Shark Tank US | Sharks Are Shocked At Busy Box's Pricing

Connor Smith and Steve Skillings are seeking $200k for a 15% stake in their company Busy Box.
From Season 13 Episode 19
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About Shark Tank: The Sharks - tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons - continue their search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer. The Sharks will once again give people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires.
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Shark Tank US | Sharks Are Shocked At Busy Box's Pricing
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[@RubenDanielMusic]

This should be a 30 dollar max product. Then it could be like a fun little Father's Day present or something. For 299 you can buy a tablet. Price makes no sense.

[@brandoniswhoiam]

$15.

[@dgt553]

Agreed

[@Datlightskinnn]

No it should be 85

[@jxmmykriminallive]

@@BusyBoxSign that’s still too much for a pretty non essential product

[@BusyBoxSign]

​@@jxmmykriminallive It's essential for some people and it's non-essential for others. For example, an Apple Watch is non-essential, so is a Squatty Potty, and yet a lot of people love those products; their sales tell the story. We're doing just fine with sales and growing with each passing month, so as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder ( and the revenue chart). 👍

[@VlogCandyMinus]

Robert using the company's own product to let them know he's out was savage. 😂😂😂

[@anwarabdo1994]

or funny.

[@VlogCandyMinus]

@@anwarabdo1994 or both.

[@giveback]

That waa great he did that. 😂😂😂. I was like wow 😂😂😂

[@onilbautista]

it could have been more brilliant if it wasn't shown immediately until the end of his statement

[@Kodeinecing]

Savage fr

[@adlad3199]

299 is absolutely ridiculous. 30 dollars and I'm all in.

[@anovosedlik]

Wouldn't even do 30. Paper and pens still exist.

[@Dustyplastic73]

@@anovosedlik not the same as being able to open the app and press a button. $300 is still ridiculous but what you’re talking about could completely knock someone off their rhythm and also takes much more time.

[@Dustyplastic73]

@@anovosedlik not the same as being able to open the app and press a button. $300 is still ridiculous but what you’re talking about could completely knock someone off their rhythm and also takes much more time.

[@Mikael2492]

Yup i think 30 dollars is the normal price for US. At Asia, it would be around 10 to 15 at best for Online.

[@pondturt]

@@Dustyplastic73 still dumb

[@johne.7140]

I had the same problem he did. Instead of creating a digital $300 sign, I used a sharpie, piece of paper, and a piece of tape. Problem solved

[@danielpak7264]

Il invest in that

[@silasdietrich7464]

🤣 or shut door means "do not disturb" if family doesn't understand that we have a bigger problem

[@anakinjmanu]

It could totally be used for schools, businesses etc

[@danielpak7264]

@@anakinjmanu or a paper or pen and save 300 $ on each door lmao get out of here

[@topshelfdustin3060]

You'd rather do that, over and over for perhaps the next decade, vs having this connect to our outlook calendar and auto update your status throughout the day without you thinking about it?

[@robkoepnick5507]

Could not imagine anyone paying 300 bucks for little sign to let people know you're at lunch, that's insane.

[@TheFoolintherainn]

No, neither would I imagine anyone paying three hundred bucks for a little sign. Yet I wouldn't imagine somebody needed a device like this in order to work at home? Women have been doing it forever... Boys need more toys 🙄

[@dollyhadbraces9361]

just hang your tie on the doorknob , right or wrong ?

[@SWillis023]

@@TheFoolintherainn the idea isn’t to marketed towards men? It’s to capitalize on the pandemic making a lot of people work from home that have to deal with interruptions from family.

[@TheFoolintherainn]

@@SWillis023 My joke is... Women have been multitasking,working at home for decades, centuries, millennium, throughout eternity.... The idea of Orange county housewives sitting around in dresses is television. But once in a while we see reality - even Mayberry r.f.d.-all the women worked, teachers, pharmacists, sold things, eggs, furniture, took in laundry, sewing, boarders... These are all over-regulated business now. They brought in income besides running a household Without a $300 sign 😁 And we still do

[@topshelfdustin3060]

@@SWillis023 a heck of a lot of us are never going back to the office. Having this with an ap that connects to my outlook calendar and will update my status without me thinking about it would be pretty sweet if i had kids at home. It's expensive, but it's not crazy given that is now part of their 299 product. Those apps aren't free.

