Salad Sling
NO DEAL
EPISODE SUMMARY
🕓 Air Date: April 16, 2021
Asking For:
$100,000 for 20%
Investor:
No Deal
Deal:
No Deal
PRODUCT SUMMARY
Salad Sling is a compact and efficient greens-drying device that simplifies the process of drying wet greens and lettuce, making it easier for individuals to prepare healthy meals.
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Background Story
Jill Visit, the founder of Salad Sling, hails from Austin, Texas, and is a working mother who wanted to make healthy meals for her family without the hassle of traditional salad spinners. Frustrated with the inefficiency of salad spinners, she came up with the idea for the Salad Sling—a better way to dry greens quickly and easily.
Jill’s inspiration came from using a dish towel to dry greens, which led her to create a product that would simplify this process for busy individuals. She invested $60,000 of her own money into the business and sought $100,000 in funding from the Sharks to address inventory issues and further promote her product.
The Product
The Salad Sling is a greens-drying device that uses centrifugal force to efficiently dry wet greens, lettuce, or herbs. Users place the wet greens in the center of the Sling, gather the handles, and then sling it in a circular motion.
This spinning action extracts moisture from the greens, and the super-absorbent microfiber lining soaks up the excess water. The product also includes a waterproof liner to prevent water from splashing in the kitchen.
After use, the Salad Sling can be flipped over for reuse, hung up to dry, or cleaned in the washing machine. Its compact design allows for easy storage.
The Salad Sling is priced at $19.99 for consumers and is designed to simplify the greens-drying process, making it convenient for those who want to prepare healthy meals at home.
How It Went
The company’s position before Shark Tank
Salad Sling has generated total sales of $49,000 since launching in February 2019. The product received significant attention and press coverage, including features in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and NPR. However, a surge in demand following NPR coverage led to inventory shortages due to production delays caused by COVID-19.
This limited the company’s ability to fulfill orders promptly. Jill Visit had invested $60,000 of her own funds into the business and sought $100,000 in funding from the Sharks to address these inventory issues. The company had no debt other than Jill’s personal investment. The product was primarily sold online, and efforts were being made to engage customers through email campaigns and social media.
The Negotiations:
The Sharks expressed concerns about the product’s sales performance, especially the decline in sales from 2,200 units to 400 units due to inventory shortages caused by COVID-19-related production delays. Kevin O’Leary was underwhelmed by the product and felt it wouldn’t be successful in the market. He believed it was a trivial product and opted out.
Mark Cuban also expressed concerns about the product’s ability to compete and suggested it might not be the right product to invest in. Robert Herjavec echoed these concerns and chose not to invest. Daymond John, while initially interested, expressed doubts about the product’s long-term appeal and its ability to displace existing solutions. Ultimately, he also opted out.
Lori Greiner expressed concerns about the product’s limited scope and sales potential, believing it might be more of a side hustle than a substantial business opportunity. She decided not to invest. The Sharks collectively agreed that the Salad Sling faced challenges in a competitive market and lacked a clear plan for sustained growth, leading to Jill Visit leaving the Tank without a deal.
