Shark Tank has introduced viewers to dozens of products since its debut more than a decade ago. Many of those products have gone on to become well-known brands that have taken on a life of their own. On the other hand, however, there have also been lots of products that have gotten deals but eventually faded from the spotlight. The Toilet Timer is one of them. The product appeared on Shark Tank during season 12 and immediately captured several Sharks’ attention. The item is a gag gift designed for people who spend a little too much time sitting on the toilet. The product is a simple timer that goes off after five minutes to remind people to get up from the toilet. Keep reading to find out what happened to The Toilet Timer from Shark Tank.
The Toilet Timer’s Shark Tank Deal
Any time an entrepreneur steps into the Shark Tank, they know they have to come correct. In reality, though, there have been plenty of great products with great pitches that still weren’t able to secure deals for various reasons. When The Toilet Timer entered the Tank, lots of people were skeptical that it would be something the Sharks would be interested in. The product was created by Adam Stephey after he realized that he was sitting on the toilet for too long. He and his wife, Kate, who is a marketing professional, decided to team up to bring his idea to life. Adam said, “We did lots of trial and error. And it involves not just the amount of sand that goes through the timer. There’s the size of the hole that the sand goes through, the size of the sand itself, and then the amount of sand. We tried about 10 different sizes of sand and had over 20 different timers with different sizes and amounts”.
After raising more than $20,000 through a Kickstarter campaign, they were able to raise enough money to start the production process. However, like lots of other small businesses, they eventually hit a wall and knew they would need more funding to keep the momentum going. When they came on the show, they were looking for $200,000 in exchange for 10% equity in the company. They were hoping to use the money to be able to increase their production in China. They ultimately received an offer from mark who asks for 25% in exchange for $200,000 and they gladly accept his deal. Although many of the Sharks felt that the product simply wasn’t investible from an ROI perspective, Mark said that he felt that the Toilet Timer would be a great gag gift for occasions like father’s day.
How Has The Product Done After Shark Tank?
Like most products that appear on Shark Tank, the Toilet Timer saw a surge in sales after the episode. The product is currently sold on Amazon for $14.99 or directly through the business’ website. In addition to the standard Toilet Timer, it appears there is an additional variation of the project that features an image of a dad on a toilet. There is also a book to accompany the product. As Mark suggested on the show, the Toilet Timer seems to be a popular gift item. While it’s great to see that the product is still going strong, it’s unclear exactly how well it’s done in terms of sales. That said, it’s clear that Toilet Timer isn’t as popular as many of the other products we’ve seen on Shark Tank. It doesn’t have a large social media presence and there doesn’t look to be any press on the item recently. Additionally, we weren’t able to find any sources that show Mark Cuban discussing or promoting the Toilet Timer. For something that received a deal, it doesn’t look like Toilet Timer grew as much as anyone involved was hoping. Apparently, it looks like the other Sharks may have been right. By itself, the Toilet Timer is more of a product than a sustainable business. Mark Cuban usually doesn’t make ‘bad’ investments, but this one seems to be somewhat of a flop.
Toilet Timer Isn’t Adam Stephey’s Only Venture
Toilet Timer may be what Adam is best known for, but it’s certainly not the only time he’s dabbled in the world of entrepreneurship. Katamco, LLC, which is the company that the Toilet Timer is under, also does other things. According to Adam’s LinkedIn profile, he is an “Inventor of useful and interesting products spanning multiple industries including 3D printing, retro video game preservation, home goods and funny gifts.”
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