Send A Ball Before Shark Tank
Michele Kapustka and Melisa Moroko started their own business, which is designed to “send a little fun”. They are sisters, neighbors and business partners in a company called Send a Ball Inc. They operate their business in Chicago, Illinois, out of Michele’s garage. They have seven children between them, and they help out with the company for some extra cash.
Michele Kapustka states that, if they were able to get an investment from the Shark, they could mass-produce, automate the production, move into a real facility and maybe get their kids off the payroll. Melisa Moroko states that they are slammed with orders and they need the Sharks, and they need them immediately, in order to be able to meet the demand.
Send A Ball During Shark Tank
“Michele Kapustka and Melisa Moroko walk confidently and stand in front of the Sharks”
Michele Kapustka and Melisa Moroko start their presentation by introducing themselves to the Sharks, and telling them that they have a company called Send A Ball. Michele Kapustka states that they are looking for an investment of eighty six thousand dollars, in exchange for a twenty percent stake in their company.
Melisa Moroko continues by saying that Send A Ball is an internet based greeting company, which ships fully inflated balls through the mail. There is no box, no packaging, no bubble wrap and the balls are delivered by regular mailmen. Just like an envelope, the stamps and the address go right on the ball. The kicker is that the greeting also goes on the ball, such as “Have A Ball on your birthday” or “Bounce back soon”.
“Robert Herjavec looks enthusiastic and has a smile on his face”
Michele Kapustka continues the presentation by stating that, getting a ball in the mail is so much fun, that most people who get a ball in the mail, order a ball for someone else within forty-eight hours. She states that that is how they were able to grow their business and that they have been able to ship double the amount of balls, each year, since they started their company. The problem is, that the outsourced manufacturing for the balls can’t keep up with what Michele and Melisa are doing.
Michele Kapustka states that they have to bring manufacturing of the balls, into their own little place in Chicago, so that they will be able to fulfill the orders, because they cannot seem to be able to keep up with the demand. Melisa Moroko states that they need specialized equipment, which they will be able to use to manufacture more balls, and fulfill all of their orders.
“Robert Herjavec asks why they are looking for eighty six thousand dollars, which is such an odd number to ask for”
Michele Kapustka answers the question by saying that, while they were growing up, they would only ask what they would really need from their parents. This is the reason why they are asking for eighty six thousand dollars. Michele continues by saying that she has done a lot of research into the equipment that they need, and that is why they know the exact amount of money they need, in order to build the machine that would be able to print logos on the balls.
“Kevin Harrington asks what their total sales are”
Michele Kapustka answers the question by saying that their sales have been a hundred thousand dollars a year, since they have started.
“Kevin O’Leary asks how he could order a customized ball”
Michele Kapustka answers the question by saying that he would have to call them, and that he would have to specify who he is sending the ball to, and on which occasion. It costs twenty dollars to send a ball and about five dollars for Michele Kapustka and Melisa Moroko to manufacture a ball, which means they make fifteen dollars in profit per ball.
“Robert Herjavec asks how Michele and Melisa came up with the idea for Send A Ball”
Michele Kapustka answers the question by stating that she was standing in line at the post office, and the guy behind her asked what she was doing with a ball in her hand, to which she answered that she was sending it to her friend, as a birthday greeting. The guy was surprised and asked if Michele could send a ball in his name as well, which gave her the idea to start a company with her sister, because they thought they were onto something.
“The Sharks start laughing and saying that the postmen probably hate them”
Melisa Moroko states that the postmen actually love them and their idea for Send A Ball. She continues by saying that, before they started Send A Ball, they went to the post office and asked if it was alright with them, and they answered by saying that revenue is revenue.
“Daymond John asks Michele and Melisa where they are making the balls”
Michele and Melisa both answer by saying that they are manufacturing and blowing up the balls in their garage, and their sons help them with it.
“Kevin O’Leary jokingly says that he loves the slave labor part of the Send A Ball business”
Michele states that their business has nothing to do with slave labor, and that her sons help her with Send A Ball, as part of their daily chores, and they get paid as well. Michele states that the younger workers are getting paid six dollars an hour and the older workers are getting paid eight dollars an hour.
