♪ i like to win, i like to win ♪ >> welcome to the shark tank, where entrepreneurs seeking an investment will face these sharks. if they hear a great idea, they'll invest their own money or fight each other for a deal. this is "shark tank." ♪ first into the tank is a product designed to inspire young girls to expand their horizons. hi, sharks. my name is alice brooks. and my name is bettina chen, and we're from palo alto, california. our company is roominate, and we are seeking $500,000 in exchange for 5% of our company.

our mission is to empower the next generation of female engineers and innovators. sharks, we'd like you to think back to your childhoods. do you remember your favorites toys? and did any of those toys influence your success today? barbara, what if instead of making a real estate deal in a board game, you were able to build your own high-rise? and, lori, instead of drawing an idea with a crayon, what if you were able to build a prototype? imagine how young you would have been when you were issued your first patent. introducing roominate, toys to inspire the next generation of innovation. roominate is a new and revolutionary wired building system for girls age 6 and up. let's show you how it works. first you start by building the structure, with three stories, balconies, even spiral staircases. and the best part about roominate is the working circuit. wire up everything from spinning windmills to merry-go-rounds, even elevators. robert and lori: [ chuckle ] and make it all light up. we already have a community of thousands of girls and boys

who we call roominators. our roominators make amazing creations that we never would have dreamed of making, everything from the golden gate bridge to a car wash, even a rocket ship. we also have some special roominates to pass out to each of you. our roominators helped us create some. terrific. so for you, mark, of course we made you the mavericks court... i like that. with a private plane to get you there. with a private plane. of course. robert and lori: wow. barbara, our roominators thought that a swanky manhattan condo would be perfect for you. i hope they're cheaper than i pay for them there. [ laughs ] and, mr. wonderful, we've all heard your ice cream shop story. ah. so we -- our roominators helped us build you an ice cream shop. let's see, kevin. what does it do? this is the ice cream store i got fired in, so i'm gonna set this on fire now. [ laughter ] and then, lori, our roominators helped us make you a qvc set. and all these creations have a circuit in there, so if you press the red button, it will activate it. and, robert, we know you love racing cars. i do. so they helped us make you a racetrack. thank you! can i see one of the packages so i can see how it's packaged? oh, yes. oh, wait --

lori: cool. robert: does the car go around? you can push it around. [ laughs ] rr... [ laughter ] thank you. what makes this different from legos? alice: this is all about open-ended play. so we give them inspiration and we give them ideas, but ultimately it's up to the kids to decide what they want to build. how did you guys come up with this? well, i studied mechanical engineering at m.i.t. and stanford. and i studied electrical engineering at caltech and stanford. so we got to stanford, the two of us, and we became friends right away, because we were two of the only women there in engineering. ah. and that got us talking, you know. we realized that our common thread was that we'd both been inspired by things that we played with when we were younger. barbara: mm. and for me, it was when i was 8 years old. i asked my dad, "can santa claus bring me a barbie this year?" and he said "no." and instead i got my own saw. ah! so i built dolls and dollhouses out of wood and nails. and i just -- that just started my love of engineering right there. did you have a natural interest to build things, or did your dad push you that way? i think that all kids are open to all different sorts of things. the problem right now for girls is that we're not exposing them to more options.

so we're missing out on half of the potential product designers, computer programmers right now. hmm. and it's important for all of us that we can get girls doing these sorts of things. and what are your sales? we have $1.7 million in sales to date. amazing. this -- this calendar year? in just a little more than a year and a half. so this year, what will you do in sales? this year we will do $5 million in sales. right now we're already at a million. wow! that's pretty amazing. kevin: by the way, others have tried to do this in this space and failed miserably, so i want to hear how you got distribution. so, at toys "r" us, we'll be in all 596 stores to start. radio shack, we'll be in 1,500 stores. we have deals with barnes & noble, michaels, nordstrom. we're also expanding to canada this year. but let's talk about the breakdown of sales per store. what is your turnaround? how many do you sell? so we'll be in those stores starting in the fall. mark: yeah, you mentioned these are all orders that are coming. in the fall. so you haven't gone in yet. you've sold $1.7 million. where are you making those sales? so we're in other online channels. um, amazon is a big one for us. basically, last year we were primarily online,

