowers may be prohibited due to the risk of infection for patients in cancer treatment etc. But that's a fairly small number of sales. And they do look like dried flowers, definitely not something that would look nice at a wedding.

 Barabara should be ashamed of herself for admitting that she spends more money on fresh flowers than most people do on groceries. I guess  she's not aware that there are people who can't actually afford groceries, much less flowers. Why not donate the money to charity if you have that much to throw away ? 

I don't understand the appeal of the babe hats either , but if that many have sold they should be reaching their saturation point soon . The only clothes I saw on their website were godawful shiny baseball jackets from the 80's and those hats . The videos she went on and on about were 20 second long clips of models wearing clothes . They may have been "influencers ", but I didn't recognize any of them . I was expecting full length music videos or something similar . 

[theatremouse]

10 minutes ago, Maria Von Trapp said:

 Barabara should be ashamed of herself for admitting that she spends more money on fresh flowers than most people do on groceries. I guess  she's not aware that there are people who can't actually afford groceries, much less flowers. Why not donate the money to charity if you have that much to throw away ? 

She implied she was a little ashamed of it, but she also explained why she does it: she likes to be surrounded by fresh flowers. I don't know her history of charitable giving, so I shall refrain from either knocking or defending her on that front, but rich people have enough money to spend some of it on frivolous things and usually also make big donations to organizations they feel strongly about. She could spend $15,000 a year on flowers or something else equally expensive that's just because she wants to and the flowers aren't inherently worse than any other "felt like it" recurring purchase. The grocery comparison was probably mainly because of the frequency, not because she equates the two in importance. The way she said it she was basically framing herself as extravagant, not trying to pretend it wasn't.

Edited November 6, 2016 by theatremouse

[bilgistic]

2 hours ago, starri said:

Did anyone else think they were drag queens?

I didn't even realize there were mannequins/people there until the end of the pitch when she told the they could leave. The whole thing was frenetic and made no sense. [Insert obligatory "kids today" statement.]

Also, I hate those round sunglasses with words on them. They've been around since at least the 1960s, I think. There's a local (to me) "fashion" brand that sells them with their name on them, and they're hideous. Not new, still hideous. Just like those cheap satin baseball jackets.

Edited November 6, 2016 by bilgistic

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, scootypuffjr said:

I didn't care for the EcoFlowers concept. It's kind of sad, maybe, but the point of real flowers is that they do die and go away. Just how many of these non-perishable bouquets does one need? What about the husband who buys his wife flowers for her birthday, for their anniversary, for Valentine's Day, etc? He'll have to come up with a Plan B pretty quick or their house will be overflowing with bouquets before too long. Dust-catchers, IMO. I might buy one arrangement if I particularly like it, but I really don't see the need for monthly subscription deals. I obviously am missing something, as she seems to be making good money.

I thought about that too, but I guess the market isn't for people who buy them that often. It seems more for people who normally wouldn't buy flowers. Or for an alternate wedding thing. I also thought the piece she did for Robert was very creative, and I can see people doing something like that for wedding/engagement gifts.

[Amarsir]

9 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I didn't even realize there were mannequins/people there until the end of the pitch when she told the they could leave.

Did you get the pre-roll clip? (That thing they're doing for some reason this season where they show the studio countdown before the presentation?) Lori called out the mannequins as being real before the pitch even started.

[ae2]

I don't know if the editing didn't make it clear, or the entrepreneur just doesn't understand, but the Eco Flowers are not a replacement for the flowers you give your wife on your anniversary, or the ones you give to someone sick in the hospital. Although they might make a nice one time gift, they are (unfortunately?) not a free pass to never buy flowers again. 

Instead they are very clearly a home decor item. Buy them to put on a bookshelf, or a mantel, or a dining room table. Sure, they are "dust catchers", but there are a whole lot of people in the world who like to decorate their house with "dust catchers" and this is who their customer will be. They would look right at place on the shelves at Home Goods.

Nor will they will ever replace real, live flowers for people like Lori who can afford to keep those in their house year round. They want those because they are alive and fresh and fragrant and no faux alternative is even close. 

I'd go so far as to say they're not even competing in the flower market.

[Madding crowd]

The Eco lady had a different pitch though. She said their purpose is to replace expensive flowers a man might give his wife/girlfriend for holidays and also for weddings. It seems most of their product is bouquets rather than home decor. I don't get it-these bouquets seem as expensive as the bouquets I can get at my local florist. Is my husband supposed to re-give me the bouquet for each holiday? If he has to purchase new ones it is the same expensive and what would I do with endless crafty bouquets? I also have concern about her comment on holding back orders( reviews of product indicate long delays in shipping). 

[slowpoked]

On 11/5/2016 at 10:08 AM, marny said:

You can customize them-- she also sells them in a format where you purchase a number of flowers and can pick the colors to make your own bouquet.  If her sales numbers weren't legit, the due diligence after the show would reveal that and tank her deal (no pun intended). If she really wants a deal, she wouldn't risk that.

Well, it looks like her sales were legit, because Daymond tweeted that he can't wait to work with her, which I'm assuming means that they were able to close the deal. I would think Daymond would not say anything about the company if it fell through during due diligence. 

[bilgistic]

18 hours ago, Amarsir said:

Did you get the pre-roll clip? (That thing they're doing for some reason this season where they show the studio countdown before the presentation?) Lori called out the mannequins as being real before the pitch even started.

Clearly, I wasn't paying that much attention. My eyes glazed over when the presenter started talking. At one point, I had to rewind it because I realized I had absorbed none of what she'd said, not that it mattered.

I hate that pre-pitch thing they're doing now, by the way. We all know it's a TV show, Shark Tank producers.

[theatremouse]

They're for some reason pretending it's live like SNL when we all know this shit happened 6 months ago and not necessarily on the same day. Seriously, it's like...the pitches are 90 minutes...they add in these updates about past companies...and then they add in the little between takes blurbs...they somehow can't manage to edit the show to proper time using more footage from the actual pitches in the episode? More and more and more filler. WTF.

Edited November 8, 2016 by theatremouse

[Amarsir]

13 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Clearly, I wasn't paying that much attention. My eyes glazed over when the presenter started talking. At one point, I had to rewind it because I realized I had absorbed none of what she'd said, not that it mattered.

I've done that. It's probably because I multitask, but there are plenty of presentations where I find someone talking about their ability to "grow the brand"  and I have no idea what they sell so I have to back up the pitch.

[Ottis]

I downloaded the BeSomebody app, and put in some "passions." What I got back for "experiences" looked like a bunch of highly questionable people decided to hawk themselves as experts on things, with no clear way for me to tell whether they were until it was too late. I mean, there wasn't a single "have lunch with Duran Duran"-type of "experience!" And the list of "experiences" just booked were largely booked by Kash.

I don't care if she got a deal, and a "babe" hat that has accounted for $300,000 in sales, I will never be a customer of anyone who sells an actual item but says what makes them unique is "the experience." How about quality? 

The problem with fake flowers is that they can't capture the colorful beauty of real flowers without looking plastic. If you like that muted, Jo and Chip Gaines stuff, like what she gave Mark, maybe. But those colors always look depressing to me.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Ottis