By Tim “Captain Ice Cream” Gavern
10.)
Consider my pitch to the sharks to be a test market for Captain Ice
Cream. It really wasn’t the shark’s opinion I wanted – it was the opinion of
the American public. If my franchise idea fails in the eyes of the downsized
babyboomer searching for a new career, then it’s a failure. But, if I sell even
one franchise, it isn’t!
9.) After
pitching to the sharks, I can now pitch The Captain Ice Cream business model to
any venture capitalist, anywhere, anytime, with no fear.
8.) I got
to ride my ice cream moped onto the “Shark Tank” set. The shark’s eyes nearly
popped out of their heads when they first saw it. How great was that?
7.) It
was really fun having something that my family and friends could rally around.
So many people became a part of my “Shark Tank” experience by wishing me well,
then watching the show. That was great! I missed my 30th high school reunion
because my episode filmed the same day, but luckily, my oldest friends were
rooting for me on Facebook. I’ll make it to the next reunion.
6.) I
knew the experience would be fun if I didn’t take it too seriously. I made a
lot of new friends because of “Shark Tank” – especially the production crew as
I left about 300 ice cream treats in their freezer (in mid-August in L.A.). One
crewmember’s response was, “Thanks, man. We never get anything.”
5.) I
wanted the money. I believed that Captain Ice Cream was a good enough concept
that the sharks would want to fund my venture. Of course, it would be great to
partner with a successful entrepreneur with very deep pockets. Who wouldn’t
want to do that?
4.) No
matter what would happen, and I knew it could get ugly, my plan was to inform
the general public of two things: 1.) Captain Ice Cream is a franchisor of
street-legal ice cream mopeds. 2.) Captain Ice Cream-branded novelty ice cream
treats will soon be available from ice cream trucks and in supermarkets nationwide.
3.) I
can’t wait to find out who might be on the other end of my telephone because of
my appearance on “Shark Tank.” Who knows who might call. The President? FYI: my
phone has not stopped ringing since my episode aired.
2.) After
six minutes of airtime on ABC in front of 5 million viewers, Captain Ice Cream
still has zero debt and I own 100% of my company. Ha ha.
1.) The number one reason I was a contestant on “Shark Tank”
was to build the Captain Ice Cream brand. Finding a way to instill a new brand
name into the minds of millions of Americans is quite difficult today. I did
it.