“Robert Herjavec asks Michele how big the business would have to be, if she would rent an office place, machines and paid a salary for herself and her sister”
Michele Kapustka answers the question by saying that they are already making money right now. She continues by stating that they are shipping fifty to seventy balls a day, and if they would be able to ship a hundred or more balls a day, it would all be profit.
Kevin O’Leary says that the story is very interesting and that Michele and Melisa are very pleasant to listen to. He states that, as an investment, Send A Ball is challenging, and that he does not want to be in the ball business at all. Kevin O’Leary wishes them both Melisa and Michele good luck, and states that he is out.
“Barbara Corcoran states that she is not even sure if they need an investor, and asks Michele if they have been to the bank for a loan”
Melisa Moroko answers the question by saying that they have been to the bank, and they could have gotten a loan, but they do not only want money, they also want the connections that any of the Sharks would bring them.
Kevin Harrington states that he loves the entrepreneurial story, but that there is nothing proprietary about their idea, which is unfortunate. Kevin Harrington continues by saying that anybody could get a ball and ship it, and he does not want to invest in Send A Ball. Kevin Harrington states that he is out as well.
Daymond John states that he feels the same as Kevin Harrington, and that he has so much respect for what Melisa and Michele are doing, but they do not need him as a partner. Daymond John states that he is out as well.
Robert Herjavec states that he really enjoyed the presentation, and that maybe one day he will call Michele or Melisa to send a ball to someone, but he does not want to invest in their company. Robert Herjavec states that he is out.
Barbara Corcoran states that she has changed her mind back and forth since the start of the presentation, and says that Michele and Melisa are both going to be very successful. Barbara Corcoran states that she is out as well, and says that she does not want them to hate her, because they would if she would invest in Send A Ball. Barbara Corcoran states that they don’t need her, or any of the Sharks for that matter.
Robert Herjavec states that both Michele and Melisa have done wonderful, and that their honesty and fun showed brightly throughout their presentation.
“All of the Sharks thank both Melisa and Michele for their presentation, and for making their day with their jokes and honesty”’
At the end interview, Melisa Moroko states that they have got shot down by the Sharks, but that is fine, because they have a ball business, and they are going to bounce back soon.
Send A Ball After Shark Tank – 2018 Update
Michele Kapustka and Melisa Moroko were definitely not struggling with their company’s finances. However, they needed a boost from the Sharks, both financially and by means of connecting them with their connections. Send A Ball is being operated in Michele Kapustka’s garage, and because they do not have to pay a lot of money for rent and workers, they are making a big profit. Michele and Melisa needed an investment from the Sharks to be able to scale up their production, automate it, to rent a manufacturing facility and to purchase different machines for their balls.
There is no mention of Send A Ball being the best or worst on Shark Tank, however, the Sharks keep mentioning that they enjoyed the presentation, and loved the story behind their company. The reason why the Sharks did not invest is because they believed that Michele and Melisa should just take a loan from a bank, and having an investor in a company such as Send A Ball would be of no use to them.
It seems like the company Send A Ball still exists, even though their website and blog is really outdated. You can find Send A Ball products at , where you can select different colored balls and write your own custom message on it. After you have done that, you will be able to fill in the address and personal information of the person you are sending the ball to. Send A Ball has its own Facebook group where you can see active posts by both Melisa and Michele. You can also read a lot of reviews by people who have send a ball to a family member or a friend. The reviews are mostly positive, and most people really like the fact that they are able to write a customized message on the balls.
I do not believe that Send A Ball has failed as a company, especially because of the fact that there is still so much information available about it, after all these years. At this moment, it does not seem like they are actively looking to expand their company, especially because the Send A Ball website is really outdated. There are still a lot of websites that mention Send A Ball, which makes me believe that the balls are still popular.
There are a total of nine different balls available on the Send A Ball website. Eight of the balls have already got a message written on them, and on the last ball, you can write your own customized message. All of the balls cost sixteen dollars, but you also have to pay for shipping, which ranges from five to ten dollars. The colors that are available are Blue, Pink, Yellow, Red and Green.