S10.E05: The Handbag Raincoat, RewardStock, The WISP, The Kombucha Shop

[GoldenGirl90]

November 18, 2018

A way to protect women's handbags; an automated travel service that plans vacations at a fraction of the cost; a one-handed pull broom and dustpan; an affordable way to make a healthy beverage; an update on Tanglepets, a hairbrush for kids.

[Dots And Stripes]

I enjoyed seeing Mark's pressure tactics come back to bite him. How many times have we heard him tell people to make a decision quickly or tell someone to accept his offer without hearing the other sharks out? Kind of nice to see him be on the losing end when an entrepreneur was decisive. 

I'm also glad they brought Sarah back. I thought she improved since her first go around. She had some good advice and seemed at ease with the other sharks. I hope her deal with Barbara for the tea kits works out. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

Sara’s and Barbara’s hair looks amazing. Love Barbara’s dress. I disagree with Lori: umbrellas often don’t protect very well, when it’s windy.  

I was so happy Beth Frankel was not a guest shark. 

I want to marry the rewards guy.

[mjc570]

Another less than stellar episode.  I don't understand why they chose to open with such a weak presentation - that  ridiculous handbag raincoat (stupid name, in my opinion, that's the kind of product that calls out for something really clever), the sisters were supremely annoying, and seemed to intentionally come off as incompetent business people, from their appearance to their double talking, to their complete inability to run a business.  If I were an investor, I would have run a mile from them.

Ont he other hand, the WISP guy was, I think, unfairly brutalized.  Yes, he is obviously an great product developer who has no business sense,  His product looked good (in fact, I paused the show to order one from Amazon immediately) but he really could have benefited from Shark expertise.  I was surprised he didn't get a realistic offer, it could have been structured to be a win-win. 

I'm still not a fan of the Spanx woman and her gigantic smile.   I know others disagree, but I thought her questions were absolutely basic, I can't imagine any entrepreneur choosing to partner with her unless she has a lot more behind the scenes credibility than  I'm aware of (certainly possible, all I know is the Spanx thing).  She seems pleasant enough, but I really wonder if this was anything more than a commercial.

My favorite part was the Hawaiian dancers.  They were awesome, especially the fire guy, and that was a pretty clever tie in that the entrepreneur did.  I don't travel and have no points, but it seemed like a super useful service  (almost too good to be true) and I wish the guy the best.  He seemed like a perfect person to work with a shark.

Kombucha girl - loved her, loved her kit.  I've never had the stuff, but Barbara's right, she was the product's best spokesperson.  I couldn't quite understand the sharks, though - they got down on the raincoat women for not advertising, but seemed to applaud the kombucha woman for not paying for advertising.  Is it that she was much more successful without the advertising? 

It seemed kind of uneven - maybe it was the editing, but there was hardly any Barbara or Mark.  There was a lot of  Kevin, which I appreciate because he focuses on the important things ($$) and tells it straight.  On the other hand, he really is greedy, and was so dismissive of Lori I couldn't believe it (although he was right, she wasn't putting any money in, but I she brings a lot to the table, especially for a consumer good like the broom).

[hoodooznoodooz]

I love how Barbara kind of grunted/gasped  in awe/relief when the inventor demonstrated how stepping on the back of the pan created a seal. It makes me think maybe Barbara still occasionally uses a broom?

[hoodooznoodooz]

Kombucha woman is so fantastic. I am stunned she sold so many just by herself. I do wonder how nasty that stuff tastes. 

I love how Eben sweeps when he’s nervous. 

It kills me that he lost 2.1M.

Edited November 19, 2018 by hoodooznoodooz

[hula-la]

46 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Kombucha woman is so fantastic. I am stunned she sold so many just by herself. I do wonder how nasty that stuff tastes. 

 

I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. I’ve had a few that I like, but they were the ones that I tasted when doing juries for my farmers market. It’s huge at the markets, and they sell a ton, with a wide variety of flavours. I do live on the west coast, where I’m assuming that it’s more popular than other parts of the country. 

[Dots And Stripes]

2 hours ago, mjc570 said:

 

Ont he other hand, the WISP guy was, I think, unfairly brutalized.  Yes, he is obviously an great product developer who has no business sense,  His product looked good (in fact, I paused the show to order one from Amazon immediately) but he really could have benefited from Shark expertise.  I was surprised he didn't get a realistic offer, it could have been structured to be a win-win. 

