Shark Tank is a modern-day empire maker. The ‘sharks’ of Shark Tank include prolific entrepreneurs and investors Kevin O’Leary, Mark Cuban, Daymond John, and others who all know intimately what it takes to become wildly successful as an entreprenuer.
If you’re not overly familiar with the show, you should be because you can learn A LOT about how to successfully pitch anything in life. The show’s format is pretty straight-forward, you’ve got the group of sharks/investors who sit in a row and listen to an entrepreneur come in and pitch their product in hopes of securing funding in exchange for a percentage of their company.
The crux of the show is the pitch. If the pitch sucks then the investors are immediately out. But the pitch isn’t just about a pre-written list of topics that the founder needs to hit on. The pitchman needs to know every aspect of the business and be able to answer questions when they get grilled by the sharks.
In a recent clip for Vanity Fair‘s YouTube channel, the sharks broke down exactly what they look for in a pitch. So without further ado, here’s what the sharks look for:
Here’s the recap of what they’re looking for in a perfect pitch/entrepreneur.
1) Know your numbers.
2) Be creative.
3) Have chutzpah.
4) Be a problem solver.
5) Ability to work with others.
6) Listen to diverse opinions.
Even if you’re never planning on appearing on Shark Tank this valuable info can be applied to how you pitch anything in life from why you should get a raise at work to where you think your family’s next vacation should be.
Come prepared. Work well with others. Think outside the box and analytically. All of this is stuff that can benefit you in every aspect of life.