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Treading Water with the Sharks – Part III

Treading Water with the Sharks
Part Three: Post-Game Wrap-Up
by Andrew Humphrey

NO DEAL??!! Seriously???!

I was unable to convince the Sharks of the connections between Green Trends, capitalism, and my Registered Trademark ECOMOWER. I feel like I brought something that is scalable, brandable, and make a difference in the world’s climate change, and either they just didn’t see it, or I just didn’t do a good enough job of convincing them.   If you have any suggestions for ways I could have improved my pitch send them to me – AndyH at EcoMowers.com .

Do I regret it? Absolutely not!

My experience was totally awesome. I networked with a lot of other creative entrepreneurs, and was forced to really hone my pitch and re-think all of my ideas and business plan.  With a little hard work this winter I was able to bring the new Helix EcoMower to market WITHOUT the Sharks and I still own 100% of my business!!  Everything is looking great, the company if off to a great start.

Here is one thing I truly believe as a result: all future lawnmowers will be environmentally friendly and I have a great shot at making “EcoMowers” THE trend-setting buzzword brand and the “Category Killer” (cheers Ronnie). Now I am fully motivated to get my business further off the ground and prove to the Sharks that they turned away something special!

I spent an hour of my life in front of potential investor ‘Sharks’ and I would recommend the experience to anyone. I salute all of my fellow entrepreneurs and encourage all of you to keep working your ideas until you make it stick!  Keep swinging and NEVER give up.

If you would like to talk shop, please send me your comments I would love to hear from you.

AndyH at EcoMowers.com

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Rating: 4.6/10 (45 votes cast)

Treading Water in the Shark Tank – Part II

Treading Water in the Shark Tank
Part Two: The Game
by Andrew Humphrey

The morning of actual taping, we had to be up early and ready for the shuttle bus to Sony Picture Studios by 7am (if memory serves me). When we arrived at the studio I totally felt like I was in a documentary about the making of a movie, with producers, go-fers, sets, cameras and gear everywhere. Seriously, everyone was riding around in golf carts just like in the movies! I was shown to my private dressing room: a 10 by 10 white closet with a couch and one black and white photo on the wall. I was hoping the “dressing room” would be more glamorous, exciting, and plush. Instead it was just an EMPTY room and would be my “holding cell” until late afternoon when I would give my pitch.

A short time before that, I was taken to make-up and given a face-powder and then it was Go-Time!

Well, actually, then I was taken to a secondary “holding cell” from which I could neither hear nor see anything that was going on ‘out there’. In fact, I didn’t get to see or hear any of the other pitches while I was there.

Finally, they released the chute and, like a dazed bull, I made my way down a long narrow passageway to my stage mark and waited for my cue.

Utter silence.

The Sharks eyeballed me and I did my best to eyeball them back. This seemed to continue for a small eternity, until someone said, “Whenever you’re ready Andy.”

- – - – - -

When it was done, it was done. There was no backstage chatter. No second chances for explanation, and definitely no after-glow parties. When you are done, you go home.

So, how did it go?

Stay tuned and find out!

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Rating: 5.8/10 (12 votes cast)

Treading Water in the Shark Tank

Part One: Pre-Game Jitters

by Andrew Humphrey

Sitting here on the eve of Shark Tank and my Network TV debut — feeling a bit nervous, but super excited. I haven’t the slightest idea how they will edit this thing to make me look, but I made it on the show, so one can only assume it will make good TV either way.

I went to Hollywood to pitch The EcoMower on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ many weeks ago and, frankly, much of it is a blur now. Like after a high-octane job interview, I’ve been running it through my mind ever since, remembering little snippets and thinking, ‘Did I say that right?’, ‘Did I nail it?’, ‘Did I have food on my shirt?’, etc.

It’s a cliche, but it’s true: sitting on the sofa at home watching, you have no idea. No idea how nervous everyone really is, how bright the lights are, how many cameras there are, and how exposed you feel. It was shot in High Definition! I remember thinking, “If I missed any spots while shaving, it will be amplified by a thousand on national television!”

So I don’t know what it’s going to look like, but I hope everyone watches, and I’m just glad I got picked to be on. I will be back to update you all after the broadcast!

Thanks!

