"I'm Aaron Krause, inventor of Scrub Daddy, the most successful item in SHARK TANK history. AMA!"

Q: I'm a little confused as to why the smiley face; from a marketing standpoint it comes across as a little gimmicky. Had there been any feedback in this vein from collaborators? At any point did you consider making it look like a regular sponge?

That is a good question but the shape actually evolved out of utility of the eyes and mouth rather than just a smile for smile sake. The material is also completely unique in that it changes texture with water temperature. Interestingly enough, hold up your hand an notice that a grip forms a circle not a rectangle as a traditional sponge shape is.

As a long time professional kitchen employee, starting as a dishwasher and rising eventually to chef, any tool that would help expedite and ease the dish-washing process for employees is interesting. Has the sponge been approved for professional kitchens, has there been any test runs by professional dish-washers? Any feedback from them?

Do you mean FDA approved or sanctioned by the restaurant industry? I have found that our Heavy Duty product (the blocks) work best in a professional kitchen. I have friends in the restaurant business whom I have given Heavy Dutys to and they now prefer it to the common steel wool cleaning tools. The worry for the restaurant owner is that a bit of steel wool will make it into a customers dish, etc...

What was something you experienced on the show that may surprise us?

Right after I got out of the tank and back to my dressing room, I was met by a Psychologist to make sure I was ok! That was crazy! I was like, OK???!!! I am Fucking Fantastic, I just rocked the SHARKS!!

That's neat, responsible, and probably a bit liability minded. Interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Its also neat to know that the start of the show is not as it seems as well. After you walk down that shark filled hall, you enter the tank but don't start your pitch for almost a minute! you have to wait for all the cameras to focus first and then you launch into your pitch. That minute is the longest fucking minute of your life as you are stared down by all 5 sharks and you just have to contain your excitement and adrenaline. Its like icing a kicker! :)

Ha! Holy crap. Is it as live as it feels on tv? I know so much tv is heavily edited that it's hard to get a feel of what actually happened.

Its as real as you see! Unlike a lot of reality shows Shark Tank is unscripted and only ONE TAKE! While the show is edited and cut to 10 or so minutes what you see just a trimmed version of what happened boiled down to the best moments. Its very like HOLY CRAP I'm in the TANK!!!

We have a Scrub Daddy in our Kitchen. What are its intended or best uses? I mostly use it to scrub veggies clean.

Thank you for buying and using Scrub Daddy! We love that he is smiling in your kitchen! Interestingly enough we are always learning new uses for the product but many include, washing dishes, scrubbing surfaces like stainless steel, microwave, and granite without scratching, taking bugs off the car paint and windshield, BBQ grills, bathroom tile and glass, removing stickers from surfaces. Recently I have been using him as my toothbrush and toothpaste holder! He holds two brushes and the mouth holds the tube! Its so much better than the gross looking holders as it rinses right out and keeps a scrubbing sponge at your sink to scrub up old toothpaste on and around the sink. My kids are always leaving that white stuff all over the sink :) What new use will you find for him? :) let us know for a gift!

Acutally thought you meant you used the Scrub Daddy as a toothbrush to brush your teeth, but then I looked at your attached picture and was happy you do not. But, dude, love your product. See myself using it for the rest of my life. Way to go!

Thanks very much. We appreciate your support!! There may just be a Scrub Daddy Tshirt in your future ;)

YES! Absolutely, I would love that. You kiddin' me, I'd rock the crap out of that tshirt. Public PR baby!

That's what we like to hear!!

So my question is what have the sharks taught you about marketing and how to get your product in front of buyers? My wife and I are selling a product that isn't know in the US and I find it hard to reach our core market.

For me I had to learn a whole new universe....the retail world and I have certainly learned a lot over the last three years. Lori taught me everything from how to be more successful on QVC to negotiating with big box retailers.

I have faced the same problem as you when sending Scrub Daddy abroad.

What is your product?

Our main product is a Thai style folding day bed that my wife has been making. Sales just seem to trickle so it is kind of frustrating.

