How Shark Tank’s Paddlesmash Did Over $100,000 in Sales in 3 Days
What do you get when you combine Pickleball (the leisurely game of hitting a ball with a paddle alongside some friends) with Spikeball (the not-so-leisurely game of “spiking” a ball toward your partner)? You get Paddlesmash.
We sat down with Tim Swindle and Scott Brown, who pitched the new sport on Season 15 of Shark Tank, to hear all about the pitching process, where their business is now, and how they’re creating a totally new sport.
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Smashing Onto the Show
Perhaps one of the more interesting (and envied) ways to wind up on the show
“We were at a trade show in March earlier this year and everyone kept telling us ‘You need to go on
“On the last day of the trade show, as we were on our way to the airport, a producer reached out asking us if we’d be interested in applying. The stars just aligned at the right time.”
Scott explained that he and Tim have been fans of
The Application Process
Even though the Paddlesmash duo was approached by the producers, it did not make the application process any easier or smoother.
When asked what the worst part about being featured on the show was, Scott did not hesitate to disclose the “long and arduous” process of winding up on our TV screens.
“You never really know if you’re going to make it to the next step or get invited to LA to shoot. So just enduring that for months got exhausting.”
Pressure-Smash?
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“We were out there for about 35 minutes in total which got edited down to roughly 10 minutes”, Tim explained. He went on to detail what it was like being in front of the Sharks with limited time and all eyes on them.
“It’s tough when you’re out there and the cameras are rolling and you can’t really talk it through with your business partner. So you feel pressure to make a decision quickly, which in hindsight we should have taken more time on.”
He says that if given the chance to change anything about their time on the show, he and Scott both wish they would have taken the time to fight harder on the valuation of the product.
Although Tim feels there were moments during filming that felt “a bit awkward or we might have stumbled through”, he credits the show’s editors for how the segment showcased not only their invention but their pitch.
“Those bits would have made for good television but didn’t put Scott and I in the best light. We’re incredibly happy with how our segment turned out and feel like they did a great job capturing our experience and making our product look awesome.”
Closing the Deal
While in the tank, Tim and Scott were forced to choose between two offers and ultimately settled on, what some would call, a savvy outcome.
They did have to give away 20% equity instead of 10% to 20%, but they received both Mark and Robert as investors.
When asked about the status of the deal, the pair informed us that it had not been finalized, but for good reason. “Both sides have been kind of dragging our feet since the pitch happened last June,” the Paddlesmash founders explained.
“We will touch base with them once the craziness from airing dies down and see if it still makes sense for us to pursue finalizing the deal.”
The Shark Tank Effect
Long-time, avid
“Our best sales day via Amazon and our website prior to airing was around $25,000,” Tim told us. “We did over $100,000 the night we aired and a couple hundred thousand through the weekend.”
Tim and Scott are happy to report that Paddlesmash has had its four best sales days since their episode debuted.
But there are also other huge advantages to taking the swing of appearing on the show outside of sales, “..there’s been a ton of inbound interest from retailers, publications, and international distributors,” Scott and Tim explained. “The response has been phenomenal.”
We are cheering for Scott and Tim all the best as they continue to introduce the world to Paddlesmash.
Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!