Millionaire and “Shark Tank” star Barbara Corcoran is no stranger to sharing her tricks of the trade on her Instagram account where she often films clips of her getting her makeup done while telling a story from early in her career.
But on Wednesday, the real estate mogul took to the social media platform to spill the beans on what really goes on during a taping of a “Shark Tank” — while also answering fans’ questions about the show in a post that’s since garnered over 3,400 likes.
Corcoran shared that even though viewers only see minutes of each pitch per episode, pitches can last up to two hours long, and on most filming days, the “Sharks” hear eight to nine pitches.
She then shared that she arrives on set around 5 a.m. so that she can get her hair and makeup done while her other cast mates usually arrive between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m..
“Kevin [O’Leary] or I are usually first to set, Mark [Cuban] shows up after his morning workout,” she said. “Never late! Just right on time.”
Corcoran also shared a fact that viewers might be surprised to hear: Entrepreneurs only have one shot at nailing their pitch (no do-overs!), especially since the “Sharks” are coming into each pitch blind.
“We know absolutely nothing about the product or the entrepreneurs before they enter the Tank,” Corcoran wrote. “That’s what keeps our reactions genuine.”
A new, farm-fresh frozen confection hits shelves in Kroger Co. locations across the country this month.
Press Release –
Mar 7, 2023 10:14 EST
CINCINNATI, March 7, 2023 (Newswire.com)
– The Frozen Farmer, a Shark Tank-backed business, announced a partnership with GRAMMY Award-nominated, Country Music Awards Association- and Academy of Country Music Award-winning, multi-platinum country music star Jimmie Allen today.
The Kroger-exclusive collaboration—Miss Angie’s Peach Cobbler Frobert™—is inspired by a special family recipe from Allen’s mom, Miss Angie. Frobert™, The Frozen Farmer’s signature blend of ice cream and sorbet, is farm-crafted using misfit fruit and delivers on the brand’s mission to reduce food waste through this value-added product line.
While in town as a special guest on Carrie Underwood’s Denim & Rhinestones Tour, Allen visited the Cincinnati Kroger headquarters on March 2 to support the launch of Miss Angie’s Peach Cobbler Frobert™. Inspired by Allen’s favorite childhood treat and packed with fresh-from-the-farm peaches, The Frozen Farmer carefully crafted this flavor with help from Allen’s mom so that Kroger customers can enjoy a slice of her famous peach cobbler, too.
“Every kid has a story about when their mom or dad made that one thing that brought them comfort,” said Allen. “My momma’s peach cobbler takes me back to a time when we shared memories around the dinner table. It takes me home to Delaware.”
Allen burst onto the music scene with his 2018 debut album, Mercury Lane, which featured two chart-topping singles – “Best Shot” and “Make Me Want To.” He has collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Brad Paisley, Nelly, Pitbull, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Monica and Little Big Town. Allen has appeared on “American Idol” as a mentor, “The Voice” as a battle advisor, and “Dancing With The Stars” as a contestant. His first children’s book, “My Voice Is a Trumpet,” was published in July 2021. Allen’s most recent album, “Tulip Drive,” was released in June 2022— its lead single, “down home,” hit the top of the charts in January, marking his fourth career #1 single. Now, he’s on The Frozen Farmer’s ice cream carton with his very own signature flavor.
The pint, which showcases a photo of Allen and Miss Angie in a Delaware peach orchard, also features the number 15 on the lid rim, the number his late father wore when he played baseball. “My father was a big advocate for finding everything you love and doing all of it,” said Allen. “And really, who doesn’t love ice cream, after all?”
“Jimmie is so successful because he adds this personal touch to everything he does,” Founder and CEO of The Frozen Farmer Katey Evans said. “For me, growing The Frozen Farmer from my Sunday supper table to a national brand has also been a very personal labor of love, because it’s more than a business. It’s our family farm’s legacy, and that makes our mission so much sweeter.”
Proudly based on their third-generation family farm, located in Allen’s home state of Delaware, The Frozen Farmer took to national retail after landing a partnership on ABC’s “Shark Tank” with investor Lori Greiner. The Frozen Farmer’s mission to use misfit fruit in every pint allows the brand to grow, harvest and deliver a full line of sustainable, farm-to-table frozen desserts to Kroger customers.
Kroger is focused on reducing climate impact by reducing food waste, and the nationwide grocer is committed to achieving zero food waste company-wide by 2025. The company has embedded retail best practices to extend freshness and reduce waste in its operations since 2017, and The Frozen Farmer’s sustainability mission supports the grocer’s corporate initiatives.
“We are proud to collaborate with The Frozen Farmer as we work together to bring fresh, local, high-quality and inspiring flavors to our customers in a sustainable way,” said Barry Craft, Kroger’s Group Vice President of Fresh Merchandising.