[@MMOGrind]

I thought it was going to be $100 which is crazy. $300 is absolutely batshit crazy.

[@koushikduttarai81]

Expensive country expensive price 😂

[@iliya3580]

Just write “busy” on paper and tape it to the door…

[@LV2UXO77]

It's hard to believe people have actually paid $299 for it. *Fun fact about Shark Tank* According to USA Today, "Shark Tank," receives 35,000-40,000 applicants each season. Of these, only 1,000 advances to the next round, and in most seasons, only 88 contestants will appear on the show. I was curious to know how hard it was for people to pitch their idea on the show. Have a great day, and stay safe. XO

[@BusyBoxSign]

We have thousands of customers at $299, the Digital is not a meant to be an "made for everyone" product, and our $59 and $129 models sell well. We got a great boost from ST and we are grateful for the boost. As Mark Cuban has said in numerous interviews, we're in the room for a LOT longer than what makes the air/edits. The editors have some tough choices to make in the interest of time. Overall, we had a GREAT experience but the edits don't tell the full story or conversation.

[@mikelytou]

I wonder how bad these 35-40k applications must have been so that this ridiculously overpriced lowtech product made it to the final 88...

[@SteveSkillings]

@@mikelytou You must have hated squatty potty. 😂🤷‍♂️📈 💰

[@FCS7]

This made it on. God's is definitely set to BUSY.

[@dollsNcats]

My husband just says “I’m going to be in a meeting from so and so don’t bother” 🤣300 dollars saved 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@frank719]

299 is super, super high. I would say a 25$ basic one-message box is perfect, a 50$ "display anything" would be pretty okay. 300 for a little screen that can do one thing is ridiculous.

[@koushikduttarai81]

Expensive labour expensive country so expensive product

[@trishaang232]

I hang a large note on my doorknob to notify family members of a meeting or anything. Like how you would alert hotel staff to clean your room. It's easy, cost me nothing, and solves the problem. Not sure how valuable this product is, but i hope they do well.

[@pabbaditya]

I just used a Hue Light in the hallway.

[@zippy753]

Yeah, a 'do not disturb' sign hanging on the door handle does the same thing.

[@tejask4889]

But that would not be so feasible when you have some gaps between your meetings, I personally wouldn’t want to wake up every time to change that sign. While the idea of changing the sign via an mobile app is cool, the price is ridiculous..

[@topshelfdustin3060]

@@tejask4889 and yet you check their website and they're struggling with enough supply to sell...which is likely a driver on the price point.

[@Ibochic1]

Or I yell “I’m busy!!!”… 🤣

[@vinaya59]

Brand new 2021 IPAD retails for $250.. an electronic signboard outside a room can't ask for $299!!!

[@naveenbharathi]

Use a post-it note and save 300 dollars! Doesn't need batteries too!

[@MegaMijit]

save $300

[@michaelhall5447]

The way Robert said he was out was cold asf

[@BusyBoxSign]

Don't believe the edits. He was very, very nice. ;o)

[@rodrigok1220]

They never asked how much it cost to make one…

[@joyeetarozario7907]

Probably $5

[@withgoddess1119]

They weren't that interested.

[@juliejaster]

They said they weren’t interested in lowering the cost. So the landed price wouldn’t matter.

[@yazanayyash9631]

@@juliejaster I think you meant to say they weren't interested in lowering their Price*, so the landed Cost* wouldn't matter, right?

[@Rapdenlama]

Probably edited it out for the show.

