Watch an episode of Shark Tank and see what happens when presenters cannot answer questions about the figures involved in operating their business.

During a recent airing of the Tamron Hall show Mia Monzidelis admitted math was not her strong suit. But she must know the key figures involved with her Power Pony invention, such as how much her product will cost, landed from overseas, and how much to charge wholesale so that retailers can mark it up for resale.

Note the figures cited below are guesstimates.

In the toy industry the average profit is 23-25 percent based on what?  Mia knows the answer.

Consider the surprise that Mia gave to the delighted audience… beats a T-shirt!  If there are 250- to 350 audience members, says TV Tickets, and each receives a value of $200 that is a sizable figure.

But how many more products will sell because of that free offering?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gutN3cNkuA?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

Sources

TV Taping.com
https://www.tvtaping.com/tvshows/tamron-hall

Toy Association.org
https://www.toyassociation.org/ta/research/data/u-s-sales-data/toys/research-and-data/data/us-sales-data.aspx#:~:text=Annual%20U.S.%20Sales%20Data,in%202022%20compared%20to%202019.

Power Pony.com/how it works.
https://powerpony.com/pages/how-it-works

Making Something From Nothing: Mia Monzidelis
Of Power Pony On How To Go From Idea To Launch
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis May 13, 2022
Medium.com

Luciano Pavarotti, a former elementary school teacher, became an internationally known opera singer. You don’t have to like opera to appreciate Pavarotti’s fabulous talent. And his venture later into popular music was niche genius.

Considered the best in opera history, the sound of Pavarotti’s voice could hold the attention of a baby.

Three memorable clips featuring listeners introduced to the iconic singer appear below. For instance, the coach and teacher team, The Rob Squad, and the brothers Twins the New Trend. For most of the listeners, hip hop had been their genre of choice until they fulfilled their subscriber’s requests. But in the case of delightful baby ears (and feet), parental guidance was involved.

Videos
Pavarotti performs “Nessun Dorma,” and a duet with James Brown “It’s a Man’s World.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6fsvXKw7M?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shm_GDqjfIE?start=156&feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeSigHJrW2o?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

Source

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luciano-Pavarotti
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luciano-Pavarotti

Finding Your Niche: Discover a Profitable Idea for a Business at Home – or Elsewhere is now available in EPUB format from independent booksellers, Kobe, and Ingram.

Selected seller links are included below.

Sources

Kobo.com
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/finding-your-niche-3
ISBN 978-1-7365342-6-7

Book brochure and bonus download see para.3, and para. 11: Finding Your Niche eBook | Finding Your Niche (nichecreativity.com)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TpsYofbAPA?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

In 2018, Reuben Paul and his younger brother traveled to security conferences around the world and earned thousands of dollars in speaker’s fees because of Paul’s skill at hacking into everyday technology products.

“It is important that we reinvent cybersecurity because obviously what we have invented is clearly not working. If a 12 -year -old can do it then why could not a skilled cyberterrorist do it [hack]?— Reuben Paul.

Paul’s statement three years ago is unfortunately as current today as the day it was spoken, even more so.  And he demonstrated within seconds during a  CBS News interview how quickly the reporter could be hacked.

One key lesson from this informative and delightful video is underscored by the discussion of the Cloud Pets security breach: Internet-based products should not be launched unless tested for safety issues.   Having someone like Paul test a product before launching, instead of after a major breach is a  common-sense strategy.

When singer and songwriter, Mickey Guyton, appeared on the 63rd  Grammy awards in 2021 it was history-making.  Guyton became the first  Black female solo county music artist to be nominated in the country music category for her song, Black Like Me,  written in 2018 but not posted online until 2020 as a message of hope.

Guyton recently revealed on The View her career was not an overnight success but a long and difficult journey. During that time, her career stalled and she asked for advice and learned the following.

“You are running away from everything that makes you different. You have to write country music from a Black woman’s perspective  Your perspective is so different from everyone else’s.” — Mickey’s husband

Some might wonder why Guyton didn’t already know this. But if you listen to some of the words to her nominated song the clues are there.

“Now I am truly being my most authentic self and that is freeing for me.” — Mickey Guyton

Sources

Facebook.com/The View/videos/mickey-guyton
https://www.facebook.com/TheView/videos/mickey-guyton-on-being-a-black-country-music-star/584803662946286/

Msn.com/music video, the official version of Black Like Me 3:33 minutes
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/mickey-guyton-becomes-first-black-female-country-artist-to-perform-on-grammy-awards/ar-BB1eAjGK

It started with a bee sting and fear of bees, but by age four, Mikaila Ulmer, found her niche.