Kroger and The Frozen Farmer share a commitment to building a sustainable food system and making memories around the dinner table. Miss Angie’s Peach Cobbler Frobert™ will be available in over 2,100 Kroger stores beginning this month.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Watching Matt Higgins as a guest Shark on the set of Shark Tank, it’s tough to imagine that he was ever poor or uneducated. I was astonished to learn about his experience as a teen scraping gum off the bottoms of tables at his local McDonald’s. During our Mystical Mavericks interview, Higgins was surprisingly transparent and vulnerable. During our conversation, it was an emotional moment when he revealed what inspired him to do the work that most would avoid.
Today, Higgins is co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, author of Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential, an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, and will soon star in a new unscripted business series produced by Mark Burnett – in addition to a career full of achievements and accolades, ranging from Shark Tank to executive leadership roles with two different NFL teams. Higgins shared it was the challenges of childhood that motivated him to transcend poverty and suffering.
“I want to rewind from Shark Tank for those who don’t know me or my story,” Matt began, speaking about the challenges his childhood presented. “It’s not so different than many others who suffered quietly or secretly as a kid.”
Higgins helped his single, home-bound mother care for four boys by selling flowers on street corners and handbags at flea markets. It was the painful experiences that his mother endured that honed Higgins’ resolve to help her escape from a life of struggle and sacrifice. At the young age of sixteen, Higgins made the radical decision to drop out of high school to get his GED and enroll in college early, eventually earning his Juris Doctorate from Fordham Law at night while working full-time.
My point in sharing Higgins’ struggle is not to make it sound glorious, but instead to remind each of you that the cavalry is not coming. We need to take action, even if that means you have to make radical decisions and “burn the boats” of your past.
Radical decisions are often required for entrepreneurship and I believe exposure to resilience breeds the determination and guts to make them. Rock bottom often becomes the foundation on which we build our biggest dreams.
As a result of his childhood challenges, Higgins discovered the secret to making the right radical decisions at an early age by listening to his intuition. “We’re directed to seek wisdom on the shelves of bookstores or on the internet,” recalls Higgins of harnessing his potential. “We’re not given the tools to cultivate our own self-awareness. I would attribute the genesis of all success to ‘pattern recognition’ or intuition — a combination of what’s in your soul and what you experience.”
As we discussed self-awareness and intuition, I asked Matt if he mediates.
He smiled. “I think meditation is the single greatest gift you could give yourself.”
The ability to tap into something deeper is what the Oprahs and Tony Robbins of the world often push. Others call it luck, which Mark Cuban expanded upon during a past interview. The luck we get along the way is the universe conspiring with our dreams, using our awareness to make big things happen. As I like to call it, “Go Within to Win!”
When I asked Higgins about what he’s currently excited about in his ecosystem of entrepreneurship, he shared his enthusiasm for his first book,Burn the Boats, which is now available for purchase on Amazon and other bookstores. Higgins said the book offers a blueprint for a life where ‘Plan B’ is never an option – instead, advocating to always move forward with visionary defiance, bold self-confidence, unwavering commitment, and rigorous honesty.
To enjoy the full interview with Matt Higgins, please visit Mystical Mavericks.
Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary has found himself swimming in shark-infested hot water after making a controversial statement on Twitter over the weekend.
But Mr. Wonderful refuses to back down. On the contrary, he’s appeared on various news shows in the past few days, defending his statement and snapping back at his critics.
The brouhaha started on Saturday morning when O’Leary tweeted: “You may lose your wife, you may lose your dog, your mother may hate you. None of those things matter. What matters is that you achieve success and become free. Then you can do whatever you like.”
You may lose your wife, you may lose your dog, your mother may hate you. None of those things matter. What matters is that you achieve success and become free. Then you can do whatever you like.
— Kevin O’Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) February 11, 2023
The tweet did not go over well with Twitter users, who found O’Leary’s no-holds-barred position lacking compassion and humanity.
A Twitter user named @MasonVersluis tweeted: “Kevin, this is a soulless tweet! Being soulless has brought you massive success, however, you now need to tap into your inner higher self and stop focusing on the money! Hopefully, you know self and have not gotten your brand mixed up with the human!”
Kevin, this is a soulless tweet!
Being soulless has brought you massive success, however, you now need to tap into your inner higher self and stop focusing on the money!
Hopefully, you know self and have not gotten your brand mixed up with the human!
@AlexKerner tweeted that O’Leary was too materialistic.
I used to appreciate your message, now it just sounds like a miserable life. Who cares about money when you have no one or nothing to enjoy but material items? If this is what’s defined as a success i can see why there’s backlash these days.
O’Leary, who never met a controversy he couldn’t publicize, took to the airwaves this week to defend his position.
He told CNN that he stands by his tweet “100 percent,” arguing that being an entrepreneur takes tremendous sacrifice.
“If you’re an entrepreneur, you know exactly what I’m talking about because you need to sacrifice. You have to work 25 hours a day, eight days a week, because your competitors in Mumbai or Shanghai — they want to kick your butt. You have to win when you’re young and sacrifice everything so that you achieve freedom for your whole family later in life,” he said.
