Mark Melni of Melni Connectors Answers THE QUESTION

I recently spoke to Mark Melni of Melni Connectors. He was on Shark Tank in season six and he did a deal with Mark Cuban for his quick way to make electrical connections. Cuban invested over $1.5 million to date.

We spoke about the show and what he's done since. Pretty soon, Melni Connectors will be in a lot of electrician's trucks and in a lot of homes and commercial properties!

I also asked him THE QUESTION:

"Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?"

His answer:

"I'm a mustard guy, sometimes a few onions too if they aren't too strong. But they have to be Falls Brand hot dogs!"

I admire Mark for both his good taste and brand loyalty.

Bryan and Matt from Foot Cardigan Answer THE QUESTION

I spoke with Bryan DeLuca and  Matt McClard today. They're appearing on Shark Tank to pitch Foot Cardigan, their subscription sock service.

We talked about socks, how they got the idea for their business, customer acquisition costs, and their Shark Tank experience.

I also asked them THE QUESTION:

"Do you put ketchup on your Hot Dogs?"

Their answers:

Bryan: "NO!"

Matt: "NO!"

They are men of few words and EXCELLENT TASTE!

The XeroShoes Folks answer THE QUESTION

Steve Sashen and Lena Phoenix will be appearing on The Shark Tank on February 1 with their "hi-tech huarache sandals," XeroShoes. I interviewed them recently for the Shark Tank Blog. 

Steve's one of the fastest 50 year old sprinters in the USA and he runs in his XeroShoes! Lena just thinks they're comfy. They sent me a pair to try out, but other than a little pacing around the house, I won't be wearing them much for a few months - it's 6 degrees outside fercryinoutloud! They were comfy and will undoubtedly be my summer footwear of choice.

After discussing the origins of their business and their Shark Tank experience, the hard core journalist in me popped THE QUESTION:

"Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?"

Steve said: "I'm a barbecue sauce guy." Lena is originally from Chicago and very sternly replied: "NO KETCHUP!"

Seems like these two kids have their heads on straight. I think they might go places together!

Scrub Daddy Aaron Krause from Shark Tank answers the Question

I interviewed Aaron Krause, inventor of Scrub Daddy, who will appears on Shark Tank on Friday, October 26 (tomorrow) for the Shark Tank Blog. Aaron, pictured here with Philadelphia Flyers announcer Lou Nolan and his young camera shy son, is a Philly area native- currently living in southern New Jersey and RABID Flyers fan.

He'll be answering lots of questions from the Sharks tomorrow night, but I had one very important question for him: "Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?"

His answer: "No. I'm from Philly. I put Cheese Whiz on my hot dogs; or, as we'd say in Philly, 'I'll have cheese whiz WIT my hot dog!'"

All apologies to Mrs. HDM aside, cheese whiz is a helluva lot better than Ketchup!

Good Luck tomorrow Aaron!

Shark Tank's Daymond John answers THE QUESTION

As you may know, I author The Shark Tank Blog. The other day, I had the privilege of being invited over to Babson College where ZBoard won Consulting Services From Shark Tank's Daymond John, Babson College & Startup America.

They had the requisite press conference, which I attended, followed by a nice lunch.

I got to meet the entrepreneurs who created ZBoard, the Start-Up America principles, and of course, Daymond John himself. We chatted about entrepreneurship, his philanthropic endeavors, and the Shark Tank.

I would have been remiss had I not asked him "THE QUESTION."

For the video answer, head on over to Hot Dog Stories!

Shark Tank Entrepreneur Tereson Dupuy answers the Question

Fans of The Hotdogman know I am a HUGE Shark Tank fan. I write about the show over at the Shark Tank Blog.

 I chatted with Tereson Dupuy who appeared on the show last Friday. She was pitching her cloth diaper business called FuzziBunz to the Sharks. They ultimately didn't bite, but she made a big splash in the Shark Tank nonetheless.

As I do with every Shark Tank entrepreneur I speak with, I asked Tereson the Question:

"Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?"

She replied, while giggling, "YES! I put ketchup, mustard, relish, and chili."

I told her that was the wrong answer and the New Orleans native confessed the only time she eats hot dogs is "at 4AM after a French Quarter run."

I guess I'll cut her some slack and let her plead out on the 21st Amendment!

Jay Kriner, BevBuckle Entrepreneur from Shark Tank answers The Question

I spoke with Jay Kriner, the guy who invented the BevBuckle and appeared on the season premiere of Shark Tank last Friday.