and last year we did $540,000 in sales. are you getting any sales for boys, though? 'cause it doesn't -- both: yes. we do have boys playing with it, too. is it gender-specific? on your opening comments, i thought it was a product targeted to developing young girls. yes. we've made it gender-specific in that you can start by making a dollhouse. but boys have come to us and boys are playing with it. what does it sell for? so we have multiple products. the one that you have in front of you now, that's the studio. that sells for $29.99. what does it cost you to make? it costs us $8.75 to make. what do you sell it to the store for? so with retailers, it ranges from $16.50 to $24. i'm looking at your sales this year. let's say $5 million. that means about a million dollars will be tied up in inventory. you must have brought on some investors by this point... of course. ...to carry that, right? yes. we've taken $850,000 in investment, so we own the rest of it. the valuation was at $6 million. kevin: $6 million. i mean, i've got to tell you, you've done something remarkable. the toy industry's brutally competitive. i mean, everybody else has failed. everybody. but i wonder what the sell-through's going to be.

that's gonna be the question. you really put the whole company on the line then, didn't you? because if you don't sell through, you're dead. we'll be paid regardless, and we also have a close relationship with our buyers. look, congratulations for getting this amount of distribution. but now i have to balance -- do i pay because i'm so enamored with the growth potential before i go through one seasonal cycle? so in the toy industry, your whole future is this holiday. so if you don't sell through, you're screwed. ♪

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having with your deal is i'm being asked to pay for success before i know with certainty i have it. i'm a pragmatic investor that unfortunately knows everything about toys. everything there is to know. [ laughs ] and everything else. absolutely everything. we know you know everything about toys. i know. so to buy this valuation now, which is extreme stretch for me -- i'm not gonna do it. i'm out. well, i think looking at how much we've grown, start-- for our very first year, we did $174,000 in revenue. last year we did $540,000. this year we're on track for $5 million. if they sell through. in the next year, we'll also be expanding internationally. that, conservatively, is $12 to $13 million. here's what bugs me about this. when you first started your pitch, i lit up. mm-hmm. a toy for girls. mm-hmm. and yet i looked at your little package. there's not the word "girl" on there. just a smiley girl face, but it doesn't say anything about girls. i feel like you weren't loyal to your original position.

girls see this package. they know it's for them. but you don't need to pander to them... but why not -- ...and push it down their throat that it's for girls. no, but why not drive it home and target it right to that sweet spot? your only point of difference, really, between your product and the rest of the dozens out there is that this is for the little girl. and somehow you didn't communicate that well, and so it felt disappointing to me. and so for that reason i'm out. mark: guys, um, you know, growing up in pittsburgh, my dad did upholstery on cars. if you would have told me i'd have this net worth, i would have laughed at you. mm-hmm. now i have kids, including two daughters -- mm-hmm. 7 and 10. and now my biggest fear in life after my kids' health is that they don't turn out to be jerks. [ laughs ] right? that they don't have a sense of entitlement. so i'm gonna make you an offer, but it's got contingencies. both: okay. okay? i'm gonna offer you $500,000... okay.

...for 5%. okay. right? but the contingencies are that my daughters alyssa and alexis can come out and spend time with you guys, be part of it. you know, i try to put them in a position where they have good role models. because of all the things in life i can buy, that's something i can't buy. and that's what i want to be part of. so i'm investing in you. you guys are great. i believe in the business. but i think mark made you exactly the offer that you asked for. so...i'm out. lori: you know, instead of kickstarter, my female entrepreneurs, sometimes they call me the "chickstarter"... [ laughter ] because i've started so many female-based businesses. alice: that's great. so i think it's so important that young women today, that they think they can do and be anything. so i'd be happy to go in on it with mark. $500,000 for 5% equity stake, if mark is willing to go in on it. you'd get two big sharks,