 

I don’t think he was in a good position for a deal. His debt makes a deal very high risk. The debt may become too much for the company. He already had a ton of investors and a lot of debt, so a shark would have a hard time recouping any of their investment if the company folds. I thought Lori was acting strangely there. She wouldn’t come out and say that she wanted equity, but it seems that’s what she wanted. Since when would Kevin put up the money for Lori to get a share? He was right to say focus on his deal now and try to figure out how to work with her later. 

[Whimsy]

9 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I disagree with Lori: umbrellas often don’t protect very well, when it’s windy.  

I vehemently disagreed with Lori here.  I am always worried about my purse getting wet, but honestly it's less about the bag itself and what's in it.  I have a pretty standard handbag that does not zipper or close shut.  I think it HAS a magnetic snap, but I have so much stuff in it that it doesn't close.  While I like the IDEA, I hated the product itself.  All it did was make me think I should just carry a plastic shopping bag in my purse so I can cover it when it rains, instead of want to buy that product itself.  I think it could look so much nicer. 

9 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I'm still not a fan of the Spanx woman and her gigantic smile.   I know others disagree, but I thought her questions were absolutely basic, I can't imagine any entrepreneur choosing to partner with her unless she has a lot more behind the scenes credibility than  I'm aware of (certainly possible, all I know is the Spanx thing).  She seems pleasant enough, but I really wonder if this was anything more than a commercial.

My favorite part was the Hawaiian dancers.  They were awesome, especially the fire guy, and that was a pretty clever tie in that the entrepreneur did.  I don't travel and have no points, but it seemed like a super useful service  (almost too good to be true) and I wish the guy the best.  He seemed like a perfect person to work with a shark.

Kombucha girl - loved her, loved her kit.  I've never had the stuff, but Barbara's right, she was the product's best spokesperson.  I couldn't quite understand the sharks, though - they got down on the raincoat women for not advertising, but seemed to applaud the kombucha woman for not paying for advertising.  Is it that she was much more successful without the advertising? 

Agreed.  Every time a new inventor came out they would do a quick flash to all of the sharks and she would always do this weird, big, but also very fake, smile.  Granted, it may be the same exact shot that the editors kept using, but it made her look super fake and I hated it. 

Same, but that's because I adore Hawaii and am scheming on how to get back there.  That guy was right, I don't even bother with cards that have mile advantages because I just don't know how to use them.  All I really know is that there's restrictions, black-out dates, etc, so, to me, it's not worth the hassle.  If I had reward miles, I would totally sign up for that service.  $16 to go to Hawaii?!?!  

I think that's exactly it.  She was getting a lot of sales without any advertising.  I'd never even heard of Kombucha and just seeing that weird gloppy thing floating in the tea makes me never want to see it again. 

I like the idea of the Wisp.  I may have to go get one too.  

[madpsych78]

10 hours ago, Dots And Stripes said:

I enjoyed seeing Mark's pressure tactics come back to bite him. How many times have we heard him tell people to make a decision quickly or tell someone to accept his offer without hearing the other sharks out? Kind of nice to see him be on the losing end when an entrepreneur was decisive. 

I'm also glad they brought Sarah back. I thought she improved since her first go around. She had some good advice and seemed at ease with the other sharks. I hope her deal with Barbara for the tea kits works out. 

Clearly he's not used to being passed over for other sharks. He seemed a little dumbfounded.

[rhys]

Kombucha to me tastes a bit like vinegar. It's not quite that strong but that's how I describe it to others. I haven't found a flavor/brand that I really care for. I sorta can tolerate the first sip but then, eww, not the rest of the bottle. But it's too pricey to toss! I liked the presenter also.

Wisp fellow....oy. Looks like great product with a lousy businessman at the helm. 

[GoldenGirl90]

I actually really liked the Wisp. It's one of those "why didn't I think of that?" type of products - like the snuggie. I'm not surprised that he didn't walk away with a deal though - too risky of an investment, imo. 

11 hours ago, mjc570 said:

the sisters were supremely annoying, and seemed to intentionally come off as incompetent business people, from their appearance to their double talking, to their complete inability to run a business.  If I were an investor, I would have run a mile from them.

