S08.E13: Grease Bags, Pinblock, Mama's MilkBox, Nicepipes Apparel

[yeswedo]

Quote

A single mom from Allen, Texas, believes her eco-friendly grease disposal method will be enough to cook up a deal; a 21-year-old from Ukraine and now living in Brooklyn, New York, makes the Sharks speechless with his epic display of block toys and his knowledge about the toy industry; a mother from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, zealously pitches her stylish nursing apparel for breastfeeding moms; and a yoga enthusiast from New York, New York, admits she has limited fashion or business experience, yet hopes the Sharks will want to invest in her modern take on legwarmers. Also, Daymond John is featured in a "Shark Profile" highlighting his road to entrepreneurial success.

[PumpkinPK]

I really enjoyed Daymond's profile.  It was nice seeing his Mom as well.  What nice people.

[rhys]

Agree about Daymond. Such a cool mom and great story of hoiw DJ hustled, never gave up, employed his buds.

Nursing  mom: stfu. Gah she was exhausting & would.not.listen.

[Gregg247]

The breastfeeding lady drove me absolutely crazy.  Her inability to listen to anyone else was irritating, especially when these highly successful Sharks were all trying to tell her WHY her company was a disaster.  I like enthusiasm, but that was more zealotry than anything else.  I'll bet she's the type of person who proudly tells everyone she meets what a "dynamo" she is, and how she loves to "get things done" within 2 minutes of meeting them.

One problem with her company that I'm surprised no one brought up was the acquisition cost of finding new subscribers, and the fact that even the happiest of her customers will only stay customers for, what, 6 to 12 months at most?  Once those babies start growing teeth, the need for breastfeeding clothes goes out the window.  6 months of subscribing would bring in $180, plus whatever margins she has on the clothes that she actually sells.  That doesn't seem like a lot of money.  Most people on Shark Tank who push these subscription service companies always get stuck on the cost of finding new customers, and the numbers they throw out (aside from the typical "I don't have any idea") are always much higher than $180.  Plus, she has to pay for all the shipping back and forth each month of those boxes!  The more she sells, the more she loses.  This was that (not so) rare combination of a bad business idea and a PITA owner.

The yoga lady came up with her company because sometimes you get cold on the way home from your yoga class.  I had an idea for that: a coat.  Maybe some jeans.  It didn't seem like "more yoga clothes" was the best answer to the problem.

I liked Vlad, and I think Kevin was the absolute best person to make him rich.  50% hurt though!  I hope we see these two laughing all the way to the bank in a future Shark Tank Update.

[Jamoche]

Hey Sharks, I'm in the SF Bay Area, and the overlap of composting and grease-using is not so low as you think. And really, nobody's interested in pouring hot grease, letting it cool off is no problem.

[Wings]

1 hour ago, PumpkinPK said:

I really enjoyed Daymond's profile.  It was nice seeing his Mom as well.  What nice people.

Yes. I have always seen Daymond as a kind respectful man. Love his mom and his relationship with her. 

The woman with the breast feeding clothes does not know how to read a room!  I wonder what she is thinking now that she has watched herself and their reactions. When talking to Robert at the end, it was clear she thought she was viewed as an adorable character. 

Edited January 14, 2017 by wings707

[LotusFlower]

12 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

Hey Sharks, I'm in the SF Bay Area, and the overlap of composting and grease-using is not so low as you think. And really, nobody's interested in pouring hot grease, letting it cool off is no problem.

I agree.  It sounded pretty ingenious to me, but they were so obsessed with their morning bacon as to why they didn't like it!  I'm glad Barbara changed her mind, but 50%?  I think the entrepreneur was so happy to get an offer that she forgot to counter!

Putting aside how seemingly useless those yoga accessories are, I was surprised at the Sharks' reaction to yoga lady saying she basically made up a valuation of the business because she had no idea how to do it.  They usually get angry or scoff at someone so unprepared or so green, but here they practically thanked her for her honesty.   Maybe because she was pretty?  It was a weird pitch.