one in the tech space, one in the inventor space, and we'll have this on qvc within four months. yes. you have a deal. great. done. thank you, guys. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. no, they'll love it. they'll love it. and smart -- good girls. alice and bettina: thank you. mark: congratulations, guys. thank you. both: [ laughing ] we're in shock. we feel amazing right now. i mean, we're going to be working with mark and lori. it couldn't get better than that. we're so excited. mark did it 'cause he's too rich and too nuts and too much in love with his kids. it has nothing to do with business. and plus we can make them successful. i don't get it. and it's important. okay, guys, a moment of silence for that money that just died. absolutely. i'm with you this time. [ laughs ] oh, my god. robert: ohh. in season four, 18-year-old lani lazzari made a deal with mark cuban for her all-natural skin care company simple sugars.

i would love to accept your offer. that's what i like to hear. let's see what she's up to now. since making a deal on "shark tank" a year and a half ago, business has been absolutely fantastic. i'm here today in new york city because i've just signed a major deal with destination maternity, the largest maternity retailer in the world. they have decided to carry simple sugars in all 575 locations across the country. i'm very excited to be here with you guys today. i've been invited to train their sales team and officially launch simple sugars in their stores. you want to scrub around until you feel the sugar start to melt. at our last update, we had just reached a million dollars in sales. now, only a year later, we've reached $3 million in sales, and over the next 12 months we're expecting to do an additional $4 million. hey, lani. hey, mark. showing mark that he made the right investment is something that drives me every day. i have a check for $200,000. [ laughs ] the american dream is alive and well! mark: i invested in lani because i want to see that $100,000 turn into $20 million.

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my name is tiggs chiriga, and i live in mooresville, north carolina, with my wife diana and my 4-year-old daughter, and i got another baby on the way. go! go! i came to the states, uh, all the way from zimbabwe 14 years ago. i earned a basketball scholarship, and i faced a lot of challenges, but ultimately i worked my way to an m.b.a. right now, i'm a clerk at a post office, but i realize there's something greater out there for me, and that's why i'm following my dream and starting my business. i did a fantastic job launching my product, but now that everybody's interested, i don't have the capital or the inventory to meet the demand. [ speaking indistinctly ] the success of my product means a better future my family, and i know a deal with the sharks can make that happen. [ giggles ]

♪ hello, sharks! my name is tiggs. i live in mooresville, north carolina, and i'm the founder of the floating mug company. i'm seeking $75,000 in exchange for 15% ownership in my business. this is quite simply the sexiest mug you'll ever lay your eyes on. of course, kevin, your mug is a close second. [ laughter ] i'm not a professional designer, but i had a screeching problem, and i needed a solution. you see, my wife makes a very particular sound, and if you'll let me, i'm gonna try and reproduce that sound for you. it goes something like this... [ high-pitched "tiggs! "] [ laughter ] now i know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. that's not a mating call. that's the sound my wife makes every time she discovers a coffee stain on our furniture. when i'm distracted, i don't have the mental capacity to search for a coaster just to put my cup down.

so the inevitable happens -- a coffee stain magically appears under my cup. and within minutes -- [ high-pitched "tiggs! "] [ laughter ] i knew at that moment i was a dead man walking. but there's good news. i no longer have to listen to that deathly sound. the floating mug is the ultimate marriage between a mug and a coaster, and together, it's the perfect elegant solution. i brought some samples for you guys. i've got these in special colors. that's adrenaline white. robert: ooh. this is hero white. that's a perpetual white. [ laughter ] you're my man, tiggs. that's awesome. that's the final white, and this is home team white. there you go. kevin: [ laughs ] does the bottom break off a lot? how does this hold up over time? well, this is a very well-made product. is there a piece of metal in here? no. this is all porcelain. the whole thing? whole thing is porcelain. how are you selling them now, and what are your sales?

