A Look Back at Shark Tank

Lollacup in line at the Shark Tank Season 3 Open Casting Call

Our episode of Shark Tank is re-airing tonight on ABC at 8 p.m., so I thought I would take a stroll down memory lane.

Although our actual segment on Shark Tank only lasted 10+ minutes, we stood negotiating in front of the sharks for well over an hour.  It was an incredibly stressful yet exhilarating experience.  How often does one have an idea, turn it into a product, and then pitch the business to moguls like the "sharks"!

Things I never want to forget:

• Getting called back after each round of casting
• Landing, not one, but TWO sharks as investors/business partners
• The fun viewing party we had with close friends and family at our old high school, where Mark and I met
• Running [and growing] this business, hand-in-hand, with my husband
• Opening my email inbox after our Shark Tank segment aired and seeing 3000+ emails.
• Receiving our first email from Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec
• All the amazing people we've met as a result of this business and being on the show
• All the friends, family, colleagues, and strangers who've helped us get to this point

Things I'd like to forget:

• Mark spilling a bottle of water down his shirt moments before our taping
• The eternal wait in between each round of casting
• Wondering if we would ever get the chance to pitch in front of the sharks
• Going on backorder for months soon after our segment aired = a lot of lost revenue for a small business like ours
• The incredible stresses [& sleepless nights] of owning and running a small business

Overall, our experience on Shark Tank has been like the gift that keeps on giving.  Now that it's been about a year since we first appeared on Shark Tank, people often ask us, "Was it worth it?" and "Would you do it again?"  Absolutely!  One thing I learned about entrepreneurship is that you have to seize every opportunity, and not take luck and timing for granted.