[hkit]

The yoga lady has a product I think I'd use - I hate the feel of pants over my yoga pants to keep warm. So when I saw her leg warmers, it was a solution to a problem I didn't realize I even had. But $48 is more than I'll spend. In the couple of hours since the show ended, I pulled out a pair of full length leggings that no longer fit on the waist that I was going to toss out, cut the bottoms off below the knees, and stitched up a nice hem. Now yoga lady's product is obsolete. If I wanted the sleeves, I could do the same thing with an old shirt. This isn't the first product on Shark Tank that isn't proprietary, but I can't think of another one that is so easily reproducible by the end consumer in a matter of minutes. 

[Jamoche]

Um, yoga lady... I used to figure skate. You want to talk about being cold and wearing tights? You've got nothing on us. On the ice, we're moving, we're warm. Off the ice - omg. So you know what we did? We put on lined pants made out of windbreaker fabric (also great for those winter dog-walks). Putting one more layer of tights material is not going to do a damn thing.

ETA - she valued it so high because she was afraid of going too low? I thought the old intro implied they couldn't go lower than the initial valuation?

Edited January 14, 2017 by Jamoche

[chocolatine]

I just wear Ugg boots to/from the pilates studio when it's cold, and they cover the part of my calves that my cropped workout leggings don't. I also wear a jacket or hoodie over my workout top. TBH, I would feel silly running errands after class in those leg warmers/sleeves, plus the $42 price is unacceptable. You can get knee-high socks for much less than that.

The breastfeeding lady: even if her business model were good, who in their right mind would want her as their business partner? She talks over everyone and doesn't listen to feedback. Her reaction when Robert gave her a compliment (actually it was a criticism couched in a compliment because he was trying to be nice) was pretty much "I know, aren't I great?" And yes, that particular business model is bad. Why does she think anyone would want a subscription for breastfeeding clothes? Most women I know buy a small maternity/breastfeeding wardrobe *once*, because they'll only use it for a relatively short amount of time. Even my very stylish cousin who usually spends a ton of money on clothes bought very few maternity pieces. And don't get me started on the look/quality of the clothes, they make StichFix look high-end.

I can't speak to the usefulness of the grease disposal bags, because, like Lori, I never fry anything. But I really liked the lady who invented them - great energy, genuinely believes in her product, but not overbearing in the least. I hope she makes a lot of money with Barbara.

I also really liked Vlad, the 21-year old Ukranian. His story of living in a 1-bedroom apartment with his mom and grandparents really resonated with me, because that's how many of us Soviet expats used to live at some point.

Finally, loved the Daymond profile. I thought his Queens accent really came out when he was talking about his mom and the beginnings of his business, that was very touching.

Edited January 14, 2017 by chocolatine

[UsernameFatigue]

1 hour ago, hkit said:

The yoga lady has a product I think I'd use - I hate the feel of pants over my yoga pants to keep warm. So when I saw her leg warmers, it was a solution to a problem I didn't realize I even had. But $48 is more than I'll spend. In the couple of hours since the show ended, I pulled out a pair of full length leggings that no longer fit on the waist that I was going to toss out, cut the bottoms off below the knees, and stitched up a nice hem. Now yoga lady's product is obsolete. If I wanted the sleeves, I could do the same thing with an old shirt. This isn't the first product on Shark Tank that isn't proprietary, but I can't think of another one that is so easily reproducible by the end consumer in a matter of minutes. 

I also was thinking when I saw the leg warmers that it is something I would use, until I heard the price. No thanks. Then I remembered seeing similar type arm sleeves in a golf apparel store, and they were very reasonably priced. So I think I will check them out as I am pretty sure the mens sized arm sleeves would fit my legs.  Yep, yoga lady's product is obsolete for me now too. Had they been a reasonable price (I wonder if she hit on the price using the same method that she hit on her valuation?) I would have looked for them. But yep, no need to now. (And had I had an old pair of full length leggings I would have done the same thing, though would not have thought of it before!). 

[augmentedfourth]

Breastfeeding clothes lady made me retroactively glad I fed my kids formula just so there's no chance I'd be associated with her brand of cray cray. She probably ranks at least in the top ten (maybe even top five) of Most Obnoxious Presenters, and Kevin was right, her business isn't going to last.

 

I don't fry my food either, but I'm glad the grease bag woman got a deal. She managed to be enthusiastic and passionate without coming across as a pain in the ass, AND she knew her fledgling business better than the two women who followed her. Good for her.