um, so if i give you some context, i started -- i launched this on -- it's never good when it's not a number. right. yeah. our first year sales was $105,000. that's not bad. that's great! yeah, that's not bad at all. who did you sell them to? our biggest customer was a distributor that we got in touch with. so give us the numbers, tiggs. what does it cost to make it? what do you sell it for? where do you sell it? all right, so -- and where do you manufacture it? originally, we started manufacturing in the czech republic, but it cost me $12 to land this from the czech republic. individually? individual mugs. so what do you sell it for? so right now we've been selling it for $29.99. we don't have the right price. [ exhales ] but we found a really great italian-based manufacturer who's working with us to now start producing this in china. so we've gone from a $12 landed to now we're at $4 landed. tiggs, i actually used to be in the glass business way, way, way back when. what we learned about that business was you have to buy in massive quantity because of the price points.

for it to get down to $4, what quantity do you need to buy? so our order quantity's 19,500 units. wow. what was the retail price gonna be? $19.99. here's what i'm worried about. robert: my option is, let me explain one thing, though. when i go to store, i can buy a porcelain mug of relatively similar quality from somewhere between 6 and 9 bucks. now, i can also get a coaster for about 80 cents. so would the average consumer pay 100% premium for the floating mug? and i don't know the answer to that, and certainly you haven't proven it in the market yet. so my -- my response to that, kevin, um -- you can say that for anything. at what point does a $10 pair of sunglasses become a $200 pair of sunglasses? when it's really, really special. is this special enough? this is just a product. what i want you to focus on is the concept. this is our proof of concept for beverage products that have integrated coaster functionality. like? well, i would like to show you a prototype i'm working on.

so just to give you an idea, that's a drinking glass. and what's the benefit? it's a built-in coaster. so as it sweats, everything gets caught in that reservoir, and it's got a wall, so as you drink, it's not gonna spill on you. robert: do you have a patent on it? on the glass it's pending. on this it's issued. kevin: when markets close at 4:00 in new york, i always have a vodka and lemonade with lots of ice in a tall glass. the problem with it is it sweats like crazy, 'cause it has a lot of ice. causes condensation on my desk. right. right. now, that's a problem. i would be willing to pay a premium to solve that problem, knowing i have to face it with certainty every day. kevin, while this might be a niche product, this gives me credibility. it shows you that i can deliver a world-class product. tiggs, the downside is you're always gonna be competing with a standard mug and a 50-, 80-cent coaster. it's not a task i want to try and do, 'cause i don't think i'm gonna make any money doing it. oh, kevin, before you keep talking -- ha! there's nothing you can do to stop me. i have to make decisions as an investor

every day in the shark tank. okay. i look for the path of least resistance for the highest returns, 'cause i'm the only disciplined investor here. maybe you can get an emotional connection going with barbara, who loves to spend money when she starts to cry. i don't know if that's gonna happen, but for me, this isn't gonna work. i'm out. so, here's my concern with this. i think the market for people that are gonna pay a premium for something that doesn't leave a coffee stain is me, kevin maybe, and a couple other people. but i don't see it as a wide acceptable product that'll drive your price points down. for that reason, i'm out. tiggs! [ laughter ] you obviously have a high motor. yeah. and you grind. my challenge is that the high motor approach to this would have been on the web. pounding it through a web site, and selling a thousand makes you $17,000.

selling 5,000 makes you $85,000. in my mind, the strategy was wrong. you should have taken the high motor approach with the web, 'cause you can control your own destiny there. and because you didn't, for that reason, i'm out. okay. barbara, i need you here. you know, i think this item is a one-time purchase, and i think it's a gift item. i don't envision someone buying a set of six. okay. i hope i'm wrong, 'cause i really like you. [ laughs ] sadly, i'm out. okay. one sharkette left. lori: so, for me, looking at this, i think it should be a lower price point, because i think it makes your job easier if more people can afford it. to me, high end for this is like $8.99, $9.99 max.

this is the one that i think is really clever. i don't like the silicone band. it seems to me that if you could take this and have it all one integrated blown piece so that your catch here is made out of glass, all integrated as one so it'll still look sleek and beautiful, to me, this is your hero. this is the money. i think because you have a lot of studying to do in figuring this out, you're not ready yet. so...i'm out. all right. good luck, tiggs. good luck, tiggs. [ sighs ] i just want to do better, you know? you get an opportunity like that, and you don't capitalize on it, it hurts. uh, but it's just gonna motivate me to do better.