I was more curious because I have an electronic device I want to bring to market that would have more of a widespread use and I think the distribution aspect is a huge unknown to me. My plan has been to do a kickstarter for it.

Sorry to hear about the trickle. That's the thing about being your own boss.....the ups and downs.
About your electronic device, I had the same issue with my battery belt and ultimately why I choose to validate it with Kickstarter. Distribution is a scary thing as it can bust you if not done properly.

Im just finishing up my general studies degree an I don't know where to go next. I always had an idea for inventing but I never know where to start. Do I have to be an engineer to get my idea started into an actual object?

Actually Guy, I find that engineers think inside a box and are not very creative at all. Its the opposite of an inventor. Having a basic understanding of engineering is good but its better to just hire one once you have an idea. Be sure first to find a way to get some competitive advantage on your concept first like a patent, or exclusivity, so you don't face competition immediately. Good Luck and Happy Inventing!!!

What was the biggest thing you learned after going on Shark Tank?

That you better be ready for the wave of inquires and potential sales. If your website is not robust, if you don't have inventory, if you are not ready to promote the Brand that you just got all this publicity for you will squander that opportunity.

Hey Aaron-

I've been using the Scrub Daddy for many years- long before I saw you on the Tank. It's such a great product, I've even given it to people. At this point though I'm going through several Scrub Daddies a week, and I need a bit of advice.

You see, I have a thriving business in the opposite industry as your own. Whereas you sell a product to aid in cleaning, my company is aimed at consumers looking to buy Dirt and get Dirty.

My problem is, sometimes things get Dirty that aren't supposed to and then I need the Scrub Daddy to get the Dirt out. But the Scrub Daddy ends up getting Dirty and I don't know how to get the Dirt out of the Scrub Daddy. Can I run it under water?

Here's a picture of my Dirty Scrub Daddy.

Thanks!

Thanks for being a loyal customer and promoting the product! Much love back! Scrub Daddy is fully washable even in the dishwasher and washing machine and we have full care instructions on our website

I have an invention I want to get patented... how do I find a credible patent attorney? Do you have any recommendations for the proper steps to take to make sure my invention does not get stolen?

Very glad you said patent atty and not one of those invention submission services. Patent law is a very specialized field and you need a good atty if patent is the route you want to go to protect your idea. I had a family friend so I felt very comfortable sharing my ideas with him and he gave me the friend/family discount which was also nice. I would start the same way by asking friends and family for recommendations first and if none, search local small patent firms. I don't recommend going with a large firm, their rates are very high and you don't always get very personalized service. Before you do any of this though, first save your self some coin and do some in depth searching on google, and then www.uspto.gov website and see if your idea exists already or is patented. This can save you about a GRAND $$ Great Luck!

Thanks, I have a friend of a friend that is a patent attorney, but said it would probably cost around $10,000... does this sound right? It was MUCH more than I was expecting.

It depends on how much work/research is required. If it is a small entity filing that could be a 3-5k spend but all told could run up to 10k with office actions and responses.

You could always file for a provisional patent to get started and keep costs down.

I know I could google it (and I will) but I want your opinion, what are the pros/cons to a provisional patent?

It is a cheaper route to start and is effectively a placeholder for future actions. It allows you to NOT have to spend all the $$$ before fully filing for your patent.

Downside is you don't have the full protection of a full patent (I think.....but please check on your own).

Ok, so I've done some reading and it sounds like a good option... basically a low cost filing for 12 months of protection and "patent pending" status...

What are the next steps? How do I reach out to venture capitalist groups (are those the people I should be reaching out to?)

Do you have a prototype?

Good question!! We have recently been approached by a company named SeedInvest regarding our new wearables company and the battery belt that we just launched on Kickstarter. Have you given much thought as to using a crowdfunding source such as Kickstarter? In our case raising $$$ wasn't what led us there, we were/are looking for verification that our wearable/battery solution is wanted by the general public.

