Podillow Before Shark Tank
Tina Calvert states that she thought it was a great idea, after which they decided to invest some money and they have been working on Podillow ever since. Anthony Calvert states that they found out there is a huge demand for their product, but the problem is that they do not have the available capital to keep up with the demand.
Tina Calvert also states that they definitely need the help of the Sharks at this point. If Anthony and Tina Calvert do not get an investment from the Sharks, it would most likely mean the end of their business and their product.
Podillow During Shark Tank
“Anthony Calvert, Tina Calvert and a bikini model walk confidently towards the Sharks and stand in front of them”
Anthony Calvert starts the presentation by introducing himself and his wife to the Sharks, and states that they are in front of the Sharks to introduce them to Podillow. Anthony Calvert also states that they are looking for an investment of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, in exchange for a thirty three percent stake in their company.
Tina Calvert continues the presentation by stating that the Podillow is a face-down tanning and massage pillow, which also has internal storage pockets to store high-valued personal items, such as your cellphone, car keys and wallet.
Anthony Calvert states that it is somewhat of a side note, but tells the Sharks that he is a twenty-year veteran of the San Diego County sheriff’s department. He also says that the Sharks surely can imagine all the razzing that he got for inventing a product that is pink and fluffy. Anthony Calvert states that his life would have been much easier if he appeared in front of the Sharks with the latest prisoner-control device or a new type of holster.
Anthony Calvert continues the presentation by pointing at the bikini model, who is lying down on her stomach. Anthony Calvert states that lying on your stomach can be pretty difficult to do, whether you are getting a massage, you are tanning or you are just trying to relax at home. You keep turning your head from side to side, and you try to pop your chin up on a rolled up beach towel or your fists. According to Anthony Calvert, none of these techniques actually work and you usually just end up giving up.
Tina Calvert continues the presentation by showing how the bikini model is able to put her face in the hole of the Podillow, which allows you to lie down on your stomach, face down.
“Robert Herjavec asks Anthony Calvert if he got hurt on the job and if that is the reason why he came up with the idea for Podillow”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that Robert Herjavec is actually pretty close with his guess, because he suffered an injury when he was in his departments SWAT team. Anthony Calvert states that he had to get a surgery because of a dislocated shoulder, after which he found out that his back was really pale. For that reason, he decided that tanning would give his skin a nice color; however, he could not get comfortable lying on his stomach.
Anthony Calvert continues by saying that at one moment he was planning an assault in his SWAT team, and an hour later, he was on the phone with manufacturers, trying to find out which flower patterns and colors would be great for the Podillow.
“All of the Sharks start laughing out loud”
“Robert Herjavec asks Anthony Calvert if his friends have been supportive”
“Kevin O’Leary asks Anthony Calvert how many he has sold so far”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that they have sold just short of six thousand units.
“Kevin O’Leary asks Anthony Calvert how long he has been selling Podillows”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that he has been selling Podillows for almost two years.
“Kevin O’Leary asks Anthony Calvert how much he sells the Podillows for”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that the Podillows retail for $29,95.
“Kevin O’Leary asks Anthony Calvert how much it costs to make a single Podillow”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that it costs around seven dollars to manufacture a single Podillow.
“Kevin Harrington asks Anthony Calvert if he has any retail or catalogue distribution”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that they are in two of the largest mail-order catalogues, which are called Lillian Vernon and Solutions. Both of them sold out the Podillows that they had, and Anthony Calvert now has so many orders, he simply cannot meet the demand.
“Daymond John asks Anthony Calvert if he now has orders that he cannot fulfill”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by simply saying that Daymond John is correct.
“Daymond John asks Anthony Calvert how many orders he has”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that Lillian Vernon and Solutions made a fairly large purchase not too long ago, and that he told them he is giving them all his stock. Anthony Calvert claims that in less than a month, Lillian Vernon and Solutions called back to place another Podillow order, but Anthony Calvert had to decline them.