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consider your choices. go it alone, against the irs and its massive resources. hire a law firm, where you're not a priority. call your cpa, who can be required to testify against you. or, call the tax law firm of moskowitz, llp. i went from being a cpa to a tax attorney because our clients needed more. call us, and let us put our 30 years of tax experience to work for you. our clientnext into the tank call us, is an innovative way to tie the knot. ♪ hi, sharks. my name is james cass. and my name is adrian gonzalez. we are from las vegas, nevada, and our company is the wedding wagon.

we are seeking an investment of $125,000 in exchange for 20% equity in our company. the wedding wagon is the world's first casual and affordable mobile wedding service. right now, couples that want to get married really only have a couple of options -- either a boring ceremony down at the justice of the peace, or a big, complicated, and costly wedding at a church or a hotel. and that's where we come in. at the wedding wagon, instead of them going to the chapel, the chapel comes to them. [ laughs ] and the couple calls us, and we meet them at the location of their choice that means the most to them. we bring an officiant and a photographer for a fun and memorable ceremony. so let's say, for instance, mr. wonderful, you wanted to renew your vows of shark love -- [ laughter ] with barbara. mark: aw! ew! it would be simple. let's do that in the parking lot. [ laughter ] again? you'd pick up the phone, you'd call us, and we would meet you at a location of your choice. and we can't think of a better one but shark tank.

barbara: oh! let's show you how it works. i'll let you know how he kisses at the end. [ laughter ] hello! that's hysterical! robert: oh, that is hilarious! barbara and mr. wonderful, would you please join us? yeah. barbara, please. welcome, welcome, lovebirds. i'd like you to turn to face each other just a little bit, if you would. james: barbara, no ceremony would be complete without flowers. barbara: thank you. [ "bridal chorus" playing ] and we'll put a little veil on you.nice how does that sound? adrian: here we go. kevin, i'll be your ring bearer and your best man. okay. i also need a lawyer for a prenup right now. [ laughter ] well, we are gathered here today to witness and to celebrate the renewal... i object! ...of shared love between mr. wonderful and the real deal. now hold her hand gently just like that. now look into her eyes lovingly and repeat after me -- lori: [ giggles ] "i promise to always be a nice shark..." i promise to always be a nice shark. "and to never interrupt you when you're speaking." that's never gonna happen. [ laughter ]

please repeat after me -- "i promise to always be a nice shark..." i always promise to be a nice shark. "and to uphold all of our deals for all time." and never do a deal with you ever again. [ laughter ] that's good enough. i will crush you like the cockroach you are. ahh! [ laughter ] i now pronounce your shark love renewed, and you may seal your commitment with a kiss. mark and robert: do it! last time i did this, i turned to stone. yay! mark: ooh! robert and lori: aww! very sweet! nicely done. thanks so much for being such great sports. just a moment. he needs a cover here. [ "wedding march" playing ] it's fantastic. [ laughter ] that is adorable! oh! sharks, we launched our business in the wedding capital of the world, and you probably can figure out where that's at. [ singsongy ] las vegas! james: ♪ vegas and now we're ready to take our concept nationwide so... both: who's ready to say "i do" to the wedding wagon? wow! what does it cost to get married in your wagon? you know, we started our business -- launched at $99.

and how many can you bang out in a day? we do about -- would you say six to eight, adrian, a day? six to eight a day. what were your sales last year? $243,000. whoa! wow! come on. that's with a 2-person operation. i gotta tell you, i never would have thought you would have said that. but what's the expansion plan? is this gonna work in other cities, or is vegas the only place you can drive up in a van and get married? i'm very glad you asked that question, because it's a very, very exciting time in the history of the wedding wagon. we actually sold the las vegas wedding wagon to new owners last year so that we could devote our time and attention to launching the franchise company, which is why we're here today. really? yes, we envision a los angeles wedding wagon, a miami wedding wagon. you did $240,000 in sales. what did you sell it for? we sold the wedding wagon, the las vegas version, for $120,000. did you sell the rights to all of las vegas for $125,000 for the wedding wagon? we did, yes. that's it. so you can't reestablish... correct. a wedding wagon there, and that's -- mark: yeah, but it's worse than that, kevin. you owned that, right? and you pretty much had the whole game to yourself. you couldn't find enough demand