[@oscarthebanana]

5:45 any time Barbara sees a new business with great sales, great margins, incredibly opportunity, and owners who give their all every day

[@JasmineAvril]

😂😂😂

[@jayess6318]

I printed a 'BUSY' sign in 48 font in Red and a piece of scotch tape and it works fine! I am not sure how much it cost me but it didn't cost $299

[@acesofglory]

$299 for what a piece of paper with some marker on it would do. That's crazy.

[@None0fYourBusiness]

Ever heard of a digital picture frame? Why couldn't I just hang a digital picture frame outside of my door, wirelessly upload a photo to it of what I want to say - closed, open, busy, come in, etc., and use that as exactly the same thing? Their product already exists, basically.

[@topshelfdustin3060]

that wouldn't integrate with your calendar? That at least I believe is the goal of that ap.

[@RaeBattleRapsMood]

50$ price point was the max I’d see. And that’s just because of the app functionality.

[@agylao6894]

*$50

[@peterh3213]

@agylao6894 it's fifty dollars (50$) not dollars fifty ($50)... just because you have it wrong in the US doesn't mean the entire world will follow

[@agylao6894]

@@peterh3213 So I’m still right.

[@peterh3213]

@@agylao6894 if it makes you feel better feel free to think that

[@tomekk.1889]

​@@peterh3213Get out of here it doesn't matter

[@anovosedlik]

Have they never been to a hotel? Have they not seen the 'Do not disturb' door tag?

[@summonedfist]

Could see this selling like crazy as a gag gift under $50...

[@BusyBoxSign]

And as a serious gift for WFH professionals! ;o)

[@CBarber22]

Who the hell still needs this? Especially at $299. Just write a paper note

[@piezoelectric627]

A sharpie and a piece of paper and I save myself 299 dls. No one is knocking my door anymore 😂😂😂

[@overgrows]

just get a dry erase board lol

[@Onxy1976]

Thought what I commented, this isn't a problem! It's a product created for a non existent issue.

[@visualdosage234]

and if u had to go digital theres super cheap android phones for 30 bucks on amazon and u would have the same functionality

[@richardgonzales3562]

Mistake talking about branching out to wellness etc. $299 was a tough price to accept then to pile on with another application was not a good move.

[@LifeCoachJesse]

Great presentation. They had the margins to offer Kevin a royalty deal where he gets 2x his money and a certain %. He would be great on a commercial with them 2.

[@BusyBoxSign]

Thanks for the kind words. We worked on it for months. Kevin was highly engaged, and as they showed in the edits, he said (more than once), "I think you're onto something." We wish they had put that full conversation on the show, but the editors have a lot of tough choices to make to take a llllooooooong conversation and make it come together in under 6 minutes. I would not want that job. That's hard work. Poor Conor spoke a lot and they edited him out completely. 😞 It's all good. We had a blast and business is booming.

[@jazdop2932]

@@BusyBoxSign love u responding

[@jvttsm]

the fact that the video is merely 6mins tells me it is definitely a unanimous "no" from the sharks.

[@BusyBoxSign]

Yeah, we were in the room a LONG time and had some good traction, but in the end, we didn't convince the sharks we had a product they wanted to invest in. "Ring"s a bell, doesn't it? ;o)

[@guardiantko3220]

@BusyBox a simple message to whoever is in the house that you're in a meeting or busy when the door is closed is all you need. Why 300$? That's legit insane. If your housemates or family can't respect a quiet space or a work zone, that's more on your family imo. Tape a paper to the door with sharpie if need be. Such a headache you guys created for yourselves. Sure it got sales, and might still be doing so, but thats a lot of extra paperwork that, a simple paper can solve

[@TamayoAnimation]

I’m an animator and I work from home and I get knocks on the door or family calling my name, and I’ve even thought about the “on air” device…but $299 get out a cardboard “busy sign” works the same

[@DopeHangouts]

I rolled my eyes as soon as he said, busy box was a door sign

[@born2win262]

This product can shine at office spaces where they could place them outside cubicles and offices.

[@BusyBoxSign]

Yup. And it does. You get it. Thanks!