O’Leary blasted his critics as not understanding the nature of entrepreneurship. “If you don’t get it, don’t worry about it cause you don’t fit the entrepreneurial mold,” he said. “If you’re not ready to work your ass off, you’re not an entrepreneur, get over it if that makes you uncomfortable. I couldn’t care less.”
On Fox News, O’Leary doubled down, saying, “If that statement makes you uncomfortable, you are not an entrepreneur. Don’t even try.”
Kevin O’Leary remembers what a disruptive force Amazon was in the early 2000s. Lucky for him, he was an early investor in the company. Now, he sees similar disruption occurring in the search business courtesy artificial intelligence and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
“ChatGPT certainly is a threat to Google, and Google must know that,” the Shark Tank star told Insider in an interview published this week. About half of his own search queries, he added, are now done via ChatGPT. The “loser is Google,” he said, adding, “the A.I. search wars on are.”
O’Leary indicated he’s now mulling an opportunity to be an early investor in OpenAI, adding he’s “fortunate to be offered a piece of it.” He considers the loss-making venture’s valuation “very, very extreme”—it’s reportedly near the $30 billion mark—given how new the technology is, but he said a deal would likely close in the near future.
If he does invest, he told Insider, it’ll be a modest bet: “Either it’ll have a good outcome or it won’t, but I won’t take down the ship or sell the farm for it. I know there’s going to be a lot of competition and a lot of disruption, but I certainly like always to have a piece of the first mover.”
He favors first movers, he added, because they have a marketing advantage.
OpenAI itself has been stunned by the amount of attention ChatGPT has generated.
“We weren’t anticipating this level of excitement from putting our child in the world,” OpenAI CTO Mira Murati said this month in a Timeinterview. “We, in fact, even had some trepidation about putting it out there.”
But as angel investor Elad Gil noted last month, the rapid uptake of ChatGPT despite it being down much of the time is a good sign of product-market fit. The Google alum added that when an idea works, it tends to work very quickly, something that he’s seen repeatedly with companies he’s worked at and invested in over the years. (Gil was an early investor in Airbnb, Instacart, and Square.)
Of course, OpenAI currently faces heavy losses, not to mention enormous computing costs from all the ChatGPT users it didn’t expect. Microsoft’s large investments should help with that. And this week, the tech giant unveiled an update to its Bing search engine that incorporates ChatGPT technology.
Earlier this month, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Plus, a $20 monthly subscription that provides faster response times and better access to the chatbot when it’s otherwise down due to traffic.
After noting the ChatGPT threat to Google, O’Leary told Insider, “The market hasn’t really punished Google stock for this. But a few quarters from now, if ChatGPT really starts to bring in significant subscriber fees, then we’ll see what happens.”
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Billionaire Mark Cuban was only 12 years old when he launched his first side hustle, so he knows what it takes to start a business at a young age.
And, he says there’s one simple thing you need to consider if you want to do it, too.
“The key to starting a business when you’re young is doing things that you can do yourself — things you can do with your own time,” Cuban recently told a group of high school students at Lewisville High School in Texas.
That means starting with what you know, he noted.
“If it’s a product, do something that’s easy for you to get and easy for you to sell,” Cuban said, adding: “It really comes down to one simple thing. The best businesses are things you can control and do yourself. That’s what being an entrepreneur is all about.”
Cuban famously got an early start learning to run his own business as a pre-teen selling garbage bags door-to-door in a Pittsburgh suburb. Later, he sold a variety of collectibles, from baseball cards to coins and stamps, saying the proceeds helped pay for his college tuition.
In each of those cases, Cuban used household items and collectibles that were accessible to a kid and sell them for a profit — following his own advice for teenagers today.
Similarly, as a college student, he worked as a bartender and taught dance lessons to make extra money. Cuban later showed off his dance skills publicly by appearing on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2007, finishing 8th in the competition.
“I was a hustler … I have always been selling. I always had something going on. That was just my nature,” Cuban said during a 2016 episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
Now, Cuban says he regularly tells kids and teenagers looking to start their own businesses to do what he did. Build around “something they can make or a service they can offer to friends, family and neighbors,” he told CNBC Make It in September.
That’s easier said than done, of course: Successfully launching and growing your own business is infamously challenging. Roughly 20% of new businesses fail within a year of launching, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“Being an entrepreneur and starting a business doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy and all of a sudden you make a lot of money,” Cuban told the students at Lewisville High School. “Being an entrepreneur is the harder way.”
If it was easy, he added, “you all would already be doing it and coming on ‘Shark Tank’ and taking my place.”
Finding something you can control and do yourself is hard enough. Becoming great at it — which, incidentally, is Cuban’s No. 1 rule for making money — is a lot harder.