 

I cringed when Kevin went up to 50% (and I believe the words spoken in the Fourth household were "Don't be a dick just because you can, Kevin"), but if the toy industry really is as competitive as everyone says it is, Vlad needed him. I love Legos, always have, but these things looked cool, too. I hope he makes it big.

[Primetimer]

For a while it looks like everyone's going to go home without even the hint of a deal. 'Not on my watch,' Barbara Corcoran growls, checkbook in hand.

View the full article

[mtlchick]

10 hours ago, PumpkinPK said:

I really enjoyed Daymond's profile.  It was nice seeing his Mom as well.  What nice people.

I can see where he gets his looks as his mom is gorgeous, then and now.  He learned how to hustle in a time and place he could have hustling something else. Great back story (though I can also blame him for making the skull caps a thing.)

 

Quote

I hope we see these two laughing all the way to the bank in a future Shark Tank Update.

Vlad knew he really didn't want to take that deal that would make him a minority share holder but Kevin is right: the toy industry is a tough one to break into and he needs major backing just to get into more independent stores.   I hope this one works out because we've what people can do with Lego and this one seems more pliable AND Vlad was level headed. (Side note: my dad finally figured out who Kevin is because Kevin MAY be running for the Conservative Leadership in Canada and was making the media rounds this week.)

 

Yoga chick? Decent idea, but nothing that is a game changer.  If anything, she probably brought up an idea that will be easily replicated on Etsy if it hasn't already.

Breast feeding woman? (blinks) that happened. There are so many subscription services on the market today, I failed to see how hers was any different.

[sadiegirl]

Forgot to comment on the name - Mama's Milk Box - is the stupidest name I can think of for this business. Because I'm sure that's how mothers would like to be seen, as milk machines.  That woman did think she was charming, but none of the sharks seemed to agree.

[starri]

Please remember:  If Lori doesn't know anything about it, it's bad.

[MakeMeLaugh]

I'm so old I wore actual maternity clothes, but pretty sure my daughter and her friends just pass around their baby-oriented stuff, which would happen with the breast feeding clothes (not to mention that no one really notices or cares about someone just pulling up her shirt and feeding a baby these days, so there's that too). Mama's milk brain is delusional.

If NicePipes became a thing, you'd soon be able to buy Lululemon brand and then byebye Nice Pipes.

I liked Vlad a lot--hope he invents more toys.

I missed most of the disposable grease bag but when I don't have a container handy for it, I (gross, I know) just pour it right into the garbage, on top of the other stuff, after it cools down in the pan a little. Maybe the inventor and Barbara can make a commercial/restaurant version, or maybe the bag might have other applications (oil spills?). The presenter will do good in real estate with Barbara.

[basiltherat]

Why didn't any of the Sharks bring up the fact that the milk boxes would only be breastfeeding for a few months up to a year and, if they were smart, would re-use the same clothes if they had more babies?  By the time you acquire the customer and she buys enough to make you a profit off her, poof, she is gone.  Plus you need a bunch of skus for different sizes.  And, if the women forget to send back the ones they don't want and get charged for them, they will be irate customers who will complain on any mommy board in existence.

As to the grease recycler, you're actually not "recycling" it for re-use (as you see some stories about fast food places recycling their grease for commercial use).  You're disposing of it properly rather than down a sink (are you stupid?).  Myself, and my mother before me, recycled bacon grease, etc.  FOR FREE and not down the sink.  Simply clean out a used lidded jar (such as from jelly), pour the hot grease into it, and place in the freezer.  When you have more grease, take jar out of freezer, lather, rinse, repeat, until it is full.  Take out of freezer and dispose in garbage.  FREE, EASY, DONE.  Which shark wants to invest in me?

[annewithaneee]

There's no chance I'm rewatching her segment to make sure I got it right, but MilkBox lady said that the customer had three days to return the items she doesn't want??? I know there's some other clothing subscription/rental companies that ask the customer to send stuff back, and maybe that quick of a turnaround time is normal, but that seems way too fast for me. Granted, returning online purchases is basically my least-favorite thing, but what about moms who live in apartments or condos, or have packages delivered to work? It might be three days before a customer even opens the box, and yay, she's apparently already bought all of it!

