Tampa entrepreneurs are taking a swim in the Shark Tank -- and are doing more than just surviving.
So what’s the secret to their success?
If you’re considering a new career in the new year, they are sharing how they got their ideas and advice to be successful.
The four business owners all have connection to the show, and they’re fans.
ABS Pancakes, the latest to take a dive, took a breakfast favorite and made it healthy.
“That's right. Get your abs while eating protein pancakes,” said founder Ashley Drummonds, “Going into it, we want Daymond. That was our focus.”
She and her partner, Josh McClelland, are former personal trainers, and they landed a $120,000 deal.
They wanted to show us the product, but they don’t have any left.
“We literally sold out as they showed the Shark Tank previews. It's a 30 second commercial, if even that,” Drummonds said.
SynDaver Labs is also on the show. The company builds synthetic humans that look, feel and sound real. It replaces cadavers for research.
Dr. Chris Sakezles got a $3 million investment from a shark, but ended up turning it down later and still has grown the company from 10 to 80 employees in six months.
“If you look at our website, the night shark tank was released, it increased a thousand fold... Every time it re-airs, you can see it spike again,” said Sakezles.
The company Fresh Patch of Grass is striking a deal too. Thanks to the exposure, business is up 300 percent, which means they are selling a patch of grass every minute, helping dogs owners without backyards.
And even realtors, The Duncan Duo, are seeing green. They were not on the show, but they still invested their own money to get endorsed by a shark.
Though the success looks easy, all of them say it took years -- even decades -- with long hours and sleepless nights.
“Packing pancakes at midnight, that was our dates, he would come over and help pack pancakes,” said Drummonds.
Their advice: If you have an idea, do it.
“Don't give up. There were numerous opportunities along the way that I was told to give up,” Sakezles said.
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