If you’re an entrepreneur set to pitch a product to Mark Cuban on Shark Tank, remember one thing: if the NBA is related in any way, it better be geared towards the Mavericks.
The founders of Ride FRSH, a Los Angeles-based car air freshener company, made that mistake. On a recent episode of the show, they gave different branded versions of their product to the panel of potential investors, but made one brutal gaffe with the air freshener they gave to Cuban, giving him a Warriors edition of the product.
“Dumbest marketing move ever,” Cuban said right away. “I’m out.
“Seriously. You’ve got to read the room. Wrong move, wrong time. … The one air freshener from the NBA is the team that beats us in the NBA conference finals. You’ve gotta know that that could backfire.”
When fellow shark Barbara Corcoran told Cuban he’s a “bigger man than that,” Cuban responds, “Yeah, I could be, but I’m not.”
Luckily, Donovan and Trey Brown of Ride FRSH’s hopes of a partnership weren’t totally tanked by the Warriors-themed freshener. Corcoran eventually came around on the idea, with the two sides agreeing to $200,000 for a 20% equity stake in the company, contingent on some pending partnerships like AutoZone becoming official.
As they left the show, the founders apologized to Cuban, who appeared to cool off as negotiations headed elsewhere. “It’s all good,” he said.