Also, I had no idea so many people dispose of their grease while it's still bubbling hot. When I used to cook bacon or burgers, I would wait until the grease wasn't likely to sizzle my skin in the likely event I slopped some onto my hand.

[ClareWalks]

Things I Hate About Breastfeeding Lady

1) The name of the company is awful. Stinkface when I hear it.

2) Three days to return your shit? When I had a new baby, I didn't have time to go back to the post office immediately to return shit.

3) How long do most women breastfeed? I made it less than two weeks. It's not a predictable thing that would be appropriate for a subscription. It's also hard to predict what size you're gonna wear month to month postpartum.

4) Women who are this "into breastfeeding" drive me nuts. They are really uppity and judgmental. I know a lot of women who breastfeed and don't act like that, but there are a lot of women who think they're better than women who don't/can't do it, and this chick strikes me as the latter. 

5) She is obnoxious and doesn't know when to STFU. I'm surprised she can shut up long enough to get knocked up. Maybe she just kept squawking away while her husband pumped it out.

[Spunkygal]

I don't have grease to dispose of but if I did, I would take it to the chemical recycling center in my town where I also take batteries, light bulbs, old paint, aerosol cans, old fertilizer, electronics, etc. I just collect those items in a couple of boxes, check to see if my neighbors have anything they want to dispose of, and take it on its way. They call it the chemical recycling center but they recycle so much more than that.

[PepperMonkey]

Lori. Please take a Friday night off.

That is all.

[Wings]

Healthy diet depends on how informed you are on new research.  Many are stuck in the fat is bad for you category that was dispelled years ago.  Laurie being one.  

Quote

Bottom Line: Saturated fats raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and change LDL from small, dense (bad) to Large LDL, which is mostly benign. Overall, saturated fats do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously believed.

https://authoritynutrition.com/saturated-fat-good-or-bad/

 Anyway, I noticed that Barbara mentioned she made bacon every morning.  She is a fit and health conscious woman and probably eats low carb as do a high percentage of the population.  I eat bacon and do low carb.   I eat steak, too.  My cholesterol is excellent. 

Now on those bags.  I would never use one, I pour any fat I have, which is only bacon really, in a can.  I don't find that to be a bother.  Now if I had some of that oil spill material that I could just put directly in a pan then discard, I would do that.  

The young man with the toy will be much better off with Kevin than doing this on his own.  I know, I only buy toys my grandchildren ask for and if they don't see it advertised I doubt they would know they existed.   It is too bad the other judges did not jump in to say, I'm out in time for him to realize Kevin was the only offer coming.   They often do that.  

[starri]

Is it just grease we're supposed to do this to, or used oil as well?  Because I don't eat pork, so there's no bacon grease in my life, but if I'm not supposed to pour my olive oil down the drain, Imma buy me some of those bags.

Have we seen a drama queen as big as Mama's Milk Box before?  They should do like a supercut of her, the woman with the silicone placemats, and the algae woman from earlier this season.  A giant ball of crazy.

Are NicePipes arm warmers, leg warmers, or both arm and leg warmers?  Maybe I was just spaced out, but I thought it was legs, but all they had was arms.  I don't do yoga, but if I need to stay warm going to the gym, I wear warm-up pants or a sweatshirt.  No $40 thing required.

I liked the blocks guy.  I just wish he'd gotten a better deal.

Daymond is just a truly great human being.  I think he's the only shark who hasn't forgotten where he came from.

Has Barbara gotten all the Botox in the world?  I'm not knocking her, she looks pretty good, but the fact that compared to even earlier in the season, she looks like she had her face sandblasted is kind of distracting.  Either that, or they're filming with the same Vaseline-coated lens that the Sex and the City movies were filmed with.

[bilgistic]

Shockingly enough, I don't necessarily have a big issue with any of the episode's offerings. The presenter's dress for "Mama's Milk Box" (get Lori on renaming that, stat) was horrid. An empire waist on a post-partum woman is just cruel. I also don't have a problem with her being "pushy" or interrupting. The Sharks (Kevin) do it constantly, railroading the presenters.

I have never understood the thumb hole on some jackets, sweaters and the Nice Pipes. Do palms get especially cold? Can someone explain that to me?