They were driving me nuts. Maybe they were nervous but the constant speaking at the same time thing was too much. 

11 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I'm still not a fan of the Spanx woman and her gigantic smile.   I know others disagree, but I thought her questions were absolutely basic, I can't imagine any entrepreneur choosing to partner with her unless she has a lot more behind the scenes credibility than  I'm aware of (certainly possible, all I know is the Spanx thing).  She seems pleasant enough, but I really wonder if this was anything more than a commercial.

I'm not really a fan of her either.

Overall I left this episode feeling unimpressed. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I loved the Travel App guy, and hope he does really well.

I liked the Wisp, but his sales v. debt, and number of investors would have halted any idea of investing with him too.    He didn't seem to have a clue how to stop the bleeding, and though I would love the broom, and dust pan, I'm sure some other company will come up with a cheaper model that's just far enough from that to sell without violating any regulations.   The Amazon reviews said many purchasers had issues with the telescoping handle not locking, and making it a pain to use.  

I would never buy a raincoat for my purse.   I just use one of the 11 gallon kitchen trash bags, and put the purse in and tie the top tight.     

No way am I drinking anything derived from a product that looks like my liver.  

Edited November 22, 2018 by CrazyInAlabama

[LittleIggy]

I have four cats who make the biggest mess eating their dry food so I could really use the Wisp. 

[rhys]

The women in pink weren't sisters iirc. Just annoying

[Dots And Stripes]

1 hour ago, rhys said:

The women in pink weren't sisters iirc. Just annoying

I think they were sisters, just not twins. They said something about being born 20 or 22 months apart, which would be even weirder if they weren't related at all.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The women in pink irritated me so much that I wouldn't buy whatever they were selling.

The Wisp reviews on Amazon are OK, but some had real issues with the broom.     Everyone loved the dustpan.    However, I'm not paying $35 to $45 on Amazon for a broom and dustpan, or a set with the whisk broom.      I have three brooms at various locations in my house, and I'm not replacing all three, and I'm not just getting one, and having to get that one when I need it.   

[seacliffsal]

I really kind of hated Lori in regards to the WISP presentation.  Kevin made a realistic deal if he is ever to see a profit, then when she said she would sell it he offered to split the investment/equity with her and she said she didn't want to put any money into it.  So, she is so super special that she feels entitled to equity without any investment whatever?  Then, right after the WISP person accepted Kevin's offer, she makes a big deal about how Kevin didn't want her in the deal.  No, he said they would talk about it later-she's the one who clearly stated that she would not invest any money.  The WISP guy seemed overwhelmed and a bit depressed, but he accepted an offer that he thought would help him and his company.  But, no, Princess Lori just had to reiterate that she wanted to be a part of the deal and Kevin wouldn't let her.  The WISP guy was clearly thrown off by that and so, rightly so, Kevin backed out of the deal.  Look Lori, you have millions-let someone have a hope of getting out of their personal nightmare of debt and lack of sales by getting a Shark to work with them.  

I felt the same about Mark when he kind of seemed like a baby when the tea woman accepted Barbara and Sarah's offer without even waiting for him to make an offer.  Lori and Mark are pretty full of themselves (and, I must admit, rightly so) and place their egos over the other Sharks and the presenters.

[eel2178]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 10:06 PM, hoodooznoodooz said:

I love how Eben sweeps when he’s nervous. 

It kills me that he lost 2.1M.

I actually don't think it was because he was nervous. I think he just kept wanting to show them how wonderful his product was, so they would ignore all the red flags.

[aemom]

Spanx lady still annoys me with her fake smile, but at least she wasn't dressed like an 8-year-old girl this time.

 

On 2018-11-18 at 10:40 PM, Dots And Stripes said:

I enjoyed seeing Mark's pressure tactics come back to bite him. How many times have we heard him tell people to make a decision quickly or tell someone to accept his offer without hearing the other sharks out? Kind of nice to see him be on the losing end when an entrepreneur was decisive. 

Exactly.  Maybe he'll stop being such an ass: "Take my deal right now or I'm out!"  How does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot?

That's one thing I really like about Dragon's Den in Canada.  Everyone puts their deal forward, and the pitcher makes their decision/negotiates.  Good for the tea lady for getting a great deal.

