Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Ombraz on Shark Tank

Ombraz Winning Bend Outdoor Works Circa 2019

In July 2024, a surprise email landed in our support inbox from Shark Tank's executive producer. They wanted Ombraz in the tank for Mark Cuban's final season.

But here's the thing—I've never been a fan of the show. The cutthroat, all-business, high-drama environment doesn't mesh with our ethos. Since day one, we've been incredibly intentional about who we conduct business with - humble, kind, helpful, like-minded partners. Plus, the idea of Ombraz potentially being labeled as "those Shark Tank glasses" made me cringe. Successful Shark Tank products tend to be the kind you find in CVS checkout aisles—hardly our lane.

But 6 million people watch the show in the USA alone. Brand awareness is a mission critical objective at the moment. We spend an absurd amount of money on Instagram and Facebook ads to get in front of new audiences. Here was a chance to get in front of 6 million eyes, for free —so we figured why not, after all, we didn't have to take a deal.

Nikolai and I spent 3 months working with the producers honing in on our pitch. Hours of rehearsal and research. Robust financials burned into our cortex; we built out our set-up and display, and tracked down more image release forms and legal documents than Alex Honnold's lawyer before Free Solo. The whole thing was a part-time job for Nikolai and myself.

Meanwhile, a pit sat in my stomach. Something felt off.

Yet, when we told people we were going on Shark Tank, it was the most excited and genuinely engaged anyone had been about any brand news since we started the company. Apparently, folks love the show. But while others were thrilled, I felt shame. Had we spent years building this brand just to condense it into a Shark Tank concept?

We were however, eager to pose this deeply considered question to the sharks:

'We want to grow with intention and maintain the integrity of the brand while we grow. How do you reconcile the venture capital model of growing at all costs without giving up the 'costs?' (ie product quality, environmental stewardship, brand culture, aesthetic, style and voice.)'

Sony flew us to LA, put us up in a hotel, and we prepped for taping. The day before filming, we jumped on a final Zoom with seven executive producers. Their vibe? Cold, stressed, and completely void of the spark we strive to build our business around.

Then came the ol' bait and switch.

"Guys, your ask isn't enough. We need you to give up 5% of your company if you want to air."

Odd. They'd known our ask for months (a modest 2%). We told them we'd get back to them. After we had a chat, we caved—sure, 5%, fine. We didn't have to take a deal, after all.

Then came their response: "Actually, make it 10%."

Wait, what? This was now 5X our original ask. They'd worked on structuring our ask with us for the past 3 months. After so much preparation we felt blind-sided, this was more than we were comfortable with.

So, fifteen hours before taping, they pulled the plug.

In the days that followed, we heard horror stories from founders who had taken Shark Tank deals, and firsthand accounts of the less-than-ideal tactics both producers and Sharks pull behind the scenes.

Relief washed over us. We felt like we'd dodged a bullet. And through the intensive 3-month preparation for the segment, Nikolai and I became that much more intimately familiar with our business. We honed in on where we want to go and how we're going to get there - and we know that we don't have to grow at all costs, product quality, environmental stewardship, transparency, brand culture, aesthetic, style and voice will be paramount to our success. And hey, we still got a Shark Tank story—just not the one they wanted us to tell.

To Blue Skies,
Jensen & Nikolai
Ombraz Founders