Yes, I have the prototype done... crudely, but it is a working model. I have been hesitant to use kickstarter for this since I did not have the patent, basically, I am scared to put it on the internet and then have someone steal it and patent it themselves.

I will start looking into SeedInvest.

What is your opinion on approaching companies that make a similar product and trying to sell my product to them? What makes for a good business deal a flat fee, a percentage, exclusive rights to making it for a period of time etc.. any other ideas?

If you believe in the idea you must get a patent so that you can share the idea and try to get someone to partner with you. That is unless you have a built in exclusive of some sort.

A percentage of sales is most desirable for a more mature company like Scrub Daddy when dealing with a inventor.

How did you come up with the name?

Actually, it was my COO John who named this amazing little guy. We were trying to figure out the name for the product (in 2008) and he said someone (a skateboard dude) in his school was nicknamed the daddy so why not Scrub Daddy. A star was born that day :)

Huh. That's really cool

True story

Who was your favorite Shark and how nerve racking was it to present your idea to them?

Going into it, Mark Cuban was my favorite shark because of his background in sports and his history with successful entrepreneur endeavors. But as things progressed, it became obvious Lori Greiner was the perfect shark for me because of her vast product knowledge and experience on QVC which I was on and at the beginning stages of learning.

Hi Aaron!

I just wanna start off by saying I love your product. I watch shark tank all the time and that's where I first saw the scrub daddy. A few months later when I moved into my first apartment, I saw the scrub daddy in menards and was like "I SAW THAT ON SHARK TANK! THATS SO COOL!" And I bought like 6 of them to give to my family and friends and I kept one for myself.

I was just wondering, are you looking into making any products similar to the scrub daddy? Different utilities for cleaning around the house maybe, such as your own version of a magic eraser? I would love to see what other products you come up with. :)

Let me first Thank You so much for your support and so happy the Scrub Daddy is also making you SMILE! :) As an Inventor, I will never sit still. We are constantly creating new brands and extensions to our product line including THE NEW ERASER DADDY which in fact we just announced will launch early next year!! You can check that out as well as all our new Family Members on our website I am also developing products outside of sponges and just launched it on Kickstarter!

I know you can't give a detailed explanation in a reddit comment, but as someone with a lot of ideas (and not a lot of money) can you recommend any books/classes for someone like me to get started with turning an idea into a product?

I have to be honest, I have gone the academic route in my career of inventing. I currently have 14 Patents with several more pending and have learned mostly from doing and learning along the way. I totally understand the frustration with having ideas and no knowing how to proceed. That usually breaks down into two phases. 1. How do I make this. 2. How do I market this. My partner and close friend Lori Greiner has actually written a book about this, and there are prototyping businesses such as Product Ventures that can create and develop your ideas. The marketing sometimes is harder but even then start small like local newspapers, social media, and in store/trade show live demos. Or try your luck in the TANK :)

What did you do to prepare your perfect pitch for the show?

Not long after the pitch was made, what was the process like in dealing with the TV show and Lori as far as business practice is concerned?

Thanks for doing this ama!

I already had an idea of what I wanted to do since I had been on QVC before. Actually my main strategy was to create a flow chart of all the potential questions that a shark was prone to ask and prepare my responses accordingly. If you go in the Shark Tank and aren't prepared, YOU are the bait.

Also, I practiced for months with my lead engineer who is a difficult and negative Russian who grilled me on every facet of my pitch and Q&A response.

Lori is truly my business partner!! It has been a great relationship!

You are welcome! So happy to be here. Reddit is simply amazing!!!

Q: What were a few other models you did before you settled on a smily face, if any?

Great Question! The product started with the material being but into a traditional rectangle like a regular sponge however the initial intended use was a hand scrubber! Holding a rectangular shape was not comfortable to scrub my hands and it became obvious a circle would be better. To clean my fingers I started with a single hole but that evolved to two so that I did not have to hold the sponge and got better leverage to scrub. The ridges were added to get under finger nails but that is where the product development was stalled for 5 years. The dishwashing purpose and properties were discovered many years later in 2011 and the smile was added to clean silverware, and thus the SCRUB DADDY WAS BORNE! :) would you like to see pictures?

