Shark Tank

On one Friday night in July, I sat down to eat dinner in front of the TV. While looking for a baseball game, I stumbled upon ABC. The show playing was Shark Tank. Intrigued, I started watching. A man was pitching an invention of his, a washing machine that was extremely efficient. He was pitching the product to 5 investors, known as "sharks". I fell in love with the show, and recorded the entire series. It has become an integral part of my week, and I eagerly look forward to it.

The show just finished its 3rd season, and its fourth season will premiere in September. The show received its first award nomination this year when it was nominated for the Emmy award for Outstanding Reality Program, (the Emmy awards take place on September 23rd). The show has also increased in popularity since its premiere.

The premise of the show is simple: entrepreneurs and inventors pitch their products/businesses to the Sharks, hoping for investments. The Sharks then ask intelligent questions, such as the amount of sales, how much the company has expanded, etc. Sometimes, the Sharks will agree to invest, but more often than not, the entrepreneurs walk away empty-handed. Occasionally, the Sharks will fight among themselves to make an investment.

So who are the Sharks? They are all self-made millionaires or billionaires that are now looking to invest in new businesses. There are six Sharks: Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, and Robert Herjavec. Corcoran started making the big bucks when she borrowed $1,000 to start a real estate company. That same company is now worth $5 billion. The Godfather of Urban Fashion, John, is the CEO of FUBU, a company that brought in $350 million in revenue last year. O'Leary started the company SoftKey Software Products, a company which he sold in 1999 to Mattel for $3.7 billion. He is also the founder of O'Leary Funds, a mutual fund company. Greiner, who holds over 110 patents worldwide, hosts her own TV show. Cuban, who is mostly known for being the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is the owner of HDNet. He also founded MicroSolutions. Herjavec is the personification of the "rags-to-riches" stories. While working as a waiter, he founded BRAK systems, which he sold to AT&T in 2000. He also owns a private island near Miami.

If you're even the slightest bit intrigued, I suggest you tune in to ABC every Friday at 8 PM PT to watch  a show you will truly enjoy!