It involves extensively researching your business plan and potential competition, seeking out funding, and creating backup plans to allow for flexibility if you need to adjust on the fly, the billionaire has previously said.
As long as you don’t mind putting in that work, especially after you choose your business opportunity, a world of opportunity can open up for you, Cuban told the high school students.
“If you’re willing to take the initiative and start a business, anything is possible,” he said.
Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to “Shark Tank.”
D2C entrepreneur and boAt Co-founder Aman Gupta, who gained huge popularity as a ‘shark’ in the Indian adaptation of start-up reality show ‘Shark Tank’ is a great believer in “hustle”. Even though the word is often interpreted negatively, Gupta says he can’t work with somebody who doesn’t “reciprocate” his level of energy and “drive”.
While talking about building a D2C juggernaut in boAt, one of India’s top consumer electronics brands, Gupta shared that he didn’t find too many backers early on in the journey.
“It was a tough category. When we started [in 2016], not many online brands were funded in this space. We went to 40 angel investors, and once they started asking questions, we came back and delivered on those points,” Gupta shared at the ASCENT Conclave 2022. “Today I look at those investors and tell them – you missed the ‘boAt’,” Gupta added.
boAt raised its first major round of funding in 2018, when D2C-focused early-stage investor Fireside Ventures pumped in Rs 6 crore ($900,000) into the start-up. “Kanwal [Kanwaljit Singh, Managing Partner at Fireside] bet on me and I gave him decent returns,” Gupta shared.
At the time of funding, Singh had said in a statement, “boAt has the makings of a truly iconic brand… We look for brands that have identified white spaces and come up with solutions and products that cater to these target audiences. boAt as a brand is doing exactly that.”
Today, boAt is backed by giant investors, including Warburg Pincus, Qualcomm Ventures, InnoVen Capital, among others. The company claims to have clocked revenues of Rs 3,000 crore at the end of FY22, growing at 100 per cent year-on-year. It also intended to go public, before pulling out of the IPO last month.
While stressing on the importance of “hungry” founders — a philosophy he follows when he chooses his investments on Shark Tank India — Gupta said, “Hustle is the first quality I look for in a founder, and it has worked for me.”
Shark Tank India judge and executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Namita Thapar hinted that popular judge Ashneer Grover’s absence from second season will not hamper the show’s TRPs.
Soon after sharing a promo of the upcoming second season, Thapar tweeted, “One person doesn’t make or break a show… not me, not anybody… this show is about celebrating our entrepreneurs, job creators… it’s about teaching masses business concepts through beautiful stories of these nation builders.. focus on that and the hard work put in by the team.”
Although she did not name the co-founder and former MD of the Indian fintech unicorn BharatPe, it was apparent Thapar was pointing at Ashneer Grover’s absence.
When a Twitter user responded that since Shark Tank India is about stories of talent and growth with or without Grover, Namita Thapar said, “So agree! Well said.”
She also hit out at a Twitter user who suggested that the show was not a real investors’ pitch but just a reality show to garner TRPs.
“Are you serious? Coz (because) it’s my ‘real’ money I’m putting in. What do you mean by it’s not a real pitch?! It’s easy to talk and whine and judge… tough to give time, energy, mentorship and money,” Thapar tweeted.
Meanwhile, Grover will come out with his autobiography this December which he says is “all about the hypocrisy of life – success in failure and failure in success”.
He will also offer an insider view into the mythical world of unicorns.
Titled “Doglapan: The Hard Truth about Life and Start-ups”, the book is being published by Penguin India.
The book is being billed as “raw, gut-wrenchingly honest and one of the finest storytelling from the Delhi boy renowned for his truth bombs”.
Ashneer Grover, former Managing Director and co-founder of Bharat Pe and Shark Tank season 1 judge, on Wednesday, slammed WhatsApp Pay as India’s biggest failure as a tech product.
WhatsApp is widely used as a messaging app in the country and offers convenience for users to send money on the platform by using UPI. Grover called the app’s payment as easy as sending images, however, failed to capture the mass users.
Grover, in a tweet, said, “WhatsApp Pay has to be the biggest failure in India as a tech product. Everyone has @WhatsApp on their phone – sending money on WA using UPI is as easy as sending pic.”
WhatsApp Pay has to be the biggest failure in India as a tech product. Everyone has @WhatsApp on their phone – sending money on WA using UPI is as easy as sending pic. It should have beaten @Paytm@PhonePe@GooglePay . Country managers can’t win you markets – good riddance now !
Grover further added that the Meta-owned platform should have beaten other UPI-enabled Payment apps like Paytm, PhonePe and GooglePay. He said, “It should have beaten @Paytm @PhonePe @GooglePay. Country managers can’t win you markets – good riddance now !”
Grover, in another tweet, shared a screenshot of WhatsApp’s advertisement in a thread of tweets and criticised the organisation’s managers for publishing useless ads. He said that the company should have invested in improving the payment services instead of posting the ad about its safety features.