in the wedding capital of the world to get to a second truck? we did actually have a second wagon. we hired another team. and what happened is that suddenly our time was being taken with, "so-and-so called out sick," and we realized that an employee doesn't have the same commitment as an owner. no, no, adrian, come on. you can't say that. you can't -- if they were making you money, you wouldn't have sold that off for half of your sales. now you got nothin'. i'm out. what were you gonna charge for a franchise? our franchise fee is $25,000. [ gasps ] ohh! never! anybody can get a van and then do just what you're doing. to me, you don't have something salable. i'm out. it just makes no sense to me. you've got a viable business. if i took something from zero to $125,000, i want to ride that thing as long as i can. you -- you're -- in effect, you're getting into a new business...

correct. ...that's unproven. i'm out. normally what happens is somebody comes in with a successful model -- in this case, in las vegas. right. they then take the franchisee potential, bring them to vegas, say, "look. look at our business. look how it's working. look at the money we're making," ride around in the truck for a day, get a sense of it. "by the way, sign here for $25,000." that's how you do it. you've done something very strange. you sold your model business, so now you only have, "it worked in vegas. "look, look, there's the truck we used to own before we sold it." that doesn't make any sense at all. i think i've just woken into a nightmare. terrible pitch, and i'm married to barbara. [ laughter ] i'm out. when i was standing up there marrying kevin, i thought this is -- [ laughter ] i want my $99 back! i thought that was the greatest gimmick in the world. whether it be in las vegas, new york city, the idea you could call up or just go online, book your wedding, marry some sucker, is great.

mark: that's right. but you gave away your show-and-tell. it really is such a great model. breaks my heart you sold it out. and if you still had your original one, i would have been in with both feet and both hands clapping. but i'm out, sadly. thank you, barbara. yeah. understood. understood. thank you, guys, for the opportunity. good luck, guys. take care now. thank you for the fantasy. you're welcome. you got it. being married to kevin? thank you for the nightmare! [ laughter ] i think they got to create the litigation wagon. that's right. you know what? i like that better. you come and you sue somebody. you just open the door -- "i'm suing you." [ laughter ] if we had one thing to do over again, based on barbara's comment alone, it would probably be to jump into a time machine... [ chuckles ] yes. ...go back in time, and not sell the las vegas wedding wagon. exactly. ♪

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next up are entrepreneurs who believe they've designed

a finer, more functional piece of golf equipment. hi, sharks. my name is eric williams, creative director at kronos golf. and i'm phillip lapuz, founder and designer at kronos golf. we're seeking $150,000 for a 15% stake in our company. we're an indie putter company that manufactures most precise putters in the world. you might have heard the phrase "drive for show and putt for dough." putting accounts for half the shots of an average golfer. so why are we blowing our money on drivers and shoddy putters? that is where kronos comes in. we mill our putters down to a 1/1,000th of an inch to make sure our putters are perfectly balanced. we start out with a solid block of steel and mill it for over two hours, transforming it from stage 1, a solid block of steel, to stage 2, a roughly milled putter, to stage 3, a more refined milled putter. it's a slow, labor-intensive process, but it's the right way to make a well-balanced putter.

from there, each one is individually hand-worked, including delicate de-burning, polishing, and painting, all the while preserving that critical balance. the truth is, there's no putter out there that'll make you better overnight, but ours will help you putt more consistently, and that might be the only difference between winning and losing. plus they're super sexy. so let's get the devil on the dance floor and give these putters a try. kevin, can we ask you to come on up here? all right. let's get you a ball. now, robert, note how i'm holding the club. should we duck, kevin? i'm feeling one with the ball at this moment. watch this go in. wah, wah! mark: ohh! barbara: very close. a little slow. phil, your premise was an awful golfer like kevin would be better with your putter. here's what we believe in. a lot of people believe that they can buy their way into golf or another sport, whatever it is. they're looking for some sort of technology to save them,

