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This entrepreneur auditioned 7 times for 'Shark Tank' before finally landing a 6-figure deal

"Seven years in the making, so paid off," Kim Meckwood said in an episode of 'Shark Tank.'

For some entrepreneurs, pitching their business idea on 'Shark Tank' is more than a televised appearance, and they pull out all the stops to make their dream come true. Back in the day, an entrepreneur named Kim Meckwood auditioned for the ABC business program seven times before finally making the cut. During an episode of 'Shark Tank' Season 12 which was released in December 2020, Meckwood was 'absolutely thrilled' to pitch her product, the Click and Carry, a device that can help shoppers carry multiple bags at once, in front of the esteemed Sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec. 

As per CNBC Make It, Meckwood said, "Seven years in the making, so paid off." In the episode, Meckwood revealed that the idea of the Click and Carry came to her in a dream. During her pitch, Meckwood said, “I had this boyfriend, and when we broke up, I had to carry my own groceries." Then, Meckwood stated that she picked up all of her packages from her car to her home in a single trip. Meckwood added, “I really think your subconscious finds the answers for you, and it appeared in a dream.”

Following that, Meckwood mentioned that the manufacturing cost to make Click and Carry was $1.85, and she sold it for $11.99. The Sharks were impressed by the product but not by the numbers. After being in the business market for five years, the company's total lifetime sales stood at $625,000. In the 12 months before the show was filmed, the company generated only $70,000 in sales. At that point, Meckwood was seeking $225,000 in exchange for 15% of the company. 

O'Leary had no interest in the product and told Meckwood, "You have a full-time job, and I don’t blame you for that because you have to take care of yourself, and you’re doing that. But this is not a company, it's a hobby." Soon after, Greiner and Herjavec also backed out. Corcoran entered the chat and asked Meckwood, “Would you be willing to sell your whole business?” to which the latter responded, “I would [need] to be able to at least maintain a certain percentage and work for the company. This is my baby.”

Eventually, Corcoran offered Meckwood $225,000 for 85% of the company. Speaking about the offer, Herjavec quipped, “Look, I love Barbara. That’s a crazy offer. You’re a fighter. You’ve set a record on ‘Shark Tank.’ No one has ever applied seven times and gotten here. Are you going to fight all those years and all that work to give up 85% of your business?” Meckwood agreed with Herjavec, and she turned down Corcoran's initial offer.

Then, Cuban told Meckwood, “You’re special. You fought through. How many times did you audition for ‘Shark Tank?’ That’s crazy. But it shows where your heart’s at and where your head’s at. You’re an inventor. You’re a dreamer, literally. Somebody is going to have to run this business for you.” Soon after, Cuban joined hands with Corcoran and offered a joint deal to Meckwood. Cuban continued, “What we’re willing to do is come in together for $225,000, but we want 40% of the company. We’ll figure out operations and inventory. You focus on creating new products.” In the end, Meckwood accepted the offer.