Yeah, I Was On "Shark Tank": The Unlikely Path an Entrepreneur Took Before Making It Onto the Hit TV Show
Welcome to another edition of Generation Si! 👋🏼👋🏾👋 For many of you, it would be a dream come true to appear on the hit TV show, "Shark Tank." Today, I’m excited to share with you the story of someone who was on "Shark Tank", and got a deal from one of the "Sharks." In Part One, you’ll learn about all the steps leading to Sebastian Garcia’s journey on the famed program. In Part Two (in my next newsletter), I’ll take you on Garcia’s audition and show taping and share what happened afterwards.
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🌴 In today's newsletter, learn the following:
🌴The product development process for Garcia
🌴 The importance of consistency in going after your goal
🌴 What did and didn't work for Garcia regarding business growth
🌴 Now, find out what Sebastian Garcia's entrepreneurial journey looked like prior to "Shark Tank"
BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND ASK QUESTIONS
All Sebastian Garcia wanted to do was to attend a small business expo to learn about franchising.
“As I get to the expo, I see a long line out the door. And I ask people, 'What’s this line about? What’s this line for?' And they’re like, 'Oh, that’s the 'Shark Tank' auditions.'”
But "Shark Tank" wasn’t even on Sebastian Garcia’s radar. And he didn’t even think it was something he could realistically consider for his big idea: lapels that you could stick onto your suit and instantly dress up for a fancy occasion.
Sebastian at the Bella's Ball Gala - Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation (2018)
THE TIP JAR (Tips provided courtesy of Sebastian Garcia)
STARTING OUT: “When you start a business, you’re going to encounter things you can’t fathom…. It’s like driving a new car. You go too fast. And [if] you don’t know how to drive it? You’re going to crash. But if you drive slow[ly], you’re still going to crash. But you’re not going to go out of business.”
STEEPED IN SKILLS (mid-career): “Commit to something every single day. Do things methodically and have a game plan. And do things in stages.”
STARTING OVER: “You need to be passionate about something. You need to have what’s called grit because you’re going to be thrown to the floor so many times. And if you don’t have that grit and you don’t have that passion, you’re not going to get far. So you really need to dissect your motives. Is it for the money? And, again, it has to be more than that.”
I’LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN: Garcia says he wouldn’t blow a lot of money on one ad.
“It’s not like I’m going to do an international commercial, go on TV and this is going to explode. No. You may have a spike… when that commercial airs for one day. But that’s not sustainable.”
“To be sustainable, you do things organically. Home-grown, and you go slow[ly]…”
BEST ADVICE FROM “LA CASA”/BEST “HOUSE” ADVICE: Garcia says there wasn’t any specific piece of advice his parents gave, but it was more of a general theme.
“What really matters?”
“Whatever robs you of your peace isn’t worth it.”
SOLVE A PROBLEM BY PROVIDING THE MARKET WITH AN “ALTERNATE” OPTION
The removable lapels that grabbed the attention of the "Sharks" on "Shark Tank"
Garcia was eager to share the lapel product he developed after working at his father’s retail store and opening a sub-brand called My Grooms Room.
That’s when he realized those who needed to rent a tuxedo are faced with a dilemma: “The first option was to rent… spending hundreds of dollars on something that is ill-fitting [and] used.”
Or you could buy a tuxedo and “spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to purchase something you may not use again.”
He reasoned, “If I created another option for my client, this would be brilliant. So then I started testing out fabrics, testing out textiles onto suits, creating a tuxedo look. And I thought to myself, this would solve 80% of my client’s problem.”
THE DEFINITION OF COURAGE IS BEING AFRAID AND GOING THROUGH WITH IT, ANYWAY
Garcia calls it serendipity that, one day, a textile manufacturer walked into the store. Garcia summoned up the courage to tell the man his idea.
“It took a lot of courage because, at that point… some people would laugh at the idea. And some people thought, wow. What a very cool idea.”
Garcia was also scared to share the idea for fear that someone would steal it.
But he decided to take a chance.
BE READY - ALWAYS
He brought out the prototype for his lapel idea and asked the manufacturer for his honest opinion about it.
“And this guy tells me, ‘Sebastian, I haven’t been this excited in 30 years.’”
“So, at first, I’m like, stop. You know, you don’t have to sugarcoat me.”
The manufacturer said he was serious and added, “This is phenomenal. Why hasn’t someone thought of this?”
DO SOMETHING DAILY OR WEEKLY TOWARDS YOUR GOAL: PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
Garcia reasoned, “Maybe someone has thought of this. But they haven’t executed it.”
And that’s difference between Garcia and others.
He did the work behind-the-scenes.
The manufacturer put Garcia in touch with a broker in China who sent him measurements and ideas. The momentum was kicking in for him.
“Next thing you know, months later, I’m receiving my first sample. And then it’s going back and forth with the adhesive… That was the tricky part because, you know, you can’t have something that’s going to damage the garment… Who wants to put something sticky and gooey onto a suit? No one does.”
EXPECT TO GO THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR, MANY TIMES OVER
After a lot of trial and error, the adhesive issue was solved.
On a weekly basis, he worked on some aspect of his lapel idea. That included work on “colors, fabrics, designs, trying on adhesives,” as well as “finding the universal size for the product.”