and the appreciation for the practice and the work that goes into it ends up being lost. for that reason, what you're seeing here -- our putters are simplistic, and they refer to older times. would you agree? they're fairly simple? lori: yes. it all comes down to the milling process. but how do you get your story out? yeah, how do you explain that? deal with the distribution problem. okay, i'll answer that. i want to buy a kronos, and i'm sitting in new york. right. where do i go? about two years ago we went to the pga show and we got distribution for japan and scotland. but nobody stateside was interested? they're interested, but there's that issue of people believe that they need approval from a pro -- it's a proven model. that's how people sell golf products. lori: what are your sales? this year to date, we've done $260,000, and we've done 95% of that to japan. they really understand the craftsmanship. so why is it working in japan? do you have your own displays? no, it's this -- no, it's a brand. there's a different psyche in japan than in america. we've talked about america. they look for that validation in a pro player.

in japan, they have a long history of art, and the delicacy that goes into creating things. and on that level, they appreciate what we create at face value. they take their -- how much -- how much does it cost relative to a normal putter? so, our cheapest putter sells for $500. lori and barbara: wow! oh, my goodness. oh, my goodness. you're really a premium -- can i see one? wait, wait, wait. let's discuss the name for a second. okay. i happen to be an expert in greek mythology, okay? [ laughter ] excellent. thank you. so you know that kronos -- he took a sickle and he castrated his father and threw them into the ocean. i'm aware of that. now, what would that have anything to do with a putter? so, kronos' time, his reign, was called the golden age. we want to go back to the golden age of golf. that's why we're wearing this attire. robert: hang on a sec. everything you're talking about, once i feel it -- and look at the weight of it. i mean, it's -- it's a lot better than any other standard putter. thank you. but why couldn't you get distribution here in the u.s.?

we could advertise and say that we've got the greatest putters, but it doesn't -- you have to give a free putter to every single pro shop. that's a huge problem. robert: so can you -- can you -- or at least to the people on the pga. exactly. yes, that's not a problem to get a pro. it's just, how much do you want to pay them, right? eric, $500 it sells for at retail. tell me what it costs you to make and tell me what you sell it to the stores at. sure. cost roughly is about $120 per club to make. but we sell them wholesale for around -- our cheapest one is $200 to $230. how much money have you raised so far? none. it's really my money. i worked in consulting before this, and i -- how much money did you put into it? we have about $100,000 into it. mark: guys, let me get things rolling here. i mean, have you ever heard of dallas national? no. i have not. it's one of the nicest courses in the country. it opened in dallas probably ten years ago, and one of my friends -- "you gotta join, you gotta join." i joined ten years ago. i've never been. [ laughs ] 'cause i hate golf. eric: perfect. and for that reason, i'm out. okay. oh, man.

[ laughs ] but i wish you guys the best, and congratulations. thank you. it has nothing to do with you guys. one thing that we touched on -- can i interject here? sure. yes. i, among everybody up here, should love this sport more than anybody else, because it saved my marriage. it gets rid of my husband every weekend. [ laughing ] but i hate golf. i couldn't imagine supporting it. i'm out. all right. thank you. thanks. so, last year, we did something in japan which helped our sales a lot. but how -- you haven't solved the distribution problem. for the u.s. there are cases where something catches fire in golf, and everybody buys it. sure. i mean, lightning strikes, and maybe it could strike you, but it's a long shot. ♪

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two sharks are out. phillip and eric only have three more chances to make a deal for their handcrafted putter company, kronos. there are cases where something catches fire in golf, and everybody buys it. sure. but it's a long shot. you know what? i think your message is clear -- quality, old time, beautiful, elegant. phillip: thank you. if you want to keep that upscale craftsmanship, if that's what's important, then you have a niche market that's gonna go for that. i think japan is the way to go, because japan is telling you, "we love it." i'm out.