His post reads, “Yeh ad hi dekh lo – iska kya acahar daalega koi customer – itni ad WhatsApp Pay ki kar lete instead. Public policy uncle aur vakil babu dhanda chalayenge to aisa hi hoga.” [If lawyers and public policy uncle run WhatsApp’s Business, this is unavoidable.]
Yeh ad hi dekh lo – iska kya acahar daalega koi customer – itni ad WhatsApp Pay ki kar lete instead. Public policy uncle aur vakil babu dhanda chalayenge to aisa hi hoga pic.twitter.com/CxSNv8LJmq
However, several Twitter users didn’t support Grover narrative and said that it’s not WhatsApp’s primary business model and hence, it didn’t focus primarily on the UPI payment business.
One Twitter user wrote, “They came late and haven’t done anything new. Not only WhatsApp Pay, even Amazon UPI Pay is also failure. The reason for this is that Payment & Finance is not their primary business.”
Another user replied, “Not their focus area for business model. Simple. They are already generating revenue from WhatsApp business.”
Many Twitter users also began questioning Grover’s own Bharat Pe app and asked why it has been beaten by WhatsApp Pay. Grover replied that Bharat Pe doesn’t do consumer payments – it’s a merchant service.
BharatPe does not do consumer payments – it’s a merchant service
Grover has previously been associated with unicorns such as Bharat Pe and Grofers in leadership roles. He was also among the popular sharks on Shark Tank India but is not featured in the next season. Amit Jain, CEO and co-founder of CarDekho, replaced him.
“I wanted to tell a story about African history before slavery,” Manuel Godoy, co-founder of Black Sands Entertainment with his wife Geiszel, says. “[So I wrote] a story about Ancient Egypt and the surrounding areas. And it was amazing — people gravitated toward it because they finally felt included in historical contexts.”
Courtesy of Black Sands Entertainment
The Godoys began Black Sands Entertainment in 2016to draw attention to the characters and stories that so often go unwritten in mainstream media. Now, the comic publisher and media venture boasts dozens of titles that represent the entire diaspora, and young adults are devouring them — just like the Godoys would have, if they’d had the opportunity at their age.
Black Sands stands apart for its dedication to Black history and its commitment to the Black community, but something else has also contributed to its striking success: The Godoys’ status as United States Army veterans.
Ahead of Veterans Day, Entrepreneur sat down with the Godoys to learn how they’ve grown Black Sands from crowdfunding to almost IPO with investments from Kevin Hart and Mark Cuban — and how their Army backgrounds have informed their entrepreneurial journey along the way.
“Momentum is the biggest factor when it comes to raising capital.”
From the start, the Godoys spread the word about their content on social media and set their sights on raising capital. Between 2017 and 2020, Black Sands ran four Kickstarter campaigns and raised $80,000 in total. Then, in 2020, they decided to launch another campaign on WeFunder.
“We basically judged the intent of our biggest followers,” Manuel says of their approach to the 2020 campaign. “We asked them, ‘How much were you planning on investing?’ [Then we said], ‘If you were to invest this much money, we would spend at least 15 minutes talking to you about any questions you have about our company, our financials, etc.’”
The Godoys asked, and their readers answered: They raised $40,000 in those first 24 hours. Ultimately, that campaign brought in $500,000.
“No one wants to be the first investor,” Manuel adds. “But if you already got 300, 400 investors in the first day, everybody’s like, ‘Hey, I’m joining too.’ Momentum is the biggest factor when it comes to raising capital if you’re going through customers.”
And the Godoys have kept up Black Sands’ momentum since those early days, climbing to the top 1% of the Patreon community, raising $2 million in capital and earning more than $2 million in revenue to date.
“We got on stage, pitched our information, and everybody fell in love.”
Earlier this year, the Godoys appeared on Shark Tank to pitch their company.
Shark Tank features Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary as permanent judges, with Kevin Hart, Emma Grede, Peter Jones, Daniel Lubetzky and Nirva Tolia as recurring guest judges.
The Godoys knew that Hart was going to be one of their judges ahead of time.
“We knew we had to make him fall in love with our content,” Geiszel says. “So we got on stage, pitched our information, and everybody fell in love.”
Initially, the Godoys offered the Sharks a 5% stake in Black Sands for $500,000, with the funds earmarked for animation development and additional titles. But Hart and Cuban countered with a 30% stake for the same investment, citing the media resources that Hart’s production company, HartBeat, could provide as Black Sands expands.
The fact that Black Sands’ Shark Tank deal went through is a testament to its strong business model and the Godoys’ entrepreneurial savvy. Forbesspoke to 74% of the people who were offered deals on the show in seasons one through seven and found that roughly 43% of those agreements didn’t go through — because the Sharks pulled out or changed the terms.
Not only are the Godoys dreaming of an eventual $1 billion IPO, but they’re also envisioning a future where Black Sands’ fans-turned-investors are at the forefront, continuing to hold stock as “their slice of the pie.”