I use my scrub daddy for my hands after I've been cutting peppers. It really scrubs the capsaicin out.

it is a really an effective hand scrubber and also fantastic foot scrubber and exfoliator as well! Just adjust the texture with hot or cold water.

PICS or GTFO

PICS it is !!! And here is another one

I live in Florida, we love scrub daddy, keep one in my car especially during lovebug season, May and Sept. Is Florida the only state with lovebugs? Had to ask a question, no need to answer

Thanks for the support!!! Great use on the front of the car and the windshield. Ever try one on the rims? I would advise you to try our Heavy Duty product for the car and outside the house applications. You can cut the block up and customize it for your use. Don't know about all the states with lovebug seasons....sorry. Maybe Virginia since it is the state for lovers :)

Yes I have used it on the rims, I like that it is harder in colder water and more supple in warmer water. I keep one in the car at all times, one in the bathroom for the tub and one in the kitchen. Very long lasting. Oh, also have one in the garden for scrubbing out my planters, etc.

AWESOME!!!

What's the set of shark tank like? Is it hard to keep your cool walking in front of wealthy investors with bright lights all over the place?

The set is really cool! Well actually HOT!! Its in a very large warehouse like studio with lots of lights but what's neat is you can't really see any of the cameras. I remember when I walked in and stood on my spot feeling this overwhelming heat over me from the lights and finally understood why all the entrepreneurs are always sweating so bad! :) I have to say though that my previous experience on QVC really got me ready for the stress of being taped on a show like Shark Tank.

Do you think the Squatty Potty is going to come in and claim the title?

I've bought two already.

boy you must be full of Shit ;) J/K Really, they are great people and great company and part of the Lori Greiner Family!! While they have a great product, its not a consumable and after you buy yours, you don't necessarily need another where Scrub Daddy is a wear item and is bought many times a year and for many places around the house. I think we have more potential and we have many new brands in the works. Bring em on, we are defending the BELT! haha

If you could go back, would you change anything on your pitch?

I would. I would've shown how the Scrub Daddy peels potatoes and carrots. If you would like to see this demo done, I will doing it LIVE on QVC in 2 hours from now so tune in!

Would you ever want to work with the other major success from shark tank? the guy who made First Defense Nasal Screens?

Absolutely, everyone who is Shark Tank alums I consider amazing and successful entrepreneurs. Working with them would be awesome and I have talked with several of them as we often hang out at trade shows. Mostly I have worked with them sharing ideas and contacts but I would welcome a collaboration! In fact I am working with my Drop Stop boyz right now as they have helped me coordinate this VERY REDDIT. Thanks Marc and Jeffy! :)

I love the Scrub Daddy and rushed out after seeing it on Shark Tank to pick one up! My question is how is working with Lori? Is she very hands on, or does she have a staff that handles most of the details?

Scrub Daddy love you too! Do you know we make them now in may new colors and even a Lemon Scented? Lori is probably the most engaged Shark of all of them! I am in constant communication with her and she is available to me on phone, text, and often in person as she spends a lot of time in Philly where I am based. She and I have forged a special friendship and she comes to holiday parties with my family and my kids refer to her as Aunt Lori! They don't call her the warm blooded Shark for nothing :)

Must make it convenient to go to QVC since they are based there too.

Totally, they are only about 30 mins from my factory so sometimes I go and do a show and go right back to the office! Crazy days those are!

Did Mark Cuban's penis ever slip out during filming?

its very possible as Scrub Daddy gets hard in cold water and he was pretty cold to me when he said to me "I'm not a Scrub Pimp so I'm OUT!"

I have no idea what this means but it sounds hilarious.

Maybe this clip from Shark Tank will help explain it a bit...

Who's your Scrub Daddy?

