Lessons From The Tank

Maxwell Cohen, Inventor of Peelaways disposable bed sheets, was fresh out of college and had no idea what he was in for when he took his brand new product on a "millennial start-up focused" episode of Shark Tank. But the experience, even though it was pretty brutal and didn't end with a deal, put him on a new path and strengthened his determination to make his product a success.

Becca Brown is a Harvard graduate who worked her way up the ladder at Goldman Sachs, eventually landing a Chief of Staff position in London. Then she left it all behind.

If you need a dose of motivation, don't miss one of the most passionate guests I've ever had on my Lessons From The Tank podcast! Dr. Robert Yonover is a Ph.D. geochemist/volcanologist, author, and North Shore big wave surfer living in Hawaii. His life-saving invention, the See Rescue Streamer - a patented emergency continuous signaling device, didn't get a deal on Shark Tank. Still, Rob was undeterred, and the See Rescue Streamer is now approved and used worldwide by military organizations AND can be found on every SpaceX flight!

I met Rob at a Shark Tank reunion of entrepreneurs who have appeared on the show, and we instantly connected. His passion and work ethic are unmatched, and his knowledge and life experiences are so interesting and engaging. I knew I wanted to have him as a guest on my podcast, and here are just a few of the entrepreneurial nuggets of wisdom Rob shares in this episode:

I promise you'll be motivated and inspired by Rob's enthusiasm, knowledge, and business wisdom. Don't miss this episode of Lessons From The Tank!

To learn more about Rob and The See Rescue Streamer, visit seerescuestreamer.com.

These teenagers have goals - period. Ayaan and Mickey Naqvi (14 and 15 years old at the time of this podcast) are the most impressive teens I have ever encountered. They have appeared on Shark Tank not once but twice, and, despite not getting a deal both times, their passion, drive, and positive attitudes are off-the-charts amazing!

Anyone with children or pets recognizes the problem of ornaments being knocked off (or just falling off) the Christmas tree. Ornament Anchor, a simple invention to keep your Christmas tree ornaments securely in place, was born when Ayaan set out to solve the problem when he was only in the 4th grade. He created Ornament Anchor as a school project and quickly learned it was a high-demand product.

With the help of their parents, the Naqvi brothers started shopping their concept at Christmas markets, then delved into e-commerce. The popularity of Ornament Anchor eventually landed them on CNN, Good Morning America, and QVC, and business is booming for these young entrepreneurs. (The Sharks definitely missed out on this one!)

In the short amount of time I spent with Ayaan and Mickey on this episode of my Lessons From The Tank podcast, I was blown away and entirely inspired by their intelligence and wisdom beyond their years. Here are just a few of the many topics they crushed in less than 30 minutes:

Don't miss this episode of the Lessons From The Tank podcast! I promise these two incredible young men will inspire you!

Learn more and purchase at ornamentanchor.com. Also available on Amazon and over 600 Lowe's locations.

Kim Burney noticed how the people in her family jumped at the chance to use chainsaws when she suggested that the trees on their property needed to be trimmed. So when she asked if anyone would like to carve the Thanksgiving turkey and got crickets from the whole crowd, she joked that if they could do it with a chainsaw, they would have all been fighting over the job. And that's how the Mighty Carver was born - one of the most fun products I've seen on Shark Tank!

An N95 air filter mask – for your dog? That’s precisely what Kirby Holmes, my recent Lessons From The Tank Podcast guest, invented and pitched on Shark Tank.

It may sound crazy at first – and a few of the Sharks thought so, too – but maybe you live in an area prone to wildfires, red tide brevetoxin, pollen allergens, desert dust, volcanic ash, etc. During these events, if there is no evacuation, your dog still needs to go outside and be walked. Kirby realized that if a person felt the need to wear a mask to protect themselves from environmental toxins, their dog is breathing that same air and should be protected too.

Kirby, and his cousin Evan Daughterty, did a deep dive into canine respiratory health. They met with multiple professors who specialize in this field, sought expert advice, and followed scientific data before bringing launching K9 Mask.

Reviews were mixed, mainly because many believed that masking might be more harmful to the animal than the toxins they were breathing and that they may just be trying to capitalize on the Coronavirus. The team took some heat from the public for a while but continued their steadfast journey for animal safety.

In this episode of my Lessons From The Tank podcast, Kirby talks about how they handled the pressure and the true heart behind their invention. He shares what they learned from their experience in the Tank and what’s next for their business.

Check out k9mask.com for the complete product line and story behind K9 Mask.

Dinosaurs. Just the word fires up the imaginations of young and old alike - and nobody knows dinosaurs better than Don Lessem! To say he is one of the most fascinating guests I’ve had on my Lessons From The Tank podcast would be an understatement! Here are just a few facts about Don:

Don got a deal with Mark Cuban for his animatronics company, Dino Don, which creates accurate life-sized robotic dinosaurs, dragons, sea creatures, and more for exhibition in zoos and museums worldwide. (In fact, he was so sure of what he wanted that Don wore a shirt on the show that said “We love you Mark Cuban” on the back.)

In this episode of Lessons From The Tank, Don shares wisdom from his years of experience as an entrepreneur and world traveler, including business gold like this;

You don’t want to miss this episode of Lessons From The Tank!

Saying what you want can sometimes be a struggle, and many times people hold back for fear of being met with rejection. So what if there was a way to always know when you and your partners' desires aligned? Wouldn't that be nice! Enter LoveSync; a bedside button or phone app that partners can use to communicate their desires in a more playful and efficient way.

In this episode of Lessons From The Tank, married couple Ryan and Jenn Cmich, inventors of LoveSync, share their Shark Tank experience and the importance of communicating a message with its true intention. While their intention, which is to enhance romantic communication between couples, was slightly misinterpreted by the Sharks - their LoveSync invention is a clever communication tool to make saying what you need to say so much easier!

It was a pleasure to host Ryan ad Jenn. With their combined engineering and relationship counseling backgrounds, they brought a lot of value-add thoughts and ideas to this episode.

To learn more visit: LoveSync.com

What problem is your product solving? That's the question every inventor has to ask before diving into the world of entrepreneurship.

Alex Arkhangelskiy and Henry Li, Shark Tank entrepreneurs, avid motorcycle enthusiasts, and the inventors of Brake Free Tech, recognized a universal and dangerous problem for bikers; they are often overlooked and unseen by other drivers on the road. So they set out to solve this problem and didn't let anything stop them, including the COVID pandemic that was happening at the same time.

Alex and Henry's Brake Free Light is a brilliant, sleek, stylish motorcycle technology invention that can be attached to any helmet. This potentially life-saving accessory vastly improves the visibility of a biker (day and night) with its built-in wireless brake detection system that lights up as a biker begins to slow down.

Brake Free Tech is helping to lead the way in motorcycle safety, and I was honored to host these two young, bright, and savvy entrepreneurs on my Lessons From The Tank podcast. In this episode, we discuss the following and more:

To learn more, visit brakefreetech.com

 Millions of people wake up five days a week, put on a suit and tie, and head to work. Skylar Bennet and his business partner Kevin Shoemaker, both former real estate agents, were tired of wasting money on new ties every time one got stained or damaged - which happens often! This problem led them to create a solution, and Tough Apparel, a fully machine washable and liquid repellent necktie that continues to look brand new wash after wash, was born.

See the whole story and purchase at toughapparel.com