 

On 2018-11-19 at 8:30 AM, Whimsy said:

All it did was make me think I should just carry a plastic shopping bag in my purse so I can cover it when it rains, instead of want to buy that product itself.  I think it could look so much nicer. 

The sisters and their purse raincoat.  It looked cheap and stupid.  I'm not a purse person.  I have one and I use it until it dies and then I buy another one.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  If I was worried about it getting wet, I would stick it in a shopping bag like @Whimsy said.

 

The Wisp broom looks really cool, but that business was in shambles.  I don't know that you can pull it out of debt at this point.

Edited November 21, 2018 by AEMom
Typos

[hoodooznoodooz]

Hermès includes a waterproof handbag cover for its bags. 

[Amarsir]

Although I'm well over the high-pressure deals from Mark, I do like when he brings in creative financing. (Kevin does it a bit too, but Mark's are more intricate.) Seeing him work out a deal with the RewardStock guy by maneuvering around the convertibles was interesting.

[tvrox]

I might buy the handbag raincoat. I have definitely had bags ruined by the rain (I don't have a car and walk a lot and live in an area that gets big rainstorms). I've mostly started to avoid that problem by buying really cheap bags and replacing them when they get ruined but if I ever decide to up my wardrobe and get nicer bags the raincoat would come in handy.

23 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Hermès includes a waterproof handbag cover for its bags. 

That was probably the $350 big company competitor they mentioned that they were thinking of suing. I agree with the Spanx woman that they shouldn't waste their time and money on that lawsuit. Hermes and these girls are targeting different buyers.

[augmentedfourth]

I liked the purse raincoat. *shrug* I have a nice painted leather purse that I rarely use because it's not supposed to get wet, and I almost never carry an umbrella with me because it's just one more thing to juggle. 

 

I predicted out loud that Mark would try to swoop in on the kombucha deal at the last minute and was amused when he didn't get the opportunity. Like others have said, not so much fun for him when the shoe's on the other foot.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

I know I could google this, but it is more fun to ask the forum: is kombucha alcoholic? Isn't anything that is fermented alcoholic? I'm not good with icky stuff, so seeing that stuff floating in the kombucha grosses me out.  Blech.

[ljenkins782]

On 11/18/2018 at 11:19 PM, mjc570 said:

Another less than stellar episode.  I don't understand why they chose to open with such a weak presentation - that  ridiculous handbag raincoat (stupid name, in my opinion, that's the kind of product that calls out for something really clever), the sisters were supremely annoying, and seemed to intentionally come off as incompetent business people, from their appearance to their double talking, to their complete inability to run a business.  If I were an investor, I would have run a mile from them.

Ont he other hand, the WISP guy was, I think, unfairly brutalized.  Yes, he is obviously an great product developer who has no business sense,  His product looked good (in fact, I paused the show to order one from Amazon immediately) but he really could have benefited from Shark expertise.  I was surprised he didn't get a realistic offer, it could have been structured to be a win-win. 

I'm still not a fan of the Spanx woman and her gigantic smile.   I know others disagree, but I thought her questions were absolutely basic, I can't imagine any entrepreneur choosing to partner with her unless she has a lot more behind the scenes credibility than  I'm aware of (certainly possible, all I know is the Spanx thing).  She seems pleasant enough, but I really wonder if this was anything more than a commercial.

My favorite part was the Hawaiian dancers.  They were awesome, especially the fire guy, and that was a pretty clever tie in that the entrepreneur did.  I don't travel and have no points, but it seemed like a super useful service  (almost too good to be true) and I wish the guy the best.  He seemed like a perfect person to work with a shark.

Kombucha girl - loved her, loved her kit.  I've never had the stuff, but Barbara's right, she was the product's best spokesperson.  I couldn't quite understand the sharks, though - they got down on the raincoat women for not advertising, but seemed to applaud the kombucha woman for not paying for advertising.  Is it that she was much more successful without the advertising? 

It seemed kind of uneven - maybe it was the editing, but there was hardly any Barbara or Mark.  There was a lot of  Kevin, which I appreciate because he focuses on the important things ($$) and tells it straight.  On the other hand, he really is greedy, and was so dismissive of Lori I couldn't believe it (although he was right, she wasn't putting any money in, but I she brings a lot to the table, especially for a consumer good like the broom).