My Father who taught me to do the dishes! The men doing the dishes is a family tradition passed on from my grandfather to my father and now me. He is the original Scrub Daddy and his work ethic has motivated me in business and life. THANKS DAD!

Do you use the Squatty Potty? Thanks!

of course! I support all of the Lori Greiner family products from Shark Tank. Do you use a Scrub Daddy? ;)

bb&b!

THANK YOU!!! Bed Bath and Beyond is an amazing partner who have brought all our new products in and really believe in our company.

Hi Aaron!

Love the Scrub Daddy. Love your presentation on Shark Tank. Your authenticity just shone through, and I'm thrilled for your success.

I get that the "secret sauce" of your invention was the plastic makeup itself. The icing on the cake was the design, the "happy face", that had far more uses than I ever could have thought possible.

What can you say to aspiring entrepreneurs as to help discover that "happy face" formula for their own products? That extra feature that puts them over the top?

First off, thank you so so so much for your comments! Nothing is more gratifying than hearing that all your hard work is appreciated and enjoyed! When designing a product make sure you don't just make it to solve your problem without getting a full understanding of the larger market opportunity. You need to get real world opinions and not just from friends or family. In fact those close people may not give you the real truth you need.

Have you made enough money from Scrub Daddy to retire?

If you'd like to check it out, here is a CNN report on my Uncle from a few years ago.

Wow that was so special. Thank you for sharing, so sorry for your loss. His work ethic is inspiring. He reminded me so much of my great grandfather who was the inventor of BookMobiles (http://www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/CentennialPhotos2.asp?path=Bookmobileand) and passed away a few years ago.

Thanks very much for that...what a great contribution! FTFY :) corrected link here

Money is relative, maybe for some people they would be satisfied and would want to retire, however, my motivation is not money and has never been money. My drive comes from creating, inventing, and seeing those concepts come to life. Because that process never seems to end, I don't see myself retiring. My Great Uncle, who just passed way this year at 103, retired last year as the oldest insurance salesman in the world. He was my mentor.

How involved are the sharks now?

How involved?? I told Lori we were doing a Reddit She loves you guys and she posted within minutes! :)

That's awesome! Is she still an integral part of the company?

Totally, I call her and see her often. I think we are in a bit of a unique position though as we have grown and are really built out now with infrastructure. I try to be very respectful of her time as she has over 25 other companies she is helping now so I only ask her things when its important and her input is needed or its a high level issue.

Do you feel that she pays you special attention because of your crazy run-away success?

Not really. She is very involved with all her ents. I get a bit more attention because I live in Philly where she is so often for QVC shows so its easy for us to connect. We also have a lot in common as we both have multiple patents, and I was on QVC before going on Shark Tank.

Hey Aaron, loved your presentation on shark tank. Did you ever expect such success originating from a cleaning product when most pitches on the show are for larger and more expensive ideas?

I guess in some way I must have believed that the product was going to be successful because I opted to present this to the Sharks and also the total American public but if you would have asked me if we would be the Most Successful Product and Pitch in the shows History..... I was not really prepared for that, BUT I'LL TAKE IT!!! :)

Any tips for a new inventor to show off prototypes to investors or funding campaigns without getting the idea stolen?

Great question! I always start with at least filing for a patent. Then I make sure that everyone I show it to signs an NDA (non disclosure agreement) or CDA (confidentiality disclosure agreement) These are simple documents that give you some level of protection. I also follow up with emails regarding our meeting that they respond to so that I have a digital stamp thread proving they met with me about an idea. Also use common sense. Don't show it to people you inherently don't trust and do some background research on who they are before you share. GOOD LUCK!

Thanks for the fast response! Do you go through the patent application yourself or did you use a lawyer/service?

Only with a experienced Patent lawyer. Patent law is a very very specialized field and you do not want to try that process on your own or through an invention service. Its a bit like trying to do your own brain surgery, just not a good idea :) I recommended before on this AMA to try and find a family recommendation so you know and trust the person and hopefully get some type of family discount as its not a cheap process. GOOD LUCK INVENTING!

