Cerebral Success before Shark Tank
Cerebral Success is a brain supplement designed specifically for college students. It was started by Trevor Hiltbrand out of his college dorm room who wanted to find a better supplement for college students than the commonly used Adderall. With tons of research and help from professionals, Trevor was able to create a supplement that contained ingredients that worked together to help improve one’s brain power.
Trevor was unable to get FDA approval before coming on the show which is always a concern for the Sharks. He was, however, able to successfully sell his product online through his website and Amazon and gain multiple positive reviews as a backup plan for credibility. This led to Cerebral Success being called the #1 Brain Food Supplement. Wanting to prove that Cerebral Success really helps college students and grow the company, Trevor applied to be on Shark Tank and was invited for Season Five.
Cerebral Success on Shark Tank
Trevor entered the Tank and went straight into the issue that college students face with everyday distractions when studying and his solution in a brain supplement called Cerebral Success. The supplement vitalizes one’s focus, memory, mental agility, and overall brain health. Kevin interrupted his pitch, letting Trevor know that he forgot to state what investment he needed. Trevor than stated he was seeking $75,000 for 20%. He went back to his pitch by presenting his newer product in an energy shot drinks that had the same benefits as Cerebral Success.
Like most health related products that come on the Tank, Robert immediately asked if there was any scientific proof that Cerebral Success works. Although Trevor had reviews and research on individual ingredients working, he didn’t have proof that stated all of the ingredients together are guaranteed to work. Robert moved aside from this issue and was now interested in the numbers. Trevor mentioned he sold nine hundred bottles at seventy dollars each with a ten dollar cost which led to profits of sixty thousand. Kevin, expectedly, questioned how this product was different than any other supplements on the market. Trevor mentioned his product was designed specifically for college students while most brain supplements are aimed at the older market.
Barbara and Mark went back to the issue of how one would know if the product really works with Mark asking “you don’t really believe this will lead to cerebral success do you?” Trevor felt it would and backed it up with the heavy research he’d done along with professionals he’d worked with. Robert was now interested in how immediate the effect was of the supplements and Trevor mentioned it works short-term and long-term such as helping one recall information for a test the next day. Daymond brought up his concern of Trevor having no proven credibility and went out. Trevor tried to sell his product on the huge market, but Robert mentioned that just because a product has a big market, doesn’t mean it will sell. Because he didn’t believe in the product, Robert also went out.
Getting nervous, Trevor brought up an example of a college student viewing the product and the high likelihood of the student buying it because of the claims even through the product has no track record. This story actually upset the Sharks, with Mark now questioning Trevor’s ethics after reading the warning on the bottle which stated multiple requirements such as consulting a professional or not taking the supplements with other medication. Barbara, however, defended Trevor saying that warning is on every bottle. Trevor tried to defend his integrity, but Robert jumped in, specifically stating Trevor’s example of selling to a desperate college student is “dirty money” and couldn’t believe he wanted to go after that market.
Trevor was now confused as to why the Sharks were questioning his integrity as he mentioned he really believed in the product and knew it worked. Kevin didn’t care about the discussion of integrity and felt he couldn’t get a return on his investment and went out. Mark said he might have considered the product if Trevor came in wanting to use the money to do a test to confirm the product works, but because his pitch was heavily marketing based, Mark didn’t agree with the strategy and went out. Barbara was the last Shark left and gave her experience of dealing with people who have trouble focusing such as her husband and her child who went to an Ivy League college and how she learned college students trade Adderall faster than beer. Barbara was the only Shark to see the need for the product, but was concerned on the liability aspect of it and was willing to make a deal contingent upon her having no liability if anything goes wrong which Trevor agreed to. Barbara than made her offer of $75,000 for 40% which upset all the Sharks. Trevor countered at 37%, but Barbara immediately declined not taking that counter offer seriously. Trevor decided to take her original offer and Barbara mentioned the Sharks were too close minded and were treating Trevor like a thief before he left. Robert specifically told Barbara that he was upset at her choice in investing because that gives Trevor credibility, but Barbara stated she knows that products like this do indeed help people function better.
Cerebral Success after Shark Tank
The deal between Barbara and Trevor closed after Shark Tank. Cerebral Success was shown on Barbara’s all-star update where she invites her most successful entrepreneur’s for a day to network and have fun with one another. Trevor mentioned that Barbara helped him launch the product in eleven-hundred GNC stores with one phone call. Trevor has since updated his main product, calling his Smart X by Cerebral Success and changing the packing and price point.
Trevor began his pitch very well by mentioning what his product did and being honest about not having scientific proof rather than dancing around the question. However, as the pitch went on and many of the Sharks became concerned, it appeared Trevor got nervous and didn’t respond to the concerns with good examples and explanations. Rather than trying to prove there is a big demand for the product even if there is no scientific credibility, Trevor should have focused on what his goal was with the product which is to help college students as it came off as if he was selling the product to only make money. Although it is hard to address these situations under such pressure, it is good to go in with any idea of concerns that will be brought up and specific examples of how you will address them. Luckily, Trevor was able to do this for a majority of the pitch which proved to Barbara, who luckily had knowledge about the industry, that he really had something to help college students.
Where can I buy this product?
You can actually purchase Cerebral Success on Amazon.com by clicking the following link (the discount will be automatically applied when you click the link)
Honestly though we’ve used a few “nootropic” mental enhancing supplements and the one that’s worked best for us has been the NuMatrix supplement by Neuropharm Labs. It’s a similar idea to Cerebral success but with better ingredients and a much stronger backing in science. If you want to give NuMatrix a shot you can also purchase it on Amazon.com by clicking the following link.
Cerebral Success
What do the reviews look like?
Trevor has multiple examples of positive reviews on his website, something he heavily emphasized in the Tank. There are also positive reviews on other outlets such as Amazon and Youtube.