PHOTO: In the ‘Green Room’ before taping

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Rating: 6.2/10 (10 votes cast)

D.C. LEEDing in Green Building

The NASA Sustainability Base, one of the greenest federal buildings ever constructed, opens this spring at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. It’s slated to earn the top or platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The nation’s capital isn’t just the epicenter of the U.S. government, it also leads U.S. cities and states in green building, new data show.
The Obama administration requires new federal buildings meet higher energy-efficiency standards, and one result is that Washington now has far more green-building space per capita — 25 square feet — than any of the 50 states, according to the private U.S. Green Building Council. The 2010 data refer to commercial and institutional space (not residential) certified by its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.
So far, among states, California, Texas, and New York have the highest number of LEED-certified buildings, but none of them made the top 10 list based on certifications per capita. Which ones do?

Nevada takes that top spot, with nearly 11 square feet per capita of LEED-certified space. It’s followed by New Mexico (6.35 square feet) New Hampshire (4.49 sf) Oregon (4.07 sf) South Carolina (3.19 sf), Washington (3.16 sf) Illinois (3.09 sf) Arkansas (2.9 sf) Colorado (2.85 sf) and Minnesota (2.77 sf.)
“Using per capita, versus the more traditional numbers of projects, or pure square footage, is a reminder to all of us that the people who live and work, learn and play in buildings should be what we care about most,” Scott Horst, LEED’s senior vice president said in announcing the finding.

Other data from his group show the nation’s capital also has more LEED projects (799 registered and certified as of Jan. 11) than any other U.S. city, although New York is a close second with 792. They’re followed by Chicago (739); Houston (518); San Francisco (497); Seattle (415); Atlanta (408); Los Angeles (401); San Diego (329) and Portland (310.)
The U.S. Green Building Council says there are many notable newly-certified projects in 2010 such as the Frito Lay manufacturing site in Jonesboro, Ark., Wells Fargo Center in Denver, Colo. and the two renovated International Monetary Fund headquarter buildings in Washington, D.C.
Its data come as other research indicates that despite an overall weak construction sector, green building is projected to continue its growth. Another green-building program, run by the National Association of Home Builders, announced last week that it just certified its 2,000th project – a 42-site residential development in Cecil, Md.

LEED, which also rates commercial, educational and other institutional facilities, is a much bigger program. More than 40,000 such projects and nearly 45,000 homes have registered for its certification.

Via: USA Today

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Building Better Soil With Compost Tea

The lawn care industry is undergoing a revolution. People who are concerned with the safety of their children and pets, as well as concern for the environment, are increasingly turning to organic lawn care practices. Many municipalities are mandating the use of non-toxic, natural fertilizers and soil conditioners on their soccer and baseball fields.

Instead of using toxic chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, the use of Compost Tea on lawns is becoming increasingly popular. As seen on “This Old House,” Harvard University has been using Compost Tea on Harvard Yard instead of chemical fertilizers and has much healthier and better quality turf as a result.

What is Compost Tea?

Compost Tea is a liquid containing the micro biology that your lawn needs to thrive. That micro biology is extracted from suspended compost in large water drums, while adding oxygen and nutrients to grow huge numbers of beneficial bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. The addition of Compost Tea to your soil improves tillage and soil structure. Compost Tea adds the necessary biology to build soil structure.

Chemical based pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers negatively impact beneficial microorganisms in the ecosystem. Compost Tea improves plant nutrition by increasing nutrient availability in the root system. Microbial interactions increase plant available nutrients in exactly the right place, time and amounts that the plant needs.

Properly conditioned, your lawn will develop a stronger, deeper root system. As a result, your turf will be more drought and heat resistant, and better able to pull nutrients and oxygen from the soil. This stimulates lateral growth, creating a thicker lawn that is better able to crowd out weeds, and needs less frequent mowing.

Naturally maintained lawns:

*Need less frequent watering

*Need cutting less often

*Grow thicker, crowding out weeds

*Are pest resistant

Which adds up to savings for you, and a safe and healthy lawn for your children and pets!

From: SanFranciscoBayAreaToday.org

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Momentum Grass Catcher to Ship Mid-April

The snow is deep here in Traverse City, however thoughts of barefoot ecomowing brighten our days. As we begin to gear up for the spring we have exciting news from our friends at Fiskars.   Fiskars’ new Momentum Grass Catcher will be ready to ship in mid-April and we have prototype pictures to show you. The grass catcher will be a great accessory to the Momentum Reel Mower and we are excited to give it a try when the snow melts away.