In 2021, Ulmer is a 15-year-old CEO of a multi-million-dollar social entrepreneurship company, Me and the Bees lemonade, with a mission to educate teens and assist with the dwindling bee population.

Ulmer’s start-up adventure is featured in an ABC news video.  And her account stands out because it gives an insightful overview of how the talented entrepreneur created her product and built her business with help from family and help later from a little-known TV show called Shark Tank.

Previously, Ulmer pursued other ideas but admits they did not work out as well.  And she explains why earlier ideas were not successful.

Meanwhile, there’s an often-overlooked issue underscored in the video. Check out the original name of Ulmer’s lemonade. Why was the name changed?  See the answer at the end of this post.

Source

Abc7 news.com, Localish, July 16, 2020, 3:56 min.
https://abc7news.com/me–the-bees-mikaila-ulmer-honeybees-honey/6315796/

Answer
The original name for the lemonade already belonged to someone else. Not checking the possible history of a name for a start-up before spending money on licensing, sales, business literature, and the product packaging is not an uncommon costly mistake.  Check out the website Me And The Bees/about.

Twenty years ago, John Rucker, an English teacher, would take his dogs for hikes and noticed they would bring him box turtles.  Soon, Rucker and his four-legged team were in demand by universities and wildlife conservation groups for their tracking ability.

Humans have difficulty spotting box turtles in tall grass, and the turtles are prized, tracked, and studied for their invaluable environmental research data.

“A few zoos have taught canines to find box turtles, but Boykin spaniels are uniquely suited to hunt for turtles because they have soft mouths and a keen sense of smell. They’re also eager to please. They love nothing more than to find a turtle and  proudly bring it to me.”   — John Rucker

What stands out about Rucker’s environmental tracking business is that inspiration came from observing the unique skillset of his pets, rather than taking stock of his own skills.

Source: The Washington Post, Cathy Free, June 8, 2021.. He realized his dogs have an unusual skill. Now he uses them to help save turtles: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/06/08/dogs-save-turtles-wildlife-ranavirus

At five years of age, Jonah Larson discovered a crochet hook and a YouTube video tutorial and went on to compete and win crotchet contests. Seven years later, the business owner, philanthropist, and author of two books is flourishing. And Jonah has raised funds to build a library and science lab for peers back in his homeland of Ethiopia.

A GMA video interview, conducted during the pandemic while Jonah crocheted a hat, revealed his goal to be a surgeon one day.  If you watch the video, you will see how he uses crochet toward that end goal. He already has two essential skills related to the aptitudes of a surgeon, which include dexterity, such as finger and tweezer ability, according to the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation.

And that’s just for starters.

Sources

GMA3, 7:45 min
12-year- old crochet prodigy Jonah Larson
https://www.facebook.com/abcgma3/videos/1507961379386659/

Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation
https://www.jocrf.org/home
https://www.jocrf.org/resources/articles/aptitudes-doctors-typically-have

Atlanta, Georgia, entrepreneur Wanona Satcher, founder and CEO of Makers Studio offers insights about combining one’s talent with a social justice cause in a September 2020 Inc. magazine article.

Satcher develops affordable housing using modular shipping container manufacturing and her words might well have been a speech to high school or college students about how best to pursue their interest in entrepreneurship and social justice causes.

Figuring out what your best at and then applying your skill set and talent to the cause of civil rights and social justice is Satcher’s message. And she includes details on her favorite book about entrepreneurship, civil rights, and social justice.

“Each person needs to understand their own role in making change.” — Wanona Satcher

Source
This Atlanta Entrepreneur Found a Brilliant Way to Make Cities More Inclusive. Inc, September 2020, Kimberly Weisul. https://www.inc.com/kimberly-weisul/wanona-satcher-makhers-shipping-containers-affordable-housing.html

Taken at face value, the YouTube video below is about enjaillement and determination. Enjaillement is a West African word meaning, in part, hanging out and having a good time,  according to the Urban Dictionary.

Now, I am not pointing fingers but someone in the video is bound and determined to master West African dance from the group of talented African dancers.

While the mystery dancer may likely have professional dance skills, it’s not in West Africa dance, not at first, based on what appears on the viewing screen.  What is clear is that Enjaillement rules, and once the mystery dancer masters the steps, he is happy.

The relationship between the dancers is not completely clear. A dance staged for tourists or exactly as presented?

Either way, the presentation is high on the cool scale.

Video one below starts with mastery around counter 3:00.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI9XLSrX7ac?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD1UHtBqBqU?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]