2 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

5) She is obnoxious and doesn't know when to STFU. I'm surprised she can shut up long enough to get knocked up. Maybe she just kept squawking away while her husband pumped it out.

This is grossly misogynistic.

[seacliffsal]

The other Sharks tried to tell toy guy that Kevin's original 30% offer was a good offer and that he should take it.  Even Barbara told him to take it.  Then, when Kevin raised his demand to 50% they still told him to take it.  Toy guy should have listened to them when the offer was for 30% and because he didn't, he ended up having to give up more of his company.  However, Kevin will make sure they get a good deal, and the toy guy will make money.  This should serve as a lesson for future entreprenuers though-when all the Sharks tell you that so-and-so is the best Shark for you and that you should take the offer--TAKE IT!

Once again, we have people seeking investments and advice who do not listen to the Sharks and negate the business advice that the Sharks are offering.  Oh, and of course every idea is worth a million dollars...

[BabyVegas]

8 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

I have never understood the thumb hole on some jackets, sweaters and the Nice Pipes. Do palms get especially cold? Can someone explain that to me?

I have a warm-up jacket that has thumbholes and I love it. I'll wear it in the winter under my coat and the thumbholes are great because they prevent the warm-up jacket's sleeves from pushing up under my coat sleeves. Plus they make it easy for me to wear gloves without leaving any skin exposed (like if I go snowboarding and want to avoid snow getting into my gloves when I inevitably fall). Also when my steering wheel is cold in the morning, because I can cover my palms with the sleeves. All that being said, however, I would never have bought the Nice Pipes line. I go to the gym regularly and it gets both cold and wet where I live, so my solution is...pack a gym bag. I can change at the gym and then change back into my outside clothes if it's that bad. If it's not that bad, my lower calves can take it for the 5-10 minute walk to my car or the bus. Her product seemed like a solution in need of a problem

[Mumbles]

"Mamas Milk Box" (cringe) is a ripoff of a thing called "Stitch Fix", which also seems as shady as hell too. Same meh clothing, same "consulting fee", same discount on purchasing all the crap you receive, and insanely short time to return the crap if you don't like it.

I thought the arm/leg warmer was dumb and I thought the pitch woman was nuts for not accepting Barbara's deal, but I did actually appreciate her admission that she has no idea how to value a company. Neither do the vast majority of the people who appear on this show, but she actually admitted it. 

[shksabelle]

"Oh, you mean like PROFIT?"

"I'm not fancy."

If her husband is actually an accountant, and couldn't/wouldn't help her enough so that she wouldn't look like a complete idiot, I don't have high hopes for their marriage.  Of course, he may have tried, and she kept talking over him because she is "a character".

Also, pet peeve of mine, not EVERYTHING is "crafted", "iconic", or "curated".

[chocolatine]

3 hours ago, wings707 said:

Healthy diet depends on how informed you are on new research.  Many are stuck in the fat is bad for you category that was dispelled years ago.  Laurie being one. 

Lori didn't say she thought fat is bad, she just said she didn't eat fried foods. I can't speak for Lori's diet, but I eat plenty of healthy fats such as avocado, olives/EVOO, raw nuts, salmon, etc. I just don't eat fried/greasy foods because I don't find them appealing.

[Wings]

1 minute ago, chocolatine said:

Lori didn't say she thought fat is bad, she just said she didn't eat fried foods. I can't speak for Lori's diet, but I eat plenty of healthy fats such as avocado, olives/EVOO, raw nuts, salmon, etc. I just don't eat fried/greasy foods because I don't find them appealing.

I didn't think you did!  I eat the way you do, too, only with bacon and steak. :^)

Lori is an uptight health freak who loves chocolate.  She has a lot of quirks.  

[theatremouse]

Either way though, there are plenty of people who don't fry at home (even if they might eat fried things in general). Now, one the one hand, there are other circumstances in which one might need to properly dispose of oil/grease anyway, even if you're not deep frying stuff at home. Still I took Laurie's comment there mainly to be just 'I don't cook in a way that I'd ever need this product'. She always goes out when she considers it something she wouldn't personally use/do. So fairly standard coming from her.