Image credit: Courtesy of Black Sands Entertainment
“Being in the Army taught me how to be an entrepreneur.”
The Godoys’ experiences in the Army have helped lay the foundation for Black Sands’ success.
“Being in the Army taught me how to be an entrepreneur,” Geiszel explains. “In the Army, I was leading a group of 30 soldiers. So it taught me about how to manage a team and run a company, because [it gives] you that discipline and structure you need.”
Manuel agrees, noting that the Army imparts significant leadership experience, even for those lower on the chain of command — because you have to learn how to get things done on time.
Another skill the Army teaches that every founder should have on lock? Inventory.
“You have to know where everything is and how much you have,” Manuel says. “Otherwise, one day you run out, and it takes three months to get the next part. And you’re out of business for three months.”
The Army has given the Godoys essential skills for running a business — and it’s also inspired some of Black Sands’ narratives.
“I’m a war nut,” Manuel says. “I love war, so anything that has to do with strategy, military tactics, logistics, that’s stuff that I put into my writing. I make sure it logistically makes sense that [a particular] battle is happening, and that’s probably why people like the accuracy of the storylines.”
“Veterans always want to choose five different businesses at once. I’m like, ‘No, stick to your favorite.’”
There are many reasons why veterans make excellent entrepreneurs. Manuel notes the benefits they have at their disposal, which can help accelerate their business’s growth.
Still, the Godoys stress it’s important to keep several key things in mind.
First up? Stick to one business idea — and see it through.
“Veterans always want to choose like five different businesses at once,” Geiszel says. “Stick to your favorite, take those military skills, apply them to your everyday business life, and you will succeed. Don’t give up. If you fail, keep going.”
Additionally, you should know exactly who’s buying what you’re selling.
“Find out who your core customer is,” Manuel says. “Don’t worry about what you’re going to make and how you’re going to do all that stuff. Find out who you want to sell to — because once you figure that out, then you can make a product that’s tailored to them.”
Once you have your idea and customer in mind, you have to surround yourself with people who will help you level up.
“Hiring the right team is very important for a business to thrive,” Geiszel says. “And you want to make sure your team is going to be loyal to your company.”
One sure way to cultivate company loyalty? Pay people fairly, raising benefits as the company succeeds — it will make employees feel valued and willing to continue their contribution. Manuel says that Black Sands has people who have been on the team for five or six years.
“We have to champion things that the Black community wants us to champion.”
Above all else, Black Sands is a company that refuses to sacrifice its principles.
Originally, the co-founders wrote and designed all of Black Sands’ comic books by themselves, but they’ve begun allowing other Black creators to write for them as they build their own brands.
Black Sands has also harnessed the power of Kickstarter as part of its larger effort to lift up Black creators and their work. The Godoys recently launched a campaign for Everett Montgomery’s Flame comic series.
Image credit: Courtesy of Black Sands Entertainment
“We are a company that’s dedicated to Black history,” Manuel says. “And that means that we have to champion things that the Black community wants us to champion. We can’t just go out there and be like, ‘Oh, we make comic books, and that’s all we do.’ We have to be involved in social issues and other things that are related. We have to be able to say that we actually are doing something about it.”
Good American CEO Emma Grede launched the brand alongside business partner and pal, Khloe Kardashian in October 2016. What started as the largest denim launch in history (the brand famously sold $1 million worth of product in one day), has gone on to become a fully inclusive fashion line with hundreds of millions in sales.
ABC, Christopher Willard
Grede is also involved in several other brands including being a founding partner of Skims, alongside Kim Kardashian, which just doubled its valuation to $3.2 billion, and Safely, a green cleaning brand.
But when she isn’t launching and running companies, she’s investing in entrepreneurs on ABC’s Shark Tank, now in its 14th season, and enjoying life at home in Los Angeles with her husband, Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede, and their four children.
“Being on Shark Tank has made me one of the favorite moms at school!” Grede tells Entrepreneur. “I had no idea how many kids watch Shark Tank. My child said his friends think he’s lying that I’m on the show.”
Here, Grede talks to Entrepreneur about her life as a CEO and what we can expect on Shark Tank this season.
What made you want to bring your money to a public forum like Shark Tank?
When they first approached me, I was a little unsure about it. But it is important to me to support female founders and founders of color, so it made sense to use the platform to shine a light on these entrepreneurs. We are seeing more Black women entrepreneurs on the show than ever before, and it’s been all-around super positive. The power of TV, right? We, as a brand, are so invested in digital and DTC [direct to consumer] that is it nice to see entrepreneurs shine on this medium. I’ve really enjoyed my interactions with the entrepreneurs and investing in women in the early stages of their ideas.
What is your favorite part of being on the show?
Working with the entrepreneurs! It is so crazy, how you forget how hard it was in the beginning.
What can we expect from you this season?