He told me all about his new business ventures. To read about that, check out my interview on The Shark Tank Blog.

I also asked Jay The Question: "Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?"

He answered: "BA-BAM! Yes I do."

BA-BUMMER for you Jay.

Steve Gadlin of "I Want to Draw a Cat For You" answers The Question

Over on The Shark Tank Blog I get the opportunity to interact and interview many of the entrepreneurs who have appeared on the show. I have even spoken to Lori Greiner, one of the Sharks and the "Queen of QVC."

Steve Gadlin, the guy who was funded by Mark Cuban and the creator of I Want to Draw a Cat for You, is one of the most popular entrepreneurs from season three. His fun, quirky business features custom made Cat Drawings. He's also branching out into a variety of new cat drawing related businesses.

While I did not interview Steve, I did participate in a live podcast on OvalEye.tv with him the other night and I asked him:

"Do you put Catsup on you hot dogs?"

Steve, like the true Chicagoan he is, answered:

"In Chicago, you do not put ketchup on a hot dog. I don't even like ketchup. I'll do a Chicago hot dog with no mustard, no relish: I'll have onion, tomato, slice of pickle, celery salt, and some sport peppers."

Atta Boy, Steve! You made Chicago proud!

Shark Tank Season Premiere

The fourth season of Shark Tank on ABC premieres on Friday, September 14th. The new season features 22 episodes where entrepreneurs pitch the super rich panel of Sharks to invest in their businesses.

There hasn't been a hot dog business on Shark Tank yet, but when there is one, you can bet the Hotdogman will be watching!

Once again, I will be doing my Shark Tank Previews, reviews, and interviews on The Shark Tank Blog. If you are a fan of Shark Tank, The Shark Tank Blog is a must read.

Lori Greiner Answers "The Question"

I had a big "scoop" yesterday, I chatted with Royalty! Lori Greiner, the Queen of QVC, and I spoke for about an hour about entrepreneurship, patents, and the Shark Tank. The full interview will be published on The Shark Tank Blog later this week.

Whenever I interview someone for any reason, I have to ask them "The Question." Lori's royal status notwithstanding, I would have expected the answer she gave me. You see Lori's from the City of Chicago, not, as she put it, "from a distant burg." 

Any true Chicagoan would give me the same answer.

I asked, "Lori, do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?"

Her answer was an emphatic "NO! NEVER!" 

Lori goes for a Vienna Beef frank, on a poppy seed bun, with mustard and pickles. She doesn't do the full on Chicago Dog, but she does the City with Broad Shoulders proud.

Shark Tank Entrepreneur Stephan Aarstol answers "The Question"

I spoke to another Shark Tank entrepreneur the other day. Stephan Aarstol of Tower Paddle Boards, a west coast Internet entrepreneur who was funded by Mark Cuban, chatted with me about life after the Shark Tank and the current state of his business.

You can read my interview with Stephan on The Shark Tank Blog.

As usual, in addition to talking about the show, I asked Stephan "The Question:" Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs?


Unfortunately, Stephan's west coast roots influenced his answer. "Yes I do," was his answer.

I bet he'd change his tune if the Sharks used ketchup on entrepreneurs!

Profender Inventor Tony Devine answers "The Question"

I recently interviewed Tony Devine, inventor of the Profender, a basketball training tool recently showcased on The Shark Tank. You can read the interview over at The Shark Tank Blog.

Tony is a Special Education Teacher, Basketball Coach, and inventor.

He also likes Hot Dogs.

I asked him The Question, "Do you put Ketchup on your hot dogs?" his answer:

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! I put spicy mustard and sometimes onions, when they are available, on my hot dogs. And I don't put Mayo on Hoagies either!" 

Spoken like a true Philadelphian.

Tony asked me to look him up when I am in Philly and he promised to take me to some righteous hot dog joints.

Show No Shelly Ehler Answers "The Question"

Regular readers may know I also write for the Shark Tank Blog, which I co-produce with my buddy Kirk Taylor. One of the things I get to do for that site is interview entrepreneurs that have appeared on the show. 

I ask them questions about their experiences in the Shark Tank, but I also ask them "The Question."

I recently spoke to Shelly Ehler, one of the most popular entrepreneurs to appear on the show to date. Her product was funded ON THE SPOT by my favorite Shark, Lori Greiner. Shelly invented the Show No, a towel that allows kids to change in and out of bathing suits (or anything else for that matter) in a "modest" fashion. It's a great product- in fact she's sending one along for Little Miss' swim bag.

Shelly was a delight to talk to- she's well grounded, inspirational, and full of purpose.