[nlkm9]

I just wear Ugg boots to/from the pilates studio when it's cold, and they cover the part of my calves that my cropped workout leggings don't. I also wear a jacket or hoodie over my workout top. TBH, I would feel silly running errands after class in those leg warmers/sleeves, plus the $42 price is unacceptable. You can get knee-high socks for much less than that.

The breastfeeding lady: even if her business model were good, who in their right mind would want her as their business partner? She talks over everyone and doesn't listen to feedback. Her reaction when Robert gave her a compliment (actually it was a criticism couched in a compliment because he was trying to be nice) was pretty much "I know, aren't I great?" And yes, that particular business model is bad. Why does she think anyone would want a subscription for breastfeeding clothes? Most women I know buy a small maternity/breastfeeding wardrobe *once*, because they'll only use it for a relatively short amount of time. Even my very stylish cousin who usually spends a ton of money on clothes bought very few maternity pieces. And don't get me started on the look/quality of the clothes, they make StichFix look high-end.

I can't speak to the usefulness of the grease disposal bags, because, like Lori, I never fry anything. But I really liked the lady who invented them - great energy, genuinely believes in her product, but not overbearing in the least. I hope she makes a lot of money with Barbara.

I also really liked Vlad, the 21-year old Ukranian. His story of living in a 1-bedroom apartment with his mom and grandparents really resonated with me, because that's how many of us Soviet expats used to live at some point.

Finally, loved the Daymond profile. I thought his Queens accent really came out when he was talking about his mom and the beginnings of his business, that was very touching.

I just wear Ugg boots to/from the pilates studio when it's cold, and they cover the part of my calves that my cropped workout leggings don't

my thoughts exactly (except I go to spin class), I wear my tall uggs. I really cannot believe she did not take barbaras deal--my god she would have been a millionare like those grace and lace folks (which i wonder how they like Barbara constantly trying to get them a partner!). its great to have principles, but I think she was foolish and lost a major opportunity.

[nlkm9]

The yoga lady has a product I think I'd use - I hate the feel of pants over my yoga pants to keep warm. So when I saw her leg warmers, it was a solution to a problem I didn't realize I even had. But $48 is more than I'll spend. In the couple of hours since the show ended, I pulled out a pair of full length leggings that no longer fit on the waist that I was going to toss out, cut the bottoms off below the knees, and stitched up a nice hem. Now yoga lady's product is obsolete. If I wanted the sleeves, I could do the same thing with an old shirt. This isn't the first product on Shark Tank that isn't proprietary, but I can't think of another one that is so easily reproducible by the end consumer in a matter of minutes. 

I cant belive she did not take barbaras offer!! that is sure millions right there--totally upset, i kept hoping she would turn around and ask barbara to take her back. do not understand barbaras constant looking for a partner for grace and lace but whatever. I wear tall uggs on days Im cold as Im going to class.

[ClareWalks]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

This is grossly misogynistic.

What was misogynistic about it? There are men who don't know when to STFU, too. Women don't have a monopoly on it.

[hkit]

20 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Lori didn't say she thought fat is bad, she just said she didn't eat fried foods. I can't speak for Lori's diet, but I eat plenty of healthy fats such as avocado, olives/EVOO, raw nuts, salmon, etc. I just don't eat fried/greasy foods because I don't find them appealing.

Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but the way she said it seemed condescending. That does seem to be her default demeanor. Usually she says something along the lines of, "I wouldn't use it, so for that reason, I'm out". But something was different in her delivery on this one. 

[Jamoche]

3 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I have never understood the thumb hole on some jackets, sweaters and the Nice Pipes. Do palms get especially cold? Can someone explain that to me?

If you've got Raynauds, where your circulation works fine until it gets to your extremities and wearing more sweaters makes you hot without helping your fingers at all, having something warm around your hands makes all the difference. Which is why I know there are lots of places to get hand and leg warmers already :)

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I have never understood the thumb hole on some jackets, sweaters and the Nice Pipes. Do palms get especially cold? Can someone explain that to me?

I have short arms, so the jackets/tops with thumb holes work like built-in fingerless gloves for me when I'm outside in the cold, which is great because I often forget to take actual gloves with me. When it's warmer, I just roll the cuffs up to my wrists. Also, what @BabyVegas said upthread about the sleeves not bunching up if you're layering another piece over it.