Fiskars Grass Catcher Bag

Fiskars Grass Catcher Bag

-  For use with Fiskars Momentum™ mower
-  Simple to use with convenient handle for easy emptying
-  Effective capacity of one-half bushel
-  UV and mildew resistant polyester screen and heavy duty steel frame
-  Adjustable for full cut height range (1”-4”)
-  Simple tool-free assembly required
-  1 year warranty

We are a big fan of grassycycling.  We generally recommend that you leave the clippings on the lawn and not use a grass collector bag if at all possible, but there are obvious situations that having the Momentum Grass Catcher would be very helpful. First, The Momentum Reel Mower is a “front throwing” mower and therefore tends to make a mess of sidewalks, patios, streets, and all hard surface areas where grass clippings are thrown.  The grass bag will keep those surfaces clean.   Secondly, grass clippings make a nice ingredient for most compost piles and the grass catcher allows you to easily collect the clippings.

Otherwise, keep the clippings on the grass!

Momentum Grass Bag

Momentum Grass Bag

The Momentum Grass Catcher (Part Number 62106935) will have a retail price of $49.99 and we will probably discount this item when purchased in combination with a new Momentum mower.

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Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Banned in Hawaii

The state of Hawaii recently passed a law which bans all gasoline-powered leaf blowers and restricts electric leaf blower use in residential areas to between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.

In addition to the restrictions, the new regulations also state that noise levels generated by the leaf blowers cannot exceed 70 decibels beyond boundaries of the property being cleaned. Leaf blowing operations are also prohibited from blowing debris onto adjacent property.

The law doesn’t apply to other power equipment, such as string trimmers and lawnmowers. Violators will be fined $50 for first violation and up to $500 for repeat violations.

(via www.igin.com)

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EPA Ends Use of Pesticide Endosulfan (Thiodan, Thionex)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to end all U.S. uses of the insecticide endosulfan (trade name: Thiodan prior to 2002 and later called Thionex) which has been found to pose reproductive and neurological risks to birds, other wildlife and humans. The manufacturer of endosulfan, Makteshim Agan of North America, is now in discussions with the EPA to plan the voluntary cancellation of all uses of the pesticide.

Endosulfan was first registered for use in the 1950s and is the last of the organochlorine pesticide class to be used in the United States. Other organochlorine pesticides, such as DDT, dieldrin, and chlordane were banned in the 1970s and ‘80s. Endosulfan has been used on cotton, vegetables, fruits, ornamental shrubs, trees, and herbaceous plants in the U.S.

The pesticide has already been banned in 60 countries. Worldwide outcry to ban endosulfan arose from the deaths of 135 people in Kerala, India, following use of the pesticide in cashew orchards.

Source:
EPA.gov
IGIN.com

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Rating: 5.5/10 (6 votes cast)

How-To Assemble and Adjust the Fiskars Momentum Push Mower

Maybe you have noticed that we talk, and talk, and talk about the new Fiskars Momentum.  What else are we going to talk about, that super heavy old mower your grandpa used? No way! Fiskars continues to feed us new and exciting marketing tid-bits and we are excited to share them with the ecomowers community.

The following how-to videos will help explain how-to assemble the Momentum mower and how to adjust the cutting height and handlebars of the Fiskars reel mower.

See how easy it is…

How to Assemble the Fiskars Momentum reel mower:

How to adjust the Momentum mower cutting height:

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National Home Gardening Club Tested the Fiskars Momentum Mower

June 8th, 2010

It was announced today that Fiskars completed a product test of the Momentum mower by the National Home Gardening Club.  Testers were NHGC members and were pre-screened to be current reel mower users.  After assembling and using the Momentum, testers were asked to rate the mower on several different attributes on which Fiskars scored extremely high.

100% of testers would recommend the Momentum to another member!

Below is a short summary of the test results.

Momentum_Mower_NHGC

Momentum Mower NHGC Test Results

NOTE: NHGC will feature the Momentum test results in the July / August issue of the Gardening How-To Magazine.

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Rating: 7.4/10 (7 votes cast)
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