The Wisp guy just looked so lost up there. The details kept burying him deeper and deeper and he had no answers. I was shocked that he even had a potential offer at all AND that he was about to accept it. How do you give away 50% equity when you have 22 other investors? 

I wondered if the Kombucha girl was just there to get TV exposure until she accepted the offer. That was a pretty amazing deal, 2 sharks without giving away anything more than she was originally willing to part with (and the credit line shouldn't be an issue if she's making as much money as she said). 

That being said, I didn't really understand the kit. It seemed like a lot of money and effort to avoid spending money on an already made product. I feel like at the end of the day, more people would be willing to pony up the $4 for a ready-made bottle vs ordering the kit, making the stuff, and letting it sit on a counter for 10 days. But I guess her sales say otherwise.

I was a little suprised the travel app guy got a deal. It seemed like a great service, but I didn't see the profitability in it for an investor. 

[rhys]

8 hours ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

I know I could google this, but it is more fun to ask the forum: is kombucha alcoholic? Isn't anything that is fermented alcoholic? I'm not good with icky stuff, so seeing that stuff floating in the kombucha grosses me out.  Blech.

Yes it's a wee bit alcoholic..

7 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

 

That being said, I didn't really understand the kit. It seemed like a lot of money and effort to avoid spending money on an already made product. I feel like at the end of the day, more people would be willing to pony up the $4 for a ready-made bottle vs ordering the kit, making the stuff, and letting it sit on a counter for 10 days. But I guess her sales say otherwise

You use the kit to brew your own Kombucha to save paying the $4. Maybe I'm not understanding your point. My son brews his as he thinks $4 is way too much to pay per day.

[sr49ers2018]

On 11/20/2018 at 9:52 AM, seacliffsal said:

I really kind of hated Lori in regards to the WISP presentation.  Kevin made a realistic deal if he is ever to see a profit, then when she said she would sell it he offered to split the investment/equity with her and she said she didn't want to put any money into it.  So, she is so super special that she feels entitled to equity without any investment whatever?  Then, right after the WISP person accepted Kevin's offer, she makes a big deal about how Kevin didn't want her in the deal.  No, he said they would talk about it later-she's the one who clearly stated that she would not invest any money.  The WISP guy seemed overwhelmed and a bit depressed, but he accepted an offer that he thought would help him and his company.  But, no, Princess Lori just had to reiterate that she wanted to be a part of the deal and Kevin wouldn't let her.  The WISP guy was clearly thrown off by that and so, rightly so, Kevin backed out of the deal.  Look Lori, you have millions-let someone have a hope of getting out of their personal nightmare of debt and lack of sales by getting a Shark to work with them.  

I felt the same about Mark when he kind of seemed like a baby when the tea woman accepted Barbara and Sarah's offer without even waiting for him to make an offer.  Lori and Mark are pretty full of themselves (and, I must admit, rightly so) and place their egos over the other Sharks and the presenters.

Lori is big B. shes the queen of Junk./

[ava111]

On 11/26/2018 at 1:06 PM, MoreCoffeePlease said:

I know I could google this, but it is more fun to ask the forum: is kombucha alcoholic? Isn't anything that is fermented alcoholic? I'm not good with icky stuff, so seeing that stuff floating in the kombucha grosses me out.  Blech.

You don't drink the icky stuff as you strain it and keep for next batch. I have been drinking it for over 30 years. Back as a kid in former Czechoslovakia my mom would keep batch going all the time. The alcohol content is only 0.5% but of course you can make it stronger if you keep it going for too long but then it definitely is like drinking vinegar. When made right it's very refreshing although it is definitely acquired taste at the beginning. We used to make it with black tea. When I came to America in late 90's I couldn't find it anywhere just like it was impossible to find kefir, good bread and nutella LOL. Wish I would thought about bringing it to market back then and I could be rich. Then few years later it was possible to get what we called mushroom (SCOBY) from people who make it at home and 10 years later I started noticing kombucha drinks available in Whole Foods. So just like kefir and nutella it finally made it to US market. As a ferment it's great for digestion because  it contains probiotics and tons of antioxidants. You don't need to drink too much of it to get the benefits. Plus since its made from tea you get also the caffeine benefit.