[@sangun123]

what office would spend 300 dollars on it though? sure it serves a function, like the "live recording" light has been in use for decades now, it's not new, it's a small bluetooth light

[@GATOWN]

At work, we put a piece of paper on the door that says in a meeting. Don’t need to spend time, customizing digital screens, and $299 is outrageous

[@thomasshingleton9289]

It could be usefull however, it's too expensive and in our house, my wife works at home as do I. After a few days everyone knows our schedule and knows if the office door is shut you don't knock or yell as they did in the presentation

[@Vr4z1el]

Just set boundaries with your family to not interrupt you during working hours.

[@enolahastiin6811]

For $299.00? I can grab a pen, one piece of paper, and a piece of tape and achieve the same thing.

[@iulic9833]

This is absolutely one of the worst ideas for a product. It's a 300$ screen. That's all it is. You could find alternative for 20$. Or you could just put a paper sign on the door saying busy. How and why are people buying this?!?!

[@joshblank1]

Entrepreneur: “we want to grow it slow” 30 seconds later: “we want to expand into wellness space”

[@urfaes6878]

Here's what works in my family : If my door is shut, don't bother me. I'm busy. WOW! What an amazing concept! Been using it since the 80s.

[@FrankDTank16]

The problem was that they gave the higher end model price. The one with the slides is no way more than $30.

[@juliekoichu421]

I'd just hang and open/closed sign on the door and communicate with family members to let them know not to come in when the sign says "closed". Works the same as a light up "busy" sign

[@DaveMalkoff]

I have an LED on-air sign at the top of the stairs. I built a smart home routine that switches it on and switches it off. The whole thing was about $20, and I have been using it since the pandemic started.

[@pikaboo4861]

mark knows how easy to program this so he know the business is too easy and not that trendy

[@girlonlaptop]

Would be good for teacher's doors, doctors, lawyers, etc...not just an at home product, make it $99. Sell in bulk to school districts., hospitals, etc. No hard wiring is the key.

[@AndromedanPrince]

How was him answering questions going off on tangents?? 😂😂

[@sethkonoff5891]

I wouldn't pay $10 for this

[@slovnicurling9808]

I was like just put "on air" sign above your door and it actually is just it.

[@iwrk]

I bet you their cost is $10 per unit. High margins many times kill a business. There must be some type of relationship between those 2, they looked very similar.

[@tinhinnh]

they’re not related but they look like father/son

[@boredomisbliss6271]

Wait I was under the impression the fully digital one was 299, what about the slide in and out one? I assume that one would be much cheaper.

[@TwistedFoxblade]

that is the price for the slide in and out one

[@topshelfdustin3060]

@@TwistedFoxblade no the slide in and out was 129, 299 was the full digital

[@BusyBoxSign]

Yeah, the edits were weird since they had to cut it down a lot. We have a $59 model, a $129 model, a $149 model and a $299 model. Oddly enough, the $299 model is our best seller. Clearly not a product for the Sharks, but 25~45 year old people love both the $129 and $299 models the most, 3:4 ratio.

[@kingjayded4752]

They wild for walking in there for that price

[@vextechnet5865]

When Barbara was born, the doctor said “she’s out”

[@BetterLifeAhead35]

You can get an amazon fire tablet for $80, and that has apps, wifi, a camera, etc. The price is insane.

[@hockeychick216]

I go on live calls all day and this would potentially be something I would use, but not for that much. It would also be really neat if there was a way for it to change automatically every time I am on a call so I wouldn't have to change it back and forth each time.

[@John94709]

You can either spend $299, or just tape a sign on the door. Tough call.

[@Goldinton]

Would a small marker board out side door nobe will fix this for 5 usd?

[@aggproduction5704]

For $300, you can buy a really good lock and have someone install it and plus hang a small sign on the door that says do not disturb with RGB lights. All within $300 budget

[@EGarrett01]

They need to make the app be able to (with your permission obv) automatically detect when you have Zoom or a website of your choice open and change your sign to Busy or whatever else you want.

