Rob Merlino: Blogger, Writer, Entrepreneur & Foodie

Show No Towels made Shark Tank history when Lori Greiner wrote entrepreneur Shelly Ehler a check on the spot when the show originally aired. Friday night, May 4, “Show No Shelly” returns to the Shark Tank as a featured entrepreneur in a follow up segment. Shelly was the first Shark Tank entrepreneur I interviewed for […]

Villy Customs allows consumers to custom design a bicycle online. Biking enthusiast and serial entrepreneur Fleetwood Hicks brings his custom bike business into the Shark Tank Friday, May 4. Villy Customs morphed out of Fleetwood Hicks’ brick and mortar bike shop in Dallas. He originally sold stock bikes, but over the years, he began adding […]

Boot Illusions is the brainchild of Queenie Davis and Andrew Goodrum. The pair brings their innovative shoe accessories that can turn any shoe into a boot into the Shark Tank this Friday night, May 4.  Will the Sharks bite on the Rochester, NY based business and their interchangeable footwear? As with any apparel related business, the obvious […]

SkyRide may be the single coolest business to enter the Shark Tank this season, or any season for that matter. Inventor Scott Olsen is no stranger to entrepreneurship, he invented Rollerblades! In fact, Roller Blade wheels are integrated into the SkyRide’s design. Olsen claims SkyRide is “developing the next breakthrough for the future of sustainable […]

Nardo’s Natural is a line of organic skin care products funded on the Shark Tank by Barbara Corcoran in season three. The four Mastronardo brothers started making their all natural products in their kitchen and have turned it into a booming business. I visited their offices to speak with Kyle (he’s the one on the right), […]

Nardo’s Natural, the organic skin care line produced by the four Mastronardo brothers in Clearwater, Florida was funded by Barbara Corcoran on the Shark Tank earlier this season. I spent half a day with Kyle, Danny and KJ Mastronardo. We went for hot dogs and I talked at length with Kyle on a variety of subjects. In […]

Mark Sullivan Generator. In the weeks before his segment aired on Shark Tank, I couldn’t find out a darn thing about him or his invention. He was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Once Mark Sullivan appeared on Shark Tank, he became easier to find. In what had to be one of the oddest segments […]

Debbie Brooks Handbags are yet another fashion related business entering the Shark Tank on Friday night. The eponymously named business has been selling custom made handbags for ten years. Debbie Brooks was schooled in art at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York and worked as a designer for Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, Universal Studios […]

Nailpak nail polish is a product sold by Duality Cosmetics. Entrepreneur and mother of six girls, Barbara Lampugnale brings her patented NailPak nail polish , an all-in-one manicure system, complete with polish, pads, remover and file to the Shark Tank in hopes of expanding what appears to be a vibrant online business. My girls love this […]

Lollacup enters the Shark Tank this Friday. It is a spill proof, BPA free, toddler’s sippy cup, proudly made in the USA by entrepreneur Hanna Lim. Lim invented Lollacup to allow toddlers to transition from bottles to cups; she didn’t like the alternatives on the market, so she invented her own. Lollacup is for “the discerning […]

Trimi Tank is another clothing/accessories product to enter the Shark Tank seeking funding. The sharks may be in for a real fight: Trimi Tank is run by 2 Pittsburg hockey moms, Nikki Bilski and Lindsay Johnson. If these two gals are like the hockey moms I know, the sharks don’t stand a chance! Both mothers of […]

Jared Joyce was the first entrepreneur in season three to exploit his exposure on Shark Tank to its fullest potential. He walked away from a deal where Lori Greiner offered him $250,000 for %100 of his Five Minute Furniture. Many people thought he should have taken the money. Jared, however, sees the big picture. He […]

Nardo’s Natural, funded by Barbara Corcoran on The Shark Tank earlier this season, is located in Clearwater, Florida. It just so happens I am vacationing in Florida with my family this week. On Monday, the wife and kids went to Adventure Island. I opted to tour a hot dog cart factory and go meet up […]

The Smart Baker cut a deal with Barbara Corcoran earlier this season on The Shark Tank. Even though the deal never went through, the husband and wife team of Daniel and Stephanie Rensing have enjoyed lots of success after they appeared on the show. Their re-usable cupcake towers have been a big hit with specialty […]

Sullivan Generators has fascinated and confounded me for the past week and a half. Ever since the press release for this week’s Shark Tank was released, I have been trying to find something about this company/inventor/product online. I am not having any luck. The press release for this entrepreneur states: “a versatile inventor from San […]

Shark Tank fan or not, when most people hear or read the term “make money online,” they get visions of some quick buck artist selling some hinky “system” designed to guarantee riches beyond your wildest dreams for just two or three hours of work per day. You’ve seen the long sales letters online, or perhaps […]

Blondie’s Cookies is an entrant into the Shark Tank on April 13, the next time a new show airs. Entrepreneur Brenda Coffman will be seeking an investment from the Sharks to fund expansion of her growing cookie empire. Coffman started Blondie’s Cookies while attending Indiana State University as a business student back in 1984. She […]