Before You Pitch
the Sharks:
Find the Weak Spots in Your Business.

Sharks decide on numbers first. Cuban: nothing keeps his attention except measurable results.

• Lifetime and trailing-12-month sales are memorized coldFumbling your own numbers on camera is the fastest way to lose every Shark in the room.
• $100k+ in sales, or a clear reason why pre-revenue is justifiedBelow six figures the usual verdict is 'come back when you have sales.'
• Sales are accelerating quarter over quarter, not flatDirection beats size. A $250k business tripling beats a $1M business sliding.
• Gross margin above 50% (ideally 70%+)Landed cost vs. wholesale vs. retail — know all three per unit.
• Customer acquisition cost is known and under 1/3 of lifetime valueCuban interrogates CAC harder than almost anything else.
• Profitable, or a credible path to cash-flow positive without more raisesCuban explicitly invests in companies that can win without an exit.
• Repeat purchase / retention rate is measuredOne-time novelty buys are the classic Shark Tank trap.

The number one deal-killer isn't the product — it's a greedy, unexplained ask.

• Valuation is defensible off real revenue, not a dream multipleRough Tank comfort zone: 2–4x trailing revenue for products, higher only with elite margins or IP.
• You can state exactly where the money goes, line by line'Inventory, hiring a sales lead, and paid acquisition' — not 'growth and marketing.'
• Equity offered is 10–25% — enough to make a Shark care5% asks get laughed at; 51% asks signal desperation.
• You've set your true walk-away floor before enteringDecide the worst deal you'd sign in advance so you never negotiate emotionally.
• Cap table is clean — no silent partners, no messy prior investorsCuban walks on complicated cap tables and absentee co-founders.
• No 'we only need 1% of a $10B market' framing anywhere in the deckCuban says that exact line makes his eyes glaze over.

Cuban's four-part filter: core competency, why you're great, protectable, scalable.

• Utility patent, trade secret, proprietary process, or exclusive supplyDesign patents impress far less than utility patents.
• A clear answer to: 'What stops a big brand from copying this in 90 days?'If the honest answer is 'nothing,' lead with brand, community, or distribution instead.
• Brand or community that customers are emotionally attached toBombas and Scrub Daddy won on brand and category ownership, not novelty.
• The business scales without your personal laborService businesses tied to the founder's hours rarely get offers.
• You are genuinely the world expert on this nicheCuban tests depth by going three questions deeper than the pitch.

Sharks invest in the person when the numbers are close.

• Full-time on the business, all-inSide-hustle founders get 'come back when you quit your job.'
• You can sell — the pitch itself proves itCuban: 'Shark Tank is the best one-hour selling platform in the world.' Prove you can move product.
• Coachable: you answer challenges with data, not defensivenessArguing with a Shark over their own money ends the deal instantly.
• You know what you're bad at and who covers itSelf-awareness reads as competence, not weakness.
• No inflated résumé, fake urgency, or fictional competing offersOne caught exaggeration and every Shark goes out.

What specifically pulls Cuban in — and what makes him go out early.

• Path to being 'insanely cash-flow positive' without another roundHis stated preference: success without needing an exit.
• You out-prepared everyone — you know competitors that already failed at this'Everybody's got the will to win; only those with the will to prepare do win.'
• Sits in a category he actively plays inHealth & wellness, consumer tech and AI-enabled software, sports/fitness, food & beverage with real velocity, cost-cutting healthcare and pharma.
• His network is the unlock — retail, media, or sports distributionTell him precisely which door of his you need opened, and what it's worth.
• Nothing sketchy: no multi-level marketing, no vague health claims, no viceHe goes out immediately and loudly on these.
• You're not there for the money alone — you want a partner who worksHe reacts badly to founders shopping for a celebrity check.
• Realistic multiple: a plausible 3x–30x, not a fantasyCuban thinks in multiples and probability of hitting them.

The first 90 seconds decide whether anyone leans in.

• Problem, product, and ask land in the first 60 secondsLong theatrical openings burn the only attention you get.
• Sharks touch, taste, or use the product in the roomPhysical demos convert. Slides don't.
• One memorable line that a Shark could repeat to a buyerIf they can't retell it in one sentence, they can't sell it either.
• Every number in the pitch is backed by a document you broughtAssume diligence happens after the handshake — most deals die there.
• You've rehearsed the ten hardest questions out loudMargins, CAC, patents, competitors, why you, why now, why this valuation.