Another fantastic look! No, seriously though, I went into Shark Tank with a clear mission. I was looking to invest in women and female-centric ideas that perhaps other investors don’t see as a [winner]. It is so hard to raise money, walk into a room with a female-centric idea, pitching a plus-sized customer to a bunch of dudes in suits in New York. How am I going to convince these people that have no idea of what the problem is to invest? I looked at my own journey and wondered how I can help these entrepreneurs.
What are you looking for when investing in entrepreneurs?
I’m very founder focused. There are a lot of people who have great ideas. There are only a few who can take an idea and turn it into a $100 million business.
As CEO of Good American, how many people do you manage?
I’ve just come out of my management meeting! I directly manage 12 people — and some need more management than others. Kidding aside, I have an incredible management team. I’m not a micromanager. I think it’s important to hire the best people and then get out of their way.
What are you focused on in the day-to-day?
When I think about my role, I’m focused on strategy and focused on product. And, of course, hiring. Hiring. Strategy. Product. Hire the right people and then don’t meddle. I am not skilled in negotiating film contracts, but I hire the right people who can.
Although the Kardashians have hundreds of millions of followers and basically invented “influencing” as a modern-day profession, they’re also tabloid fodder. How have you managed to navigate the outside noise and keep the focus on the brand?
Distractions will be inevitable in any business, but I’m not easily distracted. I focus on making our mission and purpose a reality every day. Making sure that stores take that full-size range. Making sure that everything we do is about reinforcing inclusivity and diversity. There will always be moments that are rattling to every founder, but you need to stay focused on your mission. Khloe can drive a customer to purchase something once. But people don’t come back to buy $150 jeans unless the product works. We don’t waver from our mission. We offer a best-in-class product. Kris, Kim, Khloe…yes, they are enormously famous women, but they are also business people. And they are in their businesses. They don’t just put their names on these brands. We speak daily.
When you first launched and knew that it was going to be fully inclusive and you were going to demand that retailers take the complete size range, did you get any negative feedback from industry vets or people warning you not to go that route?
There were so many naysayers. I didn’t go back on the mission, but I also wanted to be profitable. I’m a girl from East London, I needed to make money. I think what was so disappointing in the beginning was the lack of people understanding the need. Women at a certain end of the size spectrum were just being ignored. 67% of women in the U.S. are considered a “plus-size” population. I never wavered once from thinking that this was a viable business idea. We could have focused on being DTC, but we knew that the mix of DTC, wholesale, and retail was going to be the best experience for the customer. We were lucky to find great partners.
What’s next for Good American’s growth?
We are about to open our first-ever store in Century City [California]. It’s currently under construction and should be opening next year. I’m so excited for everyone to see how we can bring true inclusivity to [the store].
Daymond John remembers hawking hats outside the historic Apollo Theater in the ’90s. After selling his wares, he’d return home, turn on the television and watch Showtime at the Apollo.
Black Entrepreneurs Day
Now, he takes the stage to packed crowds.
“It feels like a full circle moment,” the FUBU founder and Shark Tank star told Entrepreneur.
John is hosting the third annual Black Entrepreneurs Day Presented by Chase at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on October 27. The event will feature several iconic Black entrepreneurs, including Shaquille O’Neil (who has a franchise portfolio worth more than $100 million), tennis champion Venus Williams, Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee and many more.
This year, the event will be giving away $150,000 to Black entrepreneurs and business owners through the NAACP Powershift Grant. Applications for the grant and free tickets to the event are available on BlackEntrepreneursDay.com. The event will also be live-streamed.
Entrepreneur talked to John about Black Entrepreneurs Day and what it takes to get a shark to invest in your company.
What can viewers and attendees expect this year at Black Entrepreneurs Day? This year, we added a pitch competition, a Shark Tank-style event where people can pitch their businesses. Unlike Shark Tank, though, it is free money. You can make mistakes with this money. We aren’t taking any percentage of your company, no equity, it’s just a grant saying we believe in you and your business. We also have conversations with entrepreneurs who have [won] Oscars and [championships] like Spike Lee and Venus Williams.
What are you looking for in an entrepreneur? I’m looking for people I can relate to. People I want to be in business with. I don’t care if you are applying at my office to be an assistant or asking me to invest $1,000,000 in your company. I treat everyone the same if I believe you have an opportunity to grow.
What are some of the most common mistakes you see first-time entrepreneurs make? They spend too much money too early. It’s important to educate yourself and learn how to avoid landmines ahead of time. In the Black community, many people don’t have financial literacy. Our families didn’t come from legacy wealth, and when we make money, we might spend it on the wrong things.
Spending on business or spending in general? Both. Another mistake I often see is over-funding. Entrepreneurs will take a $100,000 loan to open a big store when really what they needed was $1,000 to open a Shopify page. They make money, but then don’t know what to do with it.
