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. Maxwell is so impressive and had so much business wisdom to share for such a young guy! I encourage you to check out all that he had to say, but here are a few highlights: He emphasizes that business owners don't work ..read more

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. Today, Becca is the co-founder of SoleMates shoe and foot care products, along with former classmate and Goldman Sachs colleague Monica Ferguson. They pitched their flagship product, the SoleMates High Heel Protector that keeps heels from sinking into grass or getting stuck in grates or cracks, on Season 8, Episode 4 of Shark Tank and hooked a deal with Robert Herjavec. Although Becca and her partner were already very experi ..read more

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 app ..read more

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 proble ..read more

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! Kim and her husband Lance appeared in Season 12, Episode 4 of Shark Tank, and they had to choose between 4 of the Sharks battling ..read more

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 ..read more

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: He is a writer of over 50 popular science books specializing in dinosaurs. He was the founder of the Dinosaur Society and the Jurassic Foundation, which have raised millions for dinosaur research. He was Science Advisor to Steven Spielberg on the original Jurassic Park movie. He has a bachelor’s degree in art his ..read more

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 i ..read more

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 t ..read more

 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. In this episode of Lessons from the Tank, I talk with Skylar,  one half of this dynamic duo. He shares his first-hand experience on Shar ..read more