Tandem Boogie Before Shark Tank
Surfing is a fun activity that many people enjoy and it has been done for thousands of years. As early as 5,000 years ago people in Peru were surfing in Kayak-like water crafts and they surfed back to shore after a hard day’s work. Surfing has changed since then. The boards are now a lot more aerodynamic and the surfboard is more of a sports tool than a tool for fishing.
The Clark Family which consists of John Clark, His wife, Manya Clark, and their daughters Juliette Clark, Alleana Clark, and Lyla Clark liked to surf and they surfed as a family on the beaches of California where they resided and anywhere else where they could. They saw that although the surfboards available at the time were great, they could be improved upon.
That was why the family got creative and they created the Tandem Boogie. The Tandem Boogie is a surfboard that can be used by 2 people at a time making it ideal for family use. It also has a mounted camera so it can also record fun moments.
The Tandem Boogie had gotten off to a good start but still needed some help and that was what made the Clark Family turn to the Shark Tank for help. They were on the 12th episode of the 17th season.
Tandem Boogie on Shark Tank
Robert was then specifically asked if he wanted to try the tandem boogie. Robert then went to try it and as he did, he confirmed where he would hold it. Lori asked if the board could handle 2 adults side by side without a problem, and if she watched the video once more she would see that they were side by side. By then, Robert had got back to his seat and he said that it was super fun and that it felt very solid.
Lori said that it looked very fun and she was happy that it was a big family but she was curious as to who was running the business. Anya said that it was run by the whole group and every one of them had their own job. She was in charge of manufacturing and operations. She was also in charge of operations and the website.
John said that he was in charge of manufacturing and also in charge and social media. Juliette said that she was the chief fun officer and she made sure that their brand stayed in line with their vision and she was also the creative director. Lyla said that he was in charge of merchandising. Alleana said that she was in charge of community outreach and also making sure that everybody gets their jobs done. She then added that she was the oldest sister
Lori then asked them if they had a background in the profession. Manya then said that she used to believe that anything her husband could sell she could make. She went to the United States as a refugee. However, by the time she was 21, she had a degree in industrial engineering. She was working in a big corporation in manufacturing so she knew how to make products
She then said that her husband John was a salesperson and when their daughter Juliette was 6 months old, they decided to start a business. They started a shelving business and it went very well. Their main goal when they started the business was to have time to spend with their family. The business had been a success and they were still running it. They did about $500,000 in sales annually.
Daniel asked them what their cost of manufacture was and he was told that the landed cost was $150. He was then told that they sold for $459. Kevin said that the idea of packaging it and selling it as something portable as an all-in-one fun idea was very unique. He then said that to him the selling proposition was that their product could be put in the back of a truck and then taken to the beach which was fun.
Kevin said that he knew that there were other products like that in the market so they needed the fun proposition. Lori told Kevin not to be such a killjoy. John said that what was unique about their product was its dynamic air design and they had perfected it. Kevin then asked if there was anyone else who had done what they had done. John said that they had consulted with an attorney and they did file for a utility patent for the design.
Robert asked them what the patent was for and he was told that it was for the location of the handles and a camera mount. Mark Cuban asked them how the sales worked. Juliette said that the Covid-19 pandemic had made them switch towards selling online but they ended up doing a Kickstarter Campaign for one month and they did $43,000 in sales.
Robert then asked them if all their money was from Kickstarter. Juliette said $31,000 was from the Kickstarter and that was between June and July. Robert then confirmed that they were brand new and he was told that they were brand new. Kevin said that if the average boogey board was around $59-79. He asked them if they got pushback for selling the boogey board. Alleana said that it was comparable to low-cost surfboards and it had the advantage of being used by 2 people.
Robert asked them if they had taken their boards to surf shops and to places where people rent. John said that part of their sales came from where people rented the boards. Robert then asked them if they had tried selling them to retail stores. John said that part of their sales came from the 4 retail stores that were carrying their product.
Robert then asked them what they needed the money for and what they needed a shark for. John said that there was opportunity for Tandem Boogie to grow. They wanted to have 25 accounts by the end of the year so that they could have $300,000 in sales that year and they thought that it was a realistic target by the end of the year.
Robert asked them how they would get there by the end of the year if their biggest challenge was distribution. Robert said that people would buy the product if they saw it. John said that he knew how to set up dealers and how to set up accounts. He would set them up personally. Mark Cuban said that he thought that their biggest source of sales would be online sources and what made it work was their marketing ability.
Mark Cuban said that the business was just not there yet and for that reason, he was out. Lori then left and she said that although she liked the product, she just knew that there were better sharks than her for the product. Kevin said that he thought it would be very hard to be making it a $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 business and for that reason, he was out.
Robert liked the product and said that he had worked with a hard board business that had been pitched on Shark Tank before. He then offered them the $100,000 but said that he was not fine with 10%. He asked them to tell him how much he thought he wanted. John asked him if he would be doing the deal alone or if Robert would ask for the help of another shark.
Daniel said that he was interested in partnering with Robert but he would want 25%. Robert said that 25% was not enough and it would take a long time and work to make the business a success. He said that he was willing to partner with Daniel if they gave $100,000 for 35%. Juliette asked him if he was willing to meet in the middle at 30%.
Robert said that he was not ready to do that. The Clark family then accepted the offer. Manya said that Robert and Daniel were a perfect fit for their company because they came to the United States as immigrants and made their American dream come true and that was what she was hoping for.
Tandem Boogie Now in 2025 – The After Shark Tank Update
The Tandem Boogie had a major distribution problem when it was on the Shark Tank and its presence in a major online retail outlet would indicate a major increase in sales. The company is called Tandm Surf now and it has over 1,500 followers on Facebook.
Tandem Surf has its own competition the Tandem Boogie Board Competition which was started in 2019. Tandm Surf is still located in California and its annual revenue is not yet disclosed but all signs point to it being in a much better place now than it ever was.