[@EGarrett01]

@Dion Diova - A lot of times when you're on a zoom call, you're quiet and just hearing other people talk. Often over your headphones. There's also your work e-mail, word processor, or other programs that don't make noise that the app could detect and then automatically switch your sign to Busy when you have them open.

[@topshelfdustin3060]

if it connects to your calendar it should already be able to do this.

[@unknownpotato8691]

Someone will for sure set it to detect if pornhub is open

[@SteveSkillings]

It does this already.

[@xtraspecialj]

@Everett01 That's exactly what the product does. He said that in the pitch...

[@willsutter5207]

You can find an old smartphone and mount it to your door for $30. You can buy a whiteboard for $10. A sticky note costs about a penny.

[@ziokeye2679]

I feel like I'm in the twilight zone. Lock your door or use a paper and pen....

[@guardiantko3220]

Dude, right?? Like, sometimes "luxury" gadgets aren't the way. That's just a way to burn money at that point

[@joshblank1]

They didn’t discuss landed cost or patents

[@Aerondighteternal]

Command strip and a laminated “busy” sign or some other ones like “meeting” or something. Pretty easy.

[@BrianParsonsMusic]

I own two. One for the studio one for the office and they’re fantastic

[@cousinjohncarstuff4568]

My Daughter works from home. If she or I have a question, I just text, when she gets a moment, she responds. If her lunch is running late, she texts to let me know, no sign needed!

[@itsgabegutierrez]

Or tape a paper that says "In a meeting. Do not disturb" to the door

[@Downfall466]

It is just a display hub. I've seen some sold for gaming PC's or just decorative electronics for your home. Things like this should NOT cost more than maybe $50 at most.

[@darkside_xposure]

You can also tell your husband or wife or anyone else at home, that you'll be in a meeting and not to be distracted..You know it's called communication...

[@idontno0]

Wouldn't be bad in an office setting.

[@omarkry9020]

I love When They Said Shaaaaaaaarksssss

[@jdxiong]

I hate it. Lol

[@BusyBoxSign]

@@jdxiong Gotta be entertaining (or try to) or you'll never make the air. ;o)

[@bernisworlds]

this kind of LCD/OLED Display with App costs

[@estebbesfunnyclips]

Guy with white hair looks 12 yrs old and 75 yrs old at the same time!

[@mikeweiser2210]

Some company already developed these, but in a tremendously cheaper price. They’re called a plastic Do Not Disturb tag you hang on a doorknob. I’ve seen tons of these used in hotels all the time 🤯

[@stevep6317]

Those who don't understand the pricing don't understand the hardware. These most likely run off a Raspberry Pi based system or similar. Hardware + Labor = well over $200. Nobody anywhere is going to sell one of these for ~$20.

[@OpEditorial]

At best you've got a gag gift that's a needlessly pricey, slightly more high tech version of a cardboard "Do Not Disturb" sign you hang from a doorknob.

[@khalidcarrillo1132]

at $299 it is a corporate purchase for wfh employees. I have seen how much corporations spend without thought, so I understand why their sales are that way.

[@Saarim-]

Price is very high. You can legit buy a decent quality tablet for that much.

[@kernelxsanders]

I could provide a whole company with "do not disturb" doorknob signs for less than the price of one of these

[@JayLuhx]

I am a high school teacher and this would be GREAT to put ‘testing’ on the door etc. Just not sure if schools would buy for the price!

[@topshelfdustin3060]

i'd guess a bulk buy could be possible.

[@BusyBoxSign]

Schools do buy the Digital model ($299) and the $129 model quite a bit. They like the lifetime warranty and free for life software and security updates.

[@MasonNoThumbs]

So why can’t we just put a post it note up that says don’t knock I’m on a call

[@ArenaTeams2024]

How is this any better than taking a sharpie, writing "I am busy" on a piece of printer paper, and taping it to your door?

[@Micloren]

Could us a cheap digital picture frame to do the same thing. How they came up with $299 is beyond comprehension.