Finally, he started selling his lapel innovation at his store.
“And, again, people would still laugh. People would be, like, I would never wear that!”
And then he would hear the opposite from others. They’d say, “This is genius!”
Garcia decided, even if he just made one phone call a day, or took another small step advancing him towards his goal of selling his lapels on a wider scale, it was all “going to build up to something.”
Of course, he never believed that “something” would be "Shark Tank."
That just wasn’t in the realm of possibility for him.
THERE’S NOT JUST ONE WAY TO SUCCESS
The bid that won the charity auction to pitch Mark Cuban
But he did think he might be able to bid his way into meeting Mark Cuban through a celebrity charity auction to pitch his lapel product.
“The business model [for the charity auction] was, If you donate “x” amount of money, we can get you the opportunity to pitch your… business proposal to Mark Cuban.”
It sounded great - until “the bid went up to like $20,000.”
“Long story short: I was outbid.”
But then something else happened.
MOTIVATION COMES IN MANY FORMS
“That morning, I’m running… I see this large vessel, this large ship. And that ship, to me, was symbolic of the grandeur of my idea.”
Garcia saw it as a sign from the universe. While he may have lost the charity auction bidding, he should “keep going.”
Suddenly, about an hour later, he gets a text message from a friend letting him know, “I heard Mark Cuban’s in town. His yacht is docking at so and so dock.”
“And then he sends me the photo of the guy’s yacht. And it’s the same yacht I saw in the morning.”
DON’T JUST TALK A GOOD GAME, GO OUT THERE AND DO IT
“So, now, the universe is conspiring again. I’m going, you know, excuse my French, apes***. Like, wait a second. I gotta show up. I gotta do something!”
He decides, “I’m going to take some samples. I’m going to show up. I’m going to practice what I preach.”
A “WALL” MAY JUST BE A DETOUR OR A RE-DIRECTION OF YOUR PATH
Garcia is excited about his idea - until he runs into a wall.
This time the wall was in the form of a security guard who stops him and tells him, “Hey, what are you doing? Get away from the boat.”
Garcia pleads with the security guard, “Just give me 10 minutes of your time…”
The security guard tells him, “’It’s not gonna happen. Get away.’”
“So nothing came of it. But I felt good that I put my effort in – that I showed up. Because that took a lot of courage from me.”
Wait till you find out what happened next and how Garcia ended up on "Shark Tank." That’s in Part Two, which will be in the next issue of Generation Si!
Sebastian Garcia, founder of The Lapel Project: Taking chances to make things happen
INDUSTRY: Retail (Formalwear)
STARTED WORK ON PRODUCT CONCEPT: Around 2011 (approximately 5 years before appearing on "Shark Tank")
LATINO CONNECTION: Garcia’s parents are Cuban
EDUCATION: University of Florida – Bachelor’s degree in International Food and Resource Economics
NO NEED TO GO IT ALONE
HELP ON THE OUTSIDE...because we can all use a helping hand:
Retail Corner: Get Answers Now on Inflation, Supply Chain and Other Challenges
In this *recorded webinar, you’ll hear the Q&A session addressing modern retail challenges such as supply chain problems, inflation and employee retention. It’s led by Ritchie Sayner, a SCORE mentor with decades of retail experience to help you tackle industry issues.
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
“Ask an Expert – Retail Strategies that Address Supply Chain, Automated Technology, Social Commerce and More”
*Recorded Webinar (Taped on 7/14/22)
FREE
https://www.score.org/event/ask-expert-retail-strategies
WORKING ON THE INSIDE...because we know our culture has a hard time asking for help:
Maintaining Momentum
You just read about how important momentum was for Sebastian Garcia. Now, in the 3rd webinar of this SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Orlando series, you’ll find out how to keep momentum going with tips for measuring success and celebrating wins. Don’t worry if you missed the first two parts. Cynthia Blackwell, the author of “The Magical Power of 3: Roadmap to Success, Wealth and Happiness,” will review what you missed and help you put it all together to keep you motivated, not demoralized.
SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Orlando
“How to Leverage Your Personality to Sell More” – Part 3 of 3
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Online Webinar
FREE
https://orlando.score.org/event/how-leverage-your-personality-sell-more-%E2%80%93-part-3-3-1
INSPIRATION FOR THIS ISSUE:
I had a former co-worker who told me the story of a high school graduation she attended where she noticed that many of the graduates went on stage trying “to be different,” just for the sake of being different.
She said our culture seems to emphasize being unique and different as the key to success. But what struck me was that she thought many of the young people were forgetting about another factor – excellence.
Sure, when you are trying to launch your business, you want to differentiate your product or service. You want to offer something new or something that solves a problem.
But her point was that people, sometimes, get too caught up in being different just to be different and then neglect the basics – skills, honing your craft and actually being good at what you do, not just having a showy exterior.
I think this can be applied here in a modified way.
I think people underestimate the work required to develop, fix, alter, improve and make a product ready for market.
Notice that Sebastian Garcia committed to consistently tackling or finessing his raw idea. He did something every week to move the ball forward.
Don’t forget the basics. You have to work on the many small elements that form a solid foundation.
That’s how you achieve excellence.
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Close-up of one of the charity-focused lapels from The Lapel Project