Thanks! I'm in the process of finishing my first invention prototype now. I appreciate the tips - hopefully one day you'll catch me on Shark Tank too!

Keep an eye out for their local live auditions in cities around the country. I think that is probably the best way to get on Shark Tank these days since the show has become so popular.

what's your favorite thing to do with any minimal downtime you have!? You have to take care of yourself as well!

Coach my son and daughter in hockey and soccer respectively.

Actually, I drove cattle on a dude ranch this summer and found it extremely relaxing.....couldn't believe that!

Here's a picture of me on my horse

looks like fun!

It was a blast. I would highly recommend you trying it if you haven't ever done so.

I haven't seen the episode so sorry if you answered this before: what was your inspiration for the product?

Sorry for the delay in responding but I was away doing a QVC show.

To answer your question, the inspiration for Scrub Daddy was from a need to clean my hands at the end of every workday. Since I had to build the machines for my last invention "The Edge" buffing pad, I always had to fix the machines myself. That left me with dirty hands like those of a mechanic. I was sick of all the bad gel/textured soaps and said to myself there had to be a foam product that had the right texture to clean my hands. The eye holes were invented for cleaning my fingers....the mouth came years later after I discovered how amazing my friend was for cleaning EVERYTHING without scratching.

Sounds awesome! I'll have to buy one some day. :3

Lots of places to buy now online and in stores. Just check our website for a full listing! Thanks for the support!

You have to watch my episode!!! There was so much drama as the sharks were circling....

Are you always this excited? I love the enthusiasm!

Thanks!!! I have always been enthusiastic......people used to say I was "hyper". Haha :)

Just stepped off the QVC set....it is still a total rush for me.

Might be too late, but how do you come up with your ideas? Any principles you follow that, without them, you wouldn't have been able to come up with the ideas you have had to date?

My personal formula for inventing new products or concepts is that I have to be engaged an activity and experience an issue that bothers me several times. For instance, I play ice hockey and have many idea for products and improvements to products because I play and constantly see the issues. Then I need to ask myself if those issues are universal to everyone not just me. Finally would someone want to pay to have that problem solved.

How terrifying was it to be in front of some of the richest, most powerful business people and have to pitch your product to them? and how relieving was it when you made the deal?

I have to be honest here... I was not that scared. I had already done several live QVC shows which on a scale of terrifying are a 10 and Shark Tank for me was a 5. QVC is totally LIVE unedited and un scripted. You have only 6-8 minutes to sell enough product to keep your item on air again and if you fail they ship all the inventory back to you so you have all the risk! You are also performing to cameras not live people that you can see. Shark Tank is taped, edited, and in front of live people who you can talk to and see their reactions. You don't even see the cameras. Also the worst that can happen is they say no, you don't actually lose money or get stuck with product inventory that you can't sell. However, I was totally ecstatic that I did get a deal and it was with LORI!!

Hi Aaron. Big fan of Shark Tank and Scrub Daddy. How many hours do you work a day/week? Are you married and with kids? If so, how do you juggle your work career with your personal life?

Thanks for being a fan, right back at you! I work about 18 hours a day right now as I have Scrub Daddy and a new wearable tech company just launching. I am married to a wonderful and very supportive wife. People often ask what the hardest part of running your own business is and my answer is always keeping a balance between work and personal life. To bridge the difficult time crunch I have brought my wife into the company and she runs social media and PR for me and we blend business trips with vacations with the kids so that when I travel its not always apart from the family.

Join me right now for a LIVE VIDEO Q&A Session

Hi Aaron, I have Crohns and have been unable to get a job I want to start a small t-shirt company to donate some money to help others with Crohns having no experience in business I just need little to begin it and wondering if you can possibly help me ?

Sorry to hear that. Actually, my sister-in-law also has Crohns, and she has been able to mitigate the effects of the disease by regular visits to her GI Doc, watching what she eats, and keeping stress levels under control. Best of luck with your future endeavors.

so that's a no?

