@ Biaggi

Stephen Hersh entered the Shark Tank with foldable luggage asking for $500,000 for a 30% stake in his company. Having already invested $3.5 million into the business, and already showing revenue of $2.5 million in two years, he is ready for a Shark to jump in and help grow his business.

Biaggi luggage folds up for easy storage taking much less space than conventional luggage. But is that enough of a differentiator in the market place? Mark, Robert and Kevin did not think so, and were out almost immediately. As Stephen graciously acknowledged each of the three Sharks for their time, it seemed pretty likely that the remaining Sharks would feel the same way.

Daymond surprised us by making an offer to offer the $500,000 for 33% of the company. He had just done a luggage deal with HSN and felt this would be a great add on. Stephen thanked him for his offer and cast his eyes at Lori to see if she was willing to bite. That’s when the tension began.

Daymond wanted to force Stephen’s hand and have him make a decision on the spot. Well, actually he said he could have 20 seconds to think about it. Lori started talking about the product and how it solved a problem. She was calm, cool, and collected as usual, and totally unmoved and uninfluenced by Daymond’s 20 second time limit.

Daymond gave Stephen the 5 second warning, and then, rather than asking Stephen for a decision, asked Lori if she was going to be making an offer. This was certainly a weak moment for Daymond. Lori said she would make an offer, and proceeded to offer Stephen the same package as Daymond did, saying they would be live on QVC within 4 months.

What does Stephen do? He calls a friend. We all get to listen in on the call where his partner tells him to “gauge which one of them will be most interested but beyond HSN and QVC”. Interesting advice as it speaks to a long term strategy rather than just a short tactical approach to selling the product.

Coming back to the Shark Tank, Kevin reviews the offers calling this a beauty contest (no comment). But before Stephen gets to speak, Daymond says he needs to know which marketing strategy Stephen thinks is his best next step: getting the product into stores or having a demonstrable sales strategy. Stephen of course says “demonstrable” (isn't that what they were both talking about?) and surprisingly, Daymond backs out saying that Lori is the better Shark for Stephen to partner with. Lori is shocked and her expression says it all!

With no decision left to make, Stephen takes Lori’s offer without even asking about plans beyond an initial QVC run. In the end, a conversation with Stephen’s business partner caused him to lose Daymond as a possible business partner. And Daymond may have been too sheepish in saying that Lori was the better Shark. It almost seemed as though Daymond had second thoughts about how his expertise could help Biaggi. But only time will tell us what Lori ultimately brings to the table other than an initial run on QVC.

Did you see Lori’s face?! That’s what happens when one Shark compliments another Shark! Be careful Lori, he may be setting you up for something down the road. After all, he is a Shark too!

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