Kevin O’Leary states that he wants to talk about numbers, because he thinks that two hundred and fifty thousand dollars is a high number to ask for, given that Anthony and Tina Calvert only made about twenty one thousand dollars in the past year.
“Kevin O’Leary asks Anthony Calvert if there is maybe a little bit of a dislocation between what he made and what he is telling the Sharks that his company is worth”
Anthony Calvert answers the question by saying that he agrees with Kevin O’Leary’s statement, but he does believe that those numbers are small because of his and his wife’s limited ability to manufacture more Podillows.
Kevin O’Leary states that Anthony Calvert wants him to pay as if Anthony Calvert already had his money. Anthony Calvert is not letting Kevin O’Leary wet is beak on the upside.
“Anthony Calvert admits that he is not a real numbers guy”
“Robert Herjavec states that Anthony Calvert needs to have a better answer”
Anthony Calvert states that he and his wife have been working on Podillow alone and they packaged their products in their garage. Anthony Calvert also states that he has absolutely no marketing budget, and yet he has been able to move six thousand Podillows. He continues by saying that with the proper knowledge, resources and expertise, he truly believes that Podillow will be able to take off.
Robert Herjavec states that what Anthony Calvert is saying is potential, and while he appreciates that, it is definitely not worth seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Robert Herjavec continues by saying that if Anthony Calvert went to a venture capitalist company, they would only pay a multiple of what the company earns, which means that Podillow is maybe worth a hundred thousand dollars today.
Kevin O’Leary states that he sees the merits of the product, but the dislocation between what the expectations are of the value of the company, versus how many products the company has sold thus far, is the same as the distance between the Earth and Moon. And because of this, Kevin O’Leary doesn’t want to invest and states that he is out.
Kevin Harrington states that in his mass-market world, they look for products that can be sold in fifty states and throughout the whole year. He continues by stating that Podillow is more of a beach product for him, which means it’s going to be regional and seasonal. Kevin Harrington does not want to invest in Podillow and states that he is out as well.
Daymond John states that he loves the story, and that he really likes the product. He continues by stating that he could make Anthony and Tina Calvert filthy rich with Podillow. However, Daymond John tells Anthony Calvert that he made a tactical error by overvaluation his company. At two hundred fifty thousand dollars, he would need two hundred percent of the company, which is why he doesn’t want to invest. Daymond John is out as well.
Barbara Corcoran states that it is a shame that Anthony and Tina Calvert didn’t talk to someone who knew something about money before they walked into the Shark Tank. Because of the asking price being so high, Barbara Corcoran doesn’t want to invest and states that she is out.
Robert Herjavec states that Anthony Calvert needs a small loan of about fifty or a hundred thousand dollars. He states that he cannot give them two hundred thousand dollars for something that doesn’t exists yet. Robert Herjavec is out as well.
At the end interview, Anthony Calvert states that the Sharks have been very close-minded, because they only want to deal with hard numbers instead of willing to take the risk.
Podillow Now in 2018 – After Shark Tank
There is no mention of Podillow being the best or worst on Shark Tank. The reason why none of the Sharks wanted to invest in Podillow is because they thought Anthony Calvert over valuated his company, and appeared on Shark Tank unprepared.
Even though Anthony and Tina Calvert were not able to secure an investment from the Sharks, it seems like they are still selling Podillows to this date. You can find them on Amazon or on the Podillow website at http://www.podillow.com. The Podillow website does not seem to be updated in a long time, but you can still submit a wholesale request, after which you will get contacted by either Anthony or Tina Calvert.
It seems like there are several knockoff Podillow products on Amazon nowadays; however, the original one is there as well. The price for the original Podillow is set at $34,95 plus free shipping. It should be noted that there are a lot of mixed reviews about the Podillow, ranging from one star till five star ratings. The people that gave it a low rating usually complain about a chemical smell coming off of the pillow. Other people praise Podillow for allowing them to lie down comfortably while they are tanning.