I'm happy to help with advice but as you can imagine, I get asked for donations all the time. Therefore, I have chosen a bunch of worthy charities to support and have really gotten behind them in order to give back.

Can my scrub daddy be used on windows and mirrors? I love the product !

Totally safe and scratch free, even independently lab tested on mirrors, glass and windows! Happy Cleaning! :)

Not sure if it is too late but I wanted to see what your plans are with the belt design. I think it will be really useful since I hate dealing with portable chargers. But I do have some concerns about the battery belt as I was thinking about joining your kickstarter to get one for traveling but there are a few things that bothered me about the design. I figured it can't hurt to ask to see if you are planning to address these issues since you are only in the prototype stage.

I don't like that the belt has a full sized usb port at the end. It looks very thick in the photos and I think it is going to make it very hard to put the belt on. Sometimes just a normal belt can be tight getting through the pant loops. I think this would be horrible after going through the airport with it. The other thing that I noticed in the video that there is a power button near the buckle. It seems like the end of the belt would block the button and lights. I don't like the idea of lights but I would like it to be easier to access the power button since most charges you have to turn on to use.

I do really like the belt for the idea of being comfortable and not having a big battery pack in my pocket at the airport. I really hate dealing with that.

What are your thoughts and plans going forward with the design of the belt? Are these issues you are planning to change anyhow?

Happy to answer. I think what you are describing is our other belt the xoo belt. Please see the link below:

(http://xoo.co/)

Ok so I guess I am confused now. The xoo belt looks very refined but at $250 it seems too expensive. Is there a reason you are using some of the design features from the xoo belt? Is it to meet a lower price point? I think the large USB plug on the ionbelt is really the only thing I don't like.

No it was just that we liked the look of the USB in the buckle. What do you think of the "look" of the buckle?

Did you have any contact with the sharks before/after your pitch time in front of them?

None whatsoever, in fact I think that if you do it disqualifies you or the Shark from being an investor in your business.

I have an idea but I don't have the capital required to get the things I need (like a developer for an app, for example). What do I do? Pitch to someone with money or take out a loan? Also, you inspire me, thank you !

I am glad that I have been inspiring to you! One of my favorite feelings is when others learn from my success and failures and use that knowledge to grow our economy. We are all inventors some of us just don't take the plunge which is risk and scary. Depending on how much money you need, and how much ownership of the company you are willing to share you can make a good informed decision on pitching a partner or getting a traditional loan. When I go for pitching like on Shark Tank, the person I want needs to have more than just money. They need to offer experience, contacts, or expertise where as a simple loan means I know what I am doing here and only need funds to push the project forward. Hope this helps! :)

Hey Aaron - to piggy back off of MindExplosions comment - I've been in an incubator for a while and I've great conversations with inventors and investors. I'm at the stage of building my MVP - similar to where you were when you got onto Shark Tank. How do I catapult from having an MVP to something that an investor sees worth their time and money? Thank you for being such an amazing inspiration!

Thanks so much! If you know you have a great product, that is not the most important part at that stage of the game. You need to make sure that person or investor sees that it is more than just a product but that they want to work with you and that you are someone worth investing in. I feel I was able to demonstrate this on Shark Tank and from there, I was able to grow my product line which was another attractive element to investors.

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we just posted that when we hit 500 up votes we will select 50 posters for a tee shirt. Your post is looking very good :)

They deleted my post :(

Not sure why that happened. Thanks for the support and love!

Is it true that the name came from one of your past lovers calling you "Scrub Daddy"?

Nope my nickname was Big Daddy ;)

Love the product and the show. Q: Do you prefer the Shark Tank or Kickstarter method for raising capital?

Thanks. Shark Tank requires you to give up equity but gets you in front of a national audience.

Kickstarter allows you to keep all equity and find out whether people like your idea. What do you think of my newest product which I/we launched on Kickstarter? Just curious.