Have you had any money failures that you’ve learned from? Yes, not being financially literate made me almost lose my mother’s house. I closed down FUBU three times from 1989-1992. I blew my first $20 million, not on buying lavish things, but because I was not financially literate. I didn’t know how these things operate. I didn’t talk to anyone at Chase. I didn’t go into a bank. I didn’t know what I was doing.
Are there any deals you regret not making? No, we get so many offers, I don’t have any regrets. But I do have buyer’s remorse sometimes.
Care to elaborate? No, I wouldn’t do that to any entrepreneurs. But I’ve invested in several companies where I have regrets. If I made an investment in your restaurant, but I’m in the back in the kitchen washing dishes and cleaning, I’ve made a mistake.
Is there anything outside of work that helps you as an entrepreneur? You’ve said on Shark Tank that you enjoy fishing as a hobby. I don’t have a fishing hobby…fishing is life. All of this, everything I do, Shark Tank, the investments, pays for fishing. I fish every morning. It brings me joy. Entrepreneurs definitely need an escape, whether you’re running the Chicago Marathon or practicing yoga, [it] will help you [be a better] entrepreneur. For me, it’s also family. I’ll be in the air for 12 hours just to see my little girl for eight hours. Being with her helps me stay grounded.
Would you ever consider investing in a fishing company? No, I wouldn’t want it ruined by having to deal with Kevin[O’Leary] and Barbara [Corcoran].
*This interview has been lightly edited and cut for clarity.
Robbie Cabral, creador de BenjiLock continúa cosechando éxitos e impresionando a más mercados de los Estados Unidos, su nuevo modelo de candado para bicicletas obtuvo el premio Twice Picks 2021 a la innovación.
Press Release –
updated: Aug 6, 2021
LOS ANGELES, August 6, 2021 (Newswire.com)
– Robbie Cabral ha sido el primer creador del mundo de candados con huellas dactilares, su creación BenjiLock ha conquistado el nicho de hardware a nivel mundial y hoy en día se ha expandido no solo en el mercado residencial y comercial, sino que está marcando la pauta de innovación y seguridad, también en el segmento de los ciclistas.
Desde que Robbie Cabral tuvo la oportunidad de presentarse en el programa “Shark Tank” de la cadena ABC, su vida dio un giro de 360° grados. En dicho plató tuvo la oportunidad de presentar su innovadora idea de seguridad tecnológica a través de huellas dactilares para cerraduras de seguridad personal.
Este gran proyecto cautivó de forma inmediata al presentador e inversionista Kevin O’Leary, mejor conocido como “Mr. Wonderful” quien quedó impresionado de las ideas de Cabral. La oportunidad que tuvo Robbie al asociarse con un inversor experimentado como lo es Kevin ha permitido que sus ideas puedan hacerse realidad y lograr grandes reconocimientos.
Hasta la fecha, BenjiLock no solo se caracteriza por su calidad y versatilidad, sino también por los premios que ha cosechado desde su creación en el mercado de la seguridad personal y la innovación. Entre ellos destaca el premio a la innovación del Consumer Electronics Show 2020. Además, continúa cosechando éxitos e impresionando a más mercados de los Estados Unidos, su nuevo modelo de candado para bicicletas obtuvo el premio TWICE PICKS 2021 a la innovación.
Estos logros permitieron que Robbie Cabral y Kevin O’Leary fueran invitados a una entrevista conjunta con Smartbrief y la corresponsal de TWICE, Jaimie Sorcher, para conversar sobre este nuevo producto de seguridad que beneficia a todos los ciclistas de los Estados Unidos. En la entrevista O´Leary describe la idea de la creación del candado para bicicletas como “La esencia del sueño americano”. Además elogió la calidad de BenjiLock, ya que considera que sus productos representan una nueva ola de innovación para la generación actual. Vea la entrevista aquí.
El candado de bicicleta con huella dactilar BenjiLock es el primer dispositivo de este tipo que personaliza la seguridad de la bicicleta con tecnología híbrida mediante una simple huella dactilar. Se caracteriza por ser elegante, fácil de usar y puede llegar a personalizarse hasta 10 huellas dactilares. El candado de bicicleta BenjiLock es el dispositivo de seguridad personal que está arrasando en el país.
Es importante destacar que en los Estados Unidos, más de dos millones de bicicletas son robadas cada año debido a la falta de candados o mala calidad de los mismos. Además, durante el 2020, Estados Unidos comenzó a enfrentar una escasez de bicicletas debido al repentino aumento de la actividad al aire libre en medio de la pandemia del COVID-19, y fue durante este período que surgió la idea de este innovador candado que llegó para eliminar el estrés y el dolor de cabeza que supone la pérdida de los bienes materiales.
Definitivamente BenjiLock llegó para innovar y regalar tranquilidad. Robbie Cabral destacó que próximamente sus productos empezarán a comercializarse a nivel internacional, iniciando por Canadá y México, y seguir expandiéndose a Asia, Europa y Latinoamérica.
