Shark Tank on ABC

Last night I watched a great show on ABC, called Shark Tank. I will first admit that I am intrigued by reality TV shows that work with small business and entrepreneurs, such as Peter Perfect and We Mean Business with Bill Rancic, to name a few. But, shark tank really got me excited.

The premise is that there is a panel of 5 business “sharks” who entrepreneurs are pitching their businesses to. These entrepreneurs are looking for investors in their company and are offering a piece of the company for some investment cash. The sharks are brutally honest about how they feel about the company, the entrepreneur and the products.

The part that I liked the most is it actually felt real. And by that I mean it is extremely tough to get capital for a new and often even an existing business. These sharks expected a large piece of the business for their cash. They weren’t just going to give someone a pile of money for a small stake in their small company. They were looking for a real Return on Investment. The entrepreneurs for the most part seemed shocked that the investors wanted such a large share of the business.

The fact is if you are the one putting up the money and in effect taking the risk, you expect to receive a high return. So I would recommend this show to gain an understanding of what it is like when you are out looking for funding and venture capital for your great idea. It is not meant to discourage people, but to let them know that while you came up with the great idea, the chances are high that someone else is going to profit as much or more off of that idea if you cannot afford to fund it yourself.

Check out Shark Tank Sundays 9/8c on ABC.