Sara Margulis of Honeyfund spoke at Affiliate Summit West 2019 on January 7, 2019. The title of her talk was “Keep Calm and Crush Your Goals.” In her talk, she discussed her personal experiences as an entrepreneur dealing with stress. After she and her husband, Josh, launched Honeyfund in 2006 and went full-time in 2008, […]

I talked to Mark Melni not too long ago to get a Melni Connectors update. Since making a deal with Mark Cuban in season 6, there hasn’t been a lot of news in Shark Tank circles about this deal. It wasn’t a typical Shark Tank deal, in fact, Mark knew nothing about the business of […]

I spoke with Jeff and Jack Danos, inventors of The Fish Call, about their upcoming appearance in Shark Tank episode 802 on Friday, September 30. Jeff and Jack are a father/son team who likes to fish; now they are full-fledged entrepreneurs. As an avid fisherman myself, I was a bit excited for them and for […]

I recently spoke with Alanna York to get a Controlled Chaos update. I first spoke with Alanna back in January, 2016 – ten days before her episode aired. She was NOT controlling the chaos then: her website wasn’t done and she was completely re-branding her product from the Use Me product line to Controlled Chaos. […]

I spoke with Matthew Harris, co-owner of EVP (Extreme Vehicle Protection) prior to his appearance on Shark Tank in episode 722 on May 13, 2016. He had a lot to say about the Sharks, building his business and the Genesis of the idea for his product. Of course he couldn’t talk about the outcome – […]

I recently spoke with  Jason Neubauer, one of the inventors of The CoolBox, which airs in Shark Tank episode 728. It’s a hectic time for Jason, who’s expecting his first child any day now! Add that life-changing event to the whirlwind of activity that surrounds a Shark Tank appearance, and you can imagine Jason is […]

Luminoodle Basecamp is the latest innovation from the folks at Power Practical. Back in season 5, Mark Cuban invested in the business when they presented the Power Pot – their thermo-electric generator that charges electronic devices with heat. Since then, they’ve continued to innovate with new products and new ways of bringing them to market. Last year, […]

I had the opportunity to speak with Dee and Angie Cowger, owners of The Custard Stand and makers of Custard Stand Hot Dog Chili. The couple opened The Custard Stand in their small town of Webster Springs, West Virginia in 1991. I immediately became clear that the “hot” item in their shop was their home-made chili, […]

If you want to rent like a champ, you have to think like a champ and it’s that kind of thinking that ultimately led to the formation of Rent Like a Champion, a company presenting to the Sharks in episode 704. It was thinking of championships that started Drew Mitchell down the path to forming […]

There is a Swag Essentials Update segment in Shark Tank episode 704. If you recall, entrepreneur Lydia Evans’ memorable line in her initial appearance was quite humorous. Lydia, a happily single woman, told Daymond she likes “long, romantic walks to the bank!” Despite her cheery nature and quality product (glycerin-based soaps embedded with loofah particles), […]

I recently spoke with Jonathan Boos to get a Wurkin Stiffs update. Jonathan is an “old school” Shark Tank entrepreneur – Wurkin Stiffs was the first pitch of season two’s first broadcast episode, which also happened to be Mark Cuban’s first appearance as a “guest Shark” (Cuban went full-time in season three). While the episode […]

I spoke with Bryan DeLuca and Matt McClard the day before they were scheduled to appear on Shark Tank episode 703. They’re two of the four guys behind the brilliantly zany Foot Cardigan subscription sock service; they’re also the two guys who pitch the Sharks in what promises to be an entertaining segment: they actually […]

While talking to David Patrick before he aired on Shark Tank in the season six finale, I was surprised to learn that Shark Wheels were invented by accident. He wasn’t seeking to “re-invent the wheel,” he was in the process of re-inventing the turbine. David founded a company called 4Sphere, which makes “alternating wake turbine […]

Julie Thompson is excited about pitching Pully Palz, her solution for lost pacifiers, in Shark Tank episode 629. I caught up with Julie before the show aired to find out a bit more about her background and her product. She started the conversation by saying “I didn’t know  what I wanted to be until my […]

I recently spoke with Rick Hinnant to get a Grace and Lace Update. Rick is one half of the Grace and Lace brain trust; his wife, Melissa, was busy doing a photo shoot the day we spoke. The Hinnants struck a tender chord with Shark Tank Nation back in episode 511 in season five when […]

Sticky Ties wasn’t the first business partnership Ellie Brown and Becca Nelson cooked up. The sisters’ first business was a bit simpler, but just as serious. I caught up with Ellie and Becca prior to their appearance on a special Tuesday night Shark Tank on January 13. They were frantic – it seems ABC told […]

I spoke with Neal Hoffman prior to his appearance in the Shark Tank Holiday special. He was just headed home to his family in Cincinnati after a promotional road trip. Hoffman is the guy behind the Jewish answer to Elf on a Shelf: the Mensch on a Bench. Last holiday season, Mensch on a Bench […]

I spoke with Stephen Hersh, who pitches his foldable luggage line called Biaggi in episode 613, prior to his air date. He said he was very excited after months of having his life consumed by appearing on Shark Tank. Like every other entrepreneur who appears, he’s been keeping a big secret for months. Now, he […]

The first thing Storm Stoppers creator John Smith wants the world to know before he goes on Shark Tank is he’s NOT in the witness protection program! “John Smith is my real name,” he said emphatically when I spoke with him recently. Mr. Smith pitches Storm Stoppers, a system of corrugated plastic panels that replaces […]

When I first heard from Ashley Drake, founder of The Natural Grip, she reached out to correct a minor trademark issue with my post about her business. We got to chatting, and she gave me some background information about herself and her business. Ashley Drake, along with Crossfit athlete Danielle Sidell, appears in the Shark […]

I was lucky to get a Barbara Corcoran interview when I met her at the GBREB Roadshow at the Four Points Sheraton in Norwood, MA recently and she was gracious enough to sit down with me for a little more than twenty minutes. In anticipation of this Barbara Corcoran interview, I polled my readers and […]

I spoke with FunCakes owner Kimberly Aya prior to her appearance on Shark Tank episode 606 to get some background on her appearance. Kimberly is the world’s only cake maker that doesn’t have an oven – all her cakes are faux creations, made out of Styrofoam and fondant. They’re decorative cakes people get for the […]

I spoke with Eric Kusin before episode 606 aired to get a Reviver preview. Eric appears with his brother, Ben -who invented Reviver – to pitch the business in the Shark Tank. Ben originally got the idea for Reviver about 6 years ago. Ben was a smoker who wanted to mask the smell of smoke. […]

T.J. Hale is the producer of the Shark Tank Podcast. He and I share a lot in common: we both watch Shark Tank and we both talk to the Sharks and entrepreneurs who appear on the show. He might be the only person in the world who’s spoken with as many Shark Tank entrepreneurs as […]

Jason Hanson, who scored a deal with Daymond to grow his Spy Escape and Evasion course in episode 520, lived out his childhood fantasies while working for the CIA. Now, as an entrepreneur and Shark Tank success story, he’s living a different fantasy. When he was in the Tank, Jason asked the Sharks for $100,000 […]