When I asked her "Do you put ketchup on your hot dogs," her answer was:

"NO! I use mustard, I never put ketchup on my hot dogs."

It was a very emphatic "NO!" Shelly's folks brought her up right.

So there you have it folks. The REAL secret to success on The Shark Tank.....

Free Shark Tank Stuff

Last night, I introduced a weekly contest to give away Free Shark Tank merchandise on The Shark Tank Blog. Past entrepreneurs who have appeared on the show are donating goods or services to further publicize their businesses and thank our readers  for being fans of the show. Each week, subscribers to our Shark Tank newsletter are automatically entered in the contest. Each week, there will be new goodies and the prizes for the following week will be announced on Thursday.

Go on over to the Shark Tank Blog and enter today.

Advertise on The Shark Tank Blog

A friend and I started a new blog last month called the Shark Tank Blog. We make predictions about what will happen on the Shark Tank TV Show on ABC and we react to the show when it is done for the week. We also interview many of the Shark Tank entrepreneurs and sometimes the sharks themselves.

The site has been very popular, so much so that we had to upgrade our servers to handle the traffic! We will have well over 100,000 page views in the month of March, all from organic traffic. Our visitors tend to stay on the site for an average of over four minutes. We rank above the fold for many shark tank related key words- specifically those relating to individual entrepreneurs.

People who visit our site fit the demographics of the show: 18-48 year old adults. These tend to be people interested in entrepreneurship, so advertisers targeting that demographic can get great, organic, targeted exposure on the site.

We have just instituted a banner/display ad program on the site. To advertise on The Shark Tank Blog, click HERE.

New Websites and *Broken* Shark Tanks

I announced my co-authorship of The Shark Tank blog yesterday. I have also been working on my own personal site, Rob Merlino dot Com. It is "open for business," but I am still fiddling with the layout and design. For now, I have populated it with articles from sites I have shut down, but I did write my first new post last night.

I should have called it "How to co-author a successful niche website and crash your webserver." Check it out.

Hotdogman on The Shark Tank

No, I am NOT going to be on the show pitching the Shark Tank panel on my National Hot Dog Month 2012 Tour. I will be watching the show tonight, just like everyone else.

But a funny thing has happened to me the past few weeks. I am co-authoring a blog with my buddy Kirk Taylor called The Shark Tank. Kirk and I predict what will happen on the show and react afterwards. We also offer insights into why different shark pitches are successful or not. Both of us have been contacted by folks who have been on  the show to do interviews and write guest posts. Panelists on the show, like Daymond Brown have noticed our site and we are getting thousands of hits per day.

Check out my prediction for Jared Joyce's fate on tonight's Shark Tank.

Surgery, Narcotics, and the Shark Tank

Last Thursday, I had surgery for a severe Inguinal Hernia. After arriving home, I have spent the past few days taking it very easy while under the stupefying effects of the pain killer Oxycondone. I have a new found respect for women who have had C-sections. The pain of a healing abdominal incision is indescribable. It makes the pain of my fractured tibial plateau from a couple of years ago seem like a skinned knee. The pain accompanies every movement, even the slightest, and it is searingly unbearable.

I usually never take any any prescribed pain killers, I just don't like the way they make me feel. With this particular operation, I am not only taking them, but I am taking the maximum recommended dose. I have never been woken from deep sleep by pain, until now. While the pills do take the edge off the pain, I am left feeling out of it. I feel drunk, high and I have a kind of constant flesh creeping feeling. I really can't see why people would want to take this stuff recreationally, it is rather unpleasant. For the short term, I will trade the unpleasant feelings to stay largely pain free.

Throughout my pre-operative stage, I have put a bunch of irons in the fire. I have begun planning for my National Hot Dog Month 2012 Tour, I have started writing a couple of ebooks, I am planning a new personally branded website and I have begun one of several new joint ventures. The first joint venture to come to fruition is my new status as a co-author on my buddy Kirk Taylor's Shark Tank Site. Read my first Shark Tank post on The Last Lid, enjoy.

The nearly month long post operative stage should allow me to complete my ebooks and get my other projects off the ground-it's really easy to stay focused when you aren't allowed to drive!

The Hotdogman Jumps in the Shark Tank

Eric Colti, the guy with the Wine Balloon on this week’s episode of Shark Tank, was an idiot. He let fear make him lose sight of the bottom line and why he was there in the first place. Everyone liked the invention-it was clearly far advanced over every other product purporting to do the same thing.

>>READ MORE ON THE SHARK TANK