tell me a little bit about you guys. what motivated you guys to want to start your own business? i, uh... [ exhales ] um... i'm engaged, uh, to a -- [ sniffling, crying ] [ voice breaking ] i'm engaged to a -- i'm engaged, and my fiancée lives in japan, and she can't come out here unless i make this happen. [ sniffles ] [ breathes unevenly ] i could have just continued my job as a consultant, making fine money... but this is my dream. [ crying ]

why can't she come here unless this works? yeah, why? because...i want this to be stable, and -- you can't afford her to come here. [ sniffles ] that's why i'm here today. it could wait, but... i mean, i'm -- oh, "woe is me," like, i can't get married, but... it's like, do i have to choose between my company of my dreams and my fiancée? she's sitting there waiting. it's been two year-- two years since i proposed to her. and... at that time, i was working in consulting, and her parents approved. and now they don't approve. they think i'm crazy. [ sniffling ] and -- because of the -- because you started a business? yeah. i -- i think in their culture, they're a little bit more conservative in the sense that they value

someone who goes nine-to-five job or -- so culturally it's hard. they don't see the value -- yeah. [ sniffles ] [ crying ] it's moving, i got to tell you. [ crying ] i think you ought to sit tonight and write her parents a thank-you note. and you ought to start like this -- "thank you for the insults, "for not thinking i'm worthy enough for your daughter. watch me now, and watch what i do." they're no better motivation in the world than somebody who insults you. those parents are guaranteeing your success. and if your fiancée doesn't marry you, i will marry you. [ laughter ] move to japan quickly! phillip, i will -- your story really moved me, i gotta tell you. it's painful to listen to that. ask -- ask him to put his money where his mouth is. that's the challenge. lori: that's right. if you were crying, help him out. i was. i was moved by that story, but now i'm back in reality.

you know... i'd love to figure out how to do this, but i think it's -- it's a very, very difficult task. you don't want to let emotions make financial decisions, and i don't, and that's what's kept me true as a great investor. i'm out. you have one shark left. phillip, eric, you have one shark left. what are you gonna do? [ clicks tongue ] look, i -- in the six years we've been up here, here's what i've learned. people that succeed in life tend to have a need for something greater than themselves. i have a huge chip on my shoulder. the guys always make fun of me. and it always goes back to the need to improve my parents' life. you have your own drive, and that's never gonna go away. you're always gonna work a little harder and -- and keep going. but it takes time. you're not gonna change the consumer market like this.

this is gonna take time. that's the thing that we have. that's what i have, and i'm willing to put in. and i think -- you know, sometimes you make an investment because you see a tipping point. my only point to you is there's a tipping point, and it's far away. it's gonna take time to recoup this. $150,000 for 35%. [ gasps ] yowie. do you mind if we take a second to talk about it? sure. [ speaking japanese ] so -- [ continues in japanese ] are they speaking japanese? yes. [ continues in japanese ] [ speaking japanese continues ]

i-i -- we'd like to counter at 25%. i'll meet you in the middle. i'll do $150,000 for 30%. [ speaking japanese ] we just have one last question for you. do you want your putter now or later with your name engraved on it? 'cause we'd love to do a deal with you. barbara: ah, great! all right! i'll -- i'll take all of them. thank you. [ laughs ] great job, guys. it's beautiful. congratulations. i appreciate all the comments. thank you very much. yeah. i hope the next time we see you, you're married. [ laughter ] how do you say "good job" in japanese? [ speaks japanese ] [ speaks japanese ] [ repeats in japanese ] lori and eric: [ repeating in japanese ] yatta! yatta! oh, man, that was crazy! phillip: it's gonna feel so good to finally win over the approval of my fiancée's parents.

to know that you have a shark on your side that's rooting for you -- that felt really good. it makes me feel like i can conquer the world. [ chuckles ] >> welcome to the shark tank, where entrepreneurs seeking an investment will face these sharks. if they hear a great idea, they'll invest their own money or fight each other for a deal. this is "shark tank." ♪ to get the most out of your workouts. hello, sharks. my name is patrick whaley, and i'm the founder and c.e.o. of titin. i'm here seeking $500,000 for a 5% equity stake in my company. yowza. titin is a patented, form-fitting,