I’m Creating a Shark-Tank Style Show. Here’s Who’s On My Panel
Let’s say you created the next big app that you believe will take the world by storm. You’ve got 60 seconds to give an elevator pitch to a panel of experts. If you pique their interest, they’ll get you in front of the big players in venture capital — if you don’t, they’ll kick you out the door.
This is the premise for Apple’s new TV series, Planet of the Apps. In Shark Tank style, the show gives independent app developers a chance to wow celebrity judges and launch their products to most-downloaded fame. Also like Shark Tank, there are some real busts — but then there’s the odd gem with potential.
The judges who serve as mentors on the show — Jessica Alba, Gary Vaynerchuk, Gwyneth Paltrow and will.i.am — really got me thinking, though. If I were to seek advice advice from advisors, who would be on my panel? Here are my top 4.
Dina Dwyer-Owens
I used to think that to be successful, we had to hide our secrets from the competition. But I’ve learned that competitors are the biggest untapped resource in business. There is more than enough success to go around, so it’s better to learn from each other’s experience than to block everyone out.
Dina Dwyer, co-chair of The Dwyer group, has 30 years of industry experience. She runs a franchise conglomerate of 11 brands and 2,700 franchises across 10 countries. Her expertise in the franchising and home service space would be invaluable to the future of our company.
Elon Musk
I’m a blue-sky dreamer who has a tendency to set big, hairy, audacious goals. Like the time I told the company we were going to double our revenues in five years (we did, and now we’re striving to do it again!). Elon Musk does the same, on a much grander scale. He (literally) shoots for the moon — and when he sets his sights on something, he makes it happen.
Musk and I both believe that the only limits are the ones you place on yourself. If you can visualize it and believe in it, you can achieve anything.
Gary Vaynerchuk
That said, dreamers sometimes need to be brought back down to earth (especially when it comes to business). When I set big goals, I don’t get caught up in the details of how we’ll get there — which is why I’d turn to someone like Gary V for a cold, hard reality check.
When I met him recently, Gary told me that his biggest pet peeve is when people don’t speak their minds. If you’ve watched Planet of the Apps, you know that’s true: he’s one of the most straight-shooting people around. When people can give you feedback no holds barred, you know for sure it’s authentic.
My 12-Year-Old Daughter
After 30 years in business, I’ve come to believe that entrepreneurialism is an innate personality trait. Some people get business; others don’t. It’s something that’s hard (if not impossible) to teach.
My eldest daughter already has incredible business sense. She’s curious, focused and can recognize when an idea will work — and more importantly, when it won’t. She asks thoughtful questions about how things work, and her instincts are always on point. I’d trust my daughter’s advice on anything.
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While I’m not fully sold on Planet of the Apps yet, it highlights how valuable different perspectives can be when you bring a new idea to the table. Each of the people on my fantasy panel is an expert in his or her own right, and has unique insight to provide. It comes down to the fact that four brains are always better than one.
