Rob Merlino: Blogger, Writer, Entrepreneur & Foodie

Steve Sashen and his wife, Lena Phoenix, were “happily retired” prior to starting XeroShoes (formerly Invisible Shoes) in December of 2009. Lena initially shot the idea down, but Steve stayed up all night making a website to sell XeroShoes and, like it or not, the Colorado couple was in the shoe-biz! I caught up with […]

Liquid nitrogen ice cream is a new, scientific spin on the ancient art of ice cream making. I remember a chemistry class in college where the professor froze stuff with liquid nitrogen and shattered it; the lecture had something to do with chemistry, but all I remember is the liquid nitrogen! Chemist and ice cream […]

Urbio was created as a solution for an urban vertical garden in small living spaces. Designers and entrepreneurs Beau Oyler and Jared Aller envisioned utilizing wall space for plants and herbs in smaller apartments, so they created Urbio as a stylish solution to the space issue and invented an easy way to start a vertical garden. […]

I never heard of thermal energy coffee beans until Coffee Joulies (pronounced Coffee Jewelies) was announced as a business set to pitch to the Sharks in episode 414. Thermal energy coffee beans are stainless steel, coffee bean-shaped pellet. Encased inside the coffee beans are a “phase change material” (PCM) that is solid until it melts at […]

As a father of five, I have certainly had to clean stuffed toys over the years. I like to joke that we have enough stuffed toys in our house to insulate the attic! We have Pokemon, Care Bears, Beanie Babies – you name the stuffed toy craze in the past 15-20 years and you can […]

A million dollar offer has a nice ring to it, especially if you are the recipient of such an offer in the Shark Tank! According to ABC’s PR machine, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner team up to make a million dollar offer in episode 412 on Friday, January 4, 2013. After nearly a month without […]

DURA Tent bills itself as “THE Table Top Food Screen.” It’s a novel idea that has been done before, but it hasn’t been done quite like this! I own a food screen designed to fit over a plate of fruit; it has a funny little hula girl for a handle and a fine mesh to keep […]

Kids hair care products entrepreneur Megan Gage got concerned about nasty chemicals and over powering scents she found in her kids’ shampoo bottles. She wanted kids hair care products that were safe, natural, and chemical free, while still making her kids’ hair look “fabulous.” That’s how Hot Tot kids hair products was born. Megan, a […]

ArKeg is the business that invites you to Drink n Game. This ultimate party accessory is an old school, arcade style video game cabinet with a secret: a fully functioning keg fridge with tap system included! Entrepreneurs Brant Myers and Dan Grimm are old friends who decided they wanted to combine their two favorite activities, […]

Peel off face tattoos are entrepreneur Doug Marshall’s answer to the rather messy practice of face painting and they are the basis of The Game Face Company. Marshall will pitch the Sharks on the merits of face tattoos versus face painting in episode 412. Just about everyone has seen fans at sporting events with their […]