Melissa Carbone is considered to be Shark Tank’s most successful entrepreneur considering in the 5th season of the show she was able to broker a deal with billionaire Mark Cuban to invest $2 million into her company Ten Thirty Productions; the biggest investment in the show’s history.
Ten Thirty One, founded in 2009, is on track to bring in more than $3 million in revenue this year for its elaborate and spooky attractions, and it’s working on bringing its flagship Haunted Hayride to New York, San Francisco, and possibly Atlanta next fall.
“The ultimate long-term goal is to have a Ten Thirty One attraction in every major metropolitan area in the United States,” Carbone tells Business Insider.
Cuban has been very hands-on with Ten Thirty One’s expansion, helping Carbone get a deal with entertainment giant Live Nation and working on getting a television feature for the company.
Carbone, who talks to Cuban multiple times a week, says one piece of his advice rings in her head every day: “Don’t drown in opportunity.”
“Because after ‘Shark Tank’ I guess it’s common for a lot of those companies to start getting inundated with emails from people who want to partner with them,” Carbone says. “It still is happening to us.”
Carbone says that she’s always been the type to jump at every big opportunity that came her way, but Cuban’s advice has helped her grow as an entrepreneur.
“I think about that every single day, because sometimes you have to cut some opportunities loose, and it’s a little painful,” Carbone says.
Cuban is now working with Carbone to take what’s been successful in California and expand it to a broader audience.
“He’s really accessible and really interested in getting us to the next level,” Carbone says.
via: BI