[@BusyBoxSign]

A lifetime of features and security updates and a lifetime warranty (even if you break it). And $299 is a magical price point that we can discount down from. I hope that helps.

[@swedishshortsnout5610]

@@BusyBoxSign How on earth would someone break it? It seems quite solid, and it's very unlikely that someone is going to break it after it is on the door. And why would anyone need more features or fancy designs than the existing ones? People would buy this for literally ONE function and ONE reason, which is to prevent barging in during meetings/calls. Your logic is like adding an extra $600 to a $1000 piano for the "warranty" because the piano strings might snap in thirty years. Your product is worth maybe $70 max. And that's pushing it.

[@KyleChittock]

I bought one. The battery life is pretty low. Really has to be plugged in. Looks good though.

[@rubberduck3788]

I could literally get a brand new tablet for cheaper than this, open up Google Docs, and write messages to be displayed on it, super simple.

[@missy1806]

Those good old open and closed signs that hang in shop doors are still around and would be the cheap alternative to this product or you could make something simple with paper, pen & blue tack. You could close the door when in a meeting and leave it open when your not instead of spending $200 lol To me the 2nd model is a small screen version of those huge TV like displays you see at game stadiums. This is also very similar to the screen McDonald's have to show your ticket number to pick up your order when it's ready. Found it was still in business in Dec 2022 but there have been replica's who are in competition with Busy Box now.

[@elchapojr6219]

The mute button works wonders this device won’t go that far

[@richarddavenport6756]

This is like a 5 and below gimmick product. 299 is absolutely nuts

[@l.iproductions5957]

It’s cool but definitely not for $200 . I wanted one as soon as I saw it but I thought it was going to be $40-$60 … not $200😂😂😂 that’s ridiculous for something that looks like can be bought a toy store

[@danjwalker]

It's not $200...it's even worse, $299!

[@ianyname1736]

299 for a busy sign, absolutely crazy, I'm thinking 35-40 maximum and I would buy one.

[@elben3212]

To all the 30$ potential buyers here..: we are working on it..😂

[@ABAtrading]

I’d buy one but most I’d pay is $25 on the low end, $up to 45 on the higher end. I’m constantly being bothered family while working in my room from home, idk what their issue is they just barge in like I’m DOING SOMETHING HERE

[@BusyBoxSign]

Our pricing starts at $59 (see the website) if you don't want to connect it to your calendar.

[@ninjaundermyskin]

This product could be replaced by a sheet of paper and 1/2 inch of tape. $299 would last a lifetime of those supplies (plus I can take those home from the office for free 🤣)

[@jasons6021]

Could be a fun novelty gift it was like $20-$30. But $300? Surprised they've sold any.

[@BoldFollower]

I could buy a small tv and mount it connected to an app and still have a ton of money left over

[@blaquiere141]

I hate to bash on a product that people worked so hard for, but on Amazon Canada you can get an 7 inches Amazon tablet for 79 CAD. The 10 inches Android tablet is 109 CAD. There's now way people will spend 299 USD for a light box showing a single message...

[@MediaBuster]

I HATE people that over charge for their business...

[@deputyvillageidiot]

Isn’t this just a piece of paper, a pencil, and a piece of scotch tape?

[@kcn1981]

Good innovation but have to think where I can tag to the door like "honey moon couple we are busy". 😅 jokes apart cost should be somewhere around 10 to 20 dollars to reach more customers. I am sure it is possible as you might had observed the Exit or entry buttons at movie theaters or office locations .

[@mc888l]

Remember those "do not disturb" signs on hotel room doors...just a paper sign on the door handle...

[@mcseforsale]

You can build your own and learn something. Raspberry PI and some old tech and you could make your own for about $120. And, you can do it with your kids!

[@beWorldly]

or you could just buy one of those 'i'm busy' signs that we get at hotels, from the dollar store, and hang it outside your door? and then flip it when you're done. you don't need a $299 product!

[@ImpulsiveWandering]

Do Not Disturb signs are $2 and do the same thing. This is the dumbest idea on the Shark Tank