Pick-up Pools
Pick-up Pools is a company from San Dimas, CA (no word on the state of the Circle-K), that solves the riddle as to why there isn't a pool where you are, right now. The answer, according to Pick-up Pools, is liner for a pickup truck that can hold water to form an instant pool where ever that truck is parked.[1]
The Pick-up Pools product was dreamed up by an active Air Force pilot who wanted to make life better in the heat of summer. The liner fills the bed of a pickup truck and even includes a drain so the pool can be emptied without having to lower the tailgate and... you know... risk a tidal wave of water flooding out. The entrepreneur was inspired to create the product in 2014 when he didn't have a pool but his daughter wanted to swim.[2] The current model is made out of above-ground pool liner and manufactured in the United States. Apparently, the product is also patented.[3]
The current product is sold online between $110 and $200 per unit depending on the size needed. Since selling online, Pick-up Pools has made $7,060 in sales but lifetime sales are $12,000, including a proof-of-concept run that made in 2015. Apparently, though the initial proof-of-concept was successful, the manufacturer retired, necessitating that the company find a new one.
Because the entrepreneur is still an active Air Force officer (and will be for the next eight years), he brought in his sister for a percentage of the business to find a new manufacturer and to run things.
The entrepreneur is looking for investment so the company can create a new website to drive traffic to as well as to bring down the manufacturing cost to $25 per unit to be sold at $60.[4]
This deal aired on Episode 10.17.
Making A Deal
Both Kevin and Lori wonder aloud whether the sales indicate that there is a big enough market for the Pick-up Pools product to succeed and both exit the deal. Robert quickly follows suit.
Barbara decides to make an offer but states that it's entirely contingent on meeting the entrepreneur's sister, gauging her level of commitment, and whether the price can actually be lowered to under $100. If these conditions can be met, Barbara states that she would be willing to offer $100,000 for 25% equity in the business.
Mark comes in last and offers the entrepreneur $100,000 in exchange for 33% but without any contingencies. In fact, he states that he plans to get the product to Tower Paddle Boards for marketing.
Notes
- ↑ For those who have been watching the show for a while, this deal is vaguely reminiscent of AirBedz, a company from season three that failed to find a shark to make a deal with. AirBedz made a kind of air mattress that would fit within the bed of a pickup truck proving that people see potential in pickup truck beds and are still figuring out new ways to put them to use.
- ↑ Presumably, she still can't as the pool is only as large as the bed of a pickup truck. But, as someone who has survived both California and New York summers, your Stats Shark can assure you that having any body of water that you can soak in on a hot day is better than none.
- ↑ Searching on the entrepreneur's name yielded Patent No 9,352,703 entitled "Adaptable watertight barrier" on the USPTO website. However, searching for the terms "Pickup AND truck AND bed AND water" also yielded Patent No 5,201,562 titled "Truck pool apparatus" from 1992 proving, once again, that the patent system is well and truly broken.
- ↑ One can make the assumption that the way the entrepreneur intends to lower manufacturing costs is to make a larger order as this most often results in a lower cost.