[leighdear]

The crazy milk mama laying flat out on the carpet was astounding.  WTF?  I did see that happen, right?  One of the most idiotic sounding and acting people I've ever seen.  And on this show, that's something!  

I'm twisted, because every time somebody on the screen said the name "Vlad", I silently added to myself "the Impaler"....

But he was a sweetie, an awesome product and I hope he makes HUGE money with Kevin.  

[Jesse]

20 hours ago, Jamoche said:

Um, yoga lady... I used to figure skate. You want to talk about being cold and wearing tights? You've got nothing on us. On the ice, we're moving, we're warm. Off the ice - omg. So you know what we did? We put on lined pants made out of windbreaker fabric (also great for those winter dog-walks). Putting one more layer of tights material is not going to do a damn thing.

ETA - she valued it so high because she was afraid of going too low? I thought the old intro implied they couldn't go lower than the initial valuation?

Isn't it that they can't get less than the dollar amount they ask for? The value has always been up for negotiation. 

5 hours ago, Mumbles said:

"Mamas Milk Box" (cringe) is a ripoff of a thing called "Stitch Fix", which also seems as shady as hell too. Same meh clothing, same "consulting fee", same discount on purchasing all the crap you receive, and insanely short time to return the crap if you don't like it.

I haven't used it myself, but I know a bunch of people who like Stitch Fix a lot -- of course, they are buying clothes they will also want to wear next year!

[Jamoche]

2 minutes ago, Jesse said:

Isn't it that they can't get less than the dollar amount they ask for? The value has always been up for negotiation. 

I don't know - even with the intro going "if they can't, they'll walk away with nothing" I've never seen anything that indicated there was any rule other than "impress a shark".

[MakeMeLaugh]

8 hours ago, Mumbles said:

"Mamas Milk Box" (cringe) is a ripoff of a thing called "Stitch Fix", which also seems as shady as hell too. Same meh clothing, same "consulting fee", same discount on purchasing all the crap you receive, and insanely short time to return the crap if you don't like it.

.... 

I'm at DD's house and she actually has some things from StitchFix ready to return. She is very busy and very out of fashion touch and LOVES SF (she would describe herself as a meh dresser so it's a great match! The clothes imo are good enough but more important for DD is that they are delivered without any thought on her part and the Fedex guy picks up the returns at her door) but she said she would never have used the milk box company because she needed those kinds of clothes for such a short time (vs how long she keeps her other clothes).

Stupid Mama and her milk boxes.

Edited January 15, 2017 by MakeMeLaugh

[LittleIggy]

Are specific nursing mother clothes that necessary? Just asking. Boy, that woman was annoying.

I, too, loved the Daymond segment. He's a mensch.

Kevin was a dick for going up to 50% with that sweet guy Vlad.

The Grease Bag lady must not eat the fried wings she makes. She was whip thin.

[sadiegirl]

The Grease Bag lady should try selling those wings.  Robert said those were the best wings he's had.  And everyone else seemed to like them, too.

[stephinmn]

My kids are grown, but I nursed them for over a year each. That said? I never bought breastfeeding clothes. It never even occurred to me. And if I had, no way would I have purchased new ones for each child. It's a tiny market, considering most women don't breastfeed all that long, and they likely just spent some money on maternity clothes and now have the expense of a baby. 

She was also insane, but that's beside the point, I guess.

[Amarsir]

I swear I've seen blocks like those Pinblocks before - just (maybe) not colored in enough variety to do portraits. So either he's been around long enough that I've actually seen his product, or someone else has tried something similar. I guess it doesn't matter, although a design patent may not help him if one of Kevin's prospects decides to make their own version a half-centimeter taller.

What's interesting is what Mark pointed out about the phrasing of Kevin's second offer. It was stated that Vlad gets final say on any prospective licensing deal and if he says no he owes Kevin nothing. That's different from a 30% deal where Kevin gets to say "this one's good enough", we're in. And considering the guy was reluctant to do a license deal anyway, Mark might be right that it benefits him to defer the decision until the partner is actually specified.

