Surviving The Tank: How A 13 Year Old Snatched a Deal with Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran
Introduce us to your business, how you got the idea, and how you sourced any materials.
Q-Flex is a acupressure massage tool that’s designed to help you relieve tension and pain. I started Q-Flex at the age of 13 when my mom would come home from her nursing job very sore, and she would ask me to massage her back for her. In the beginning, I was happy to do it, but I knew that there had to be a better way. I searched the market for something that she would conveniently use herself, but found nothing. That’s when I decided to make something! I really wanted to help both my mom and the millions of other people suffering from this same issue. I started out testing different angles, shapes, and materials until I found the perfect prototype. I then took it to a local manufacturer and made a mold, and started manufacturing them!
How did you go about manufacturing your product, as that is a major obstacle for many entrepreneurs?
I started by approaching a local manufacturer, and we’ve stuck with the same company since!
Tell us about the backend of your business and if there is any online tools or apps you use to stay organized?
We use Shipstation to generate and print all of our shipping labels, and host our site and eccomerce on Shopify. We absolutely love them and totally recommend it if its within an entrepreneur’s budget.
How have you been able to get the word out about your product? Any direct or online marketing tips?
All of our sales have been pretty organic-We surprisingly have not done any marketing besides appearing on TV for interviews and such.
Talk about your time on Shark Tank, how you got on the show, and how involved the Sharks were after the deal.
Shark tank was an absolutely life changing experience. From the thrill of getting a live deal with two sharks, to watching our episode air on TV and seeing our sales grow exponentially within minutes. I got on by auditioning thru an open call in San Diego, California. My mom and I camped out overnight to ensure our spot in line, and I pitched to the casting directors first thing in the morning. I pitched my 60 second pitch, got a great response, but walked out of the building completely disappointed in myself. I thought I did horribly and bombed it, and there was no way that I would get a call back. Guess I was wrong. 2 weeks later, I got a call from Sony productions saying that they liked us and they wanted to move us on to the next round of auditioning. I remember screaming and running up and down the hallways of my home, I was so excited. We eventually made it through all the rounds of elimination and auditioning and were one of the businesses picked out of around 100,000 companies. The rest is history ;)
Any advice for entrepreneurs wanting to get on Shark Tank? Also, advice on getting your product on store shelves?
Ask yourself, what makes YOU different? What do you bring to the table? Give them a reason to pick you. The Shark Tank team is really on the entrepreneur’s side. They want to see you get a deal and succeed, so they only want to put the cream of the crop in front of those sharks. Be confident and passionate about your product or business, and that energy will definetly be seen by casting.
As for getting on store shelves, the biggest thing would be to make sure you know your product and do your research.
Where do you see QFlex going in the future?
We hope to add new products in to the line and get on to more retail shelves!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A river cuts through rock not because of it’s power but because of it’s persistence. You don’t have to be labeled as smart or the best to succeed, you just have to have true hustle and drive.
Thanks so much for talking with us!
-The Create Team
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