--

To be honest, kind of tuned out the Breastfeeding Mom, other than that I told myself "I bet everyone on Previously just hates her." Thanks for not letting me down, folks. :)

[jaigurudeva]

The breastfeeding clothing line isn't bad in itself, it's the model with which she brings it to her customers. It's basically $29 just to bring clothes to your door, and maybe you'll like any of those clothes, and then you have to pay for the clothes themselves. Then you have to return the clothes you didn't like within 3-5 days or get automatically charged for them, too.  This is ridiculous for most new parents already a) paying out the nose for diapers, baby accessories, and hospital bills, and b) exhausted from nursing, lack of sleep, and possibly trying to juggle a newborn and going back to work.  Any harried mother would rather just pull over a $20 nursing cover (that she can use every day) when her baby needs a feeding, rather than try to shove her aching, leaking breasts through tiny cut-outs in an expensive blouse.  Even if Mommy's Milk Box is trying to cater to the uber-chic mothers that can afford to buy an entire nursing wardrobe with 7 daily outfit changes, she should dump the subscription box model completely and start pushing her line of clothes for retail.  Selling her clothes in maternity sections or maternity boutiques where women can try on the clothes, see what they like, buy multiples or none, all without the $29 surcharge and a 3-5 day deadline to rush to the post office to return anything she doesn't like, would be a more practical sales model.

PinBlocks look like a good product.  They're kind of like - but not in direct competition with - Legos.  They can be used to build playable objects like swords, crowns, etc., but for the most part are limited to 2D objects, given their uniform, 2-prong design.  Maybe they can also market them as an alternative to paints or crayons, where children can create pictures with them, over and over.  He should - and can - really bring the price down from $19.99 to $9.99 for a starter box.  This would help under-cut Legos, which are pretty expensive, and get him a leg up on the market.  He made an absolutely terrible deal with O'Leary, losing not only 50% of his company, but with the contingency of licensing his product to another company, probably just 20%-30% royalty.  If he goes through with it, he'll be getting just 35% of 30% of the profits of his invention.

NicePipes - $45 for *sleeves?*  They can't even through in the whole shirt?  And good luck pulling tight nylon sheaths over sweaty arms and legs after yoga. I guess the target market is the Lululemon crowd, who readily spend $100 for trendy yoga pants hand-over-fist.  So strange seeing a practice designed to bring inner peace within an outer world of suffering-by-coveting turned into a cash cow for expensive nylon tights you buy just to sweat in.

Greasebags lady really is going to have a problem with her sales, since, as one Shark mentioned, most frequent deep-friers probably aren't concerned with composting for their vegetable gardens.  She never mentioned where/how she plans on selling her product.  Is she planning on selling next to the bottles of oil in super markets? How else will consumers know of her product, what it is, and where to find it? It's going to take a lot of consumer education about her product to get them to switch over from their typical method of disposal.  She mentioned using it for oil changes and oil paints, too, but those need to be disposed of at toxic waste recycling centers, and I wonder if the oil absorption material would affect with their disposal processes.

[Jamoche]

15 hours ago, stephinmn said:

My kids are grown, but I nursed them for over a year each. That said? I never bought breastfeeding clothes. It never even occurred to me. And if I had, no way would I have purchased new ones for each child. It's a tiny market, considering most women don't breastfeed all that long, and they likely just spent some money on maternity clothes and now have the expense of a baby. 

She was also insane, but that's beside the point, I guess.

You've given me an idea - maternity clothes with whatever styling quirks make them useful for breastfeeding. Now all I need is some delusions of grandeur and I'll be on Shark Tank before you know it!

Grease lady needs a deal with Trader Joe's - right next to the recycled paper towels. It really would sell out here in Silicon Valley - many towns already have composting pickup, but you can't just pour it in with the other compost because it never fully solidifies, and you can't put the jar you used to store it in with the compost. 

[questionfear]

1) Mama's milk box would be toast in a week if stitchfix decided to offer a maternity/breastfeeding option. 

2) those arm and leg warmers have existed for years. Every running store and probably bike store in America sells them. They're great for runs where you start out cold but warm up-stuffing the arm warmers in a pocket is a lot easier than running with a jacket around your waist because you got hot. Also, you can find them for way cheaper. 

[ClareWalks]

Just checked the Mama's Milk Box website. Apparently they charge up to $90 for shirts and up to about $110 for dresses. What the HELL. Who is paying that for temporary clothing? And who is paying that for shit they *don't even get to pick out*??