Tell me, what kind of bird do you like? A mockingbird? A hummingbird? Well, whatever it is, I believe it will be a great choice. But now tell me, how often do you see those birds around you? Not very often, right?
Don’t fret! Now, you can actually attract and watch the right kind of guests at home with The Happy Birdwatcher Co.
Key Highlights
- Asked for $150K for 10% of her company.
- Failed to secure any deals.
- The product comes with eco-friendly packaging.
- To read detailed product reviews of this or some of the very best products featured on the Shark Tank, click here.
A Unique Business Idea
Susan Vandergriff appeared on Shark Tank’s episode where she asked for $150K for 10% of her company at a valuation of $1.5M.
Susan started her pitch with some strong facts such as listening to birds can actually improve mental health, as it’s a happiness booster. But unfortunately, beautiful and enchanting birds rarely visit us anymore and to attract them once again, this company is going to help us.
How Does It Work?
Bird species vary from one place to another, and each one has a unique and different taste in food. It’s not just something that Susan said, it’s a fact. So, the concept behind The Happy Birdwatcher Co. is simple, to create food that attracts the right kind of birds you want to attract.
And, to do this, you just need to go on the website by clicking here, answer a few questions such as:
- Which type of bird would you want to see?
- What kind of bird feeder type do you have at your home?
No, there are some more easy questions as well but after answering them, The Happy Birdwatcher Co. uses their bird sighting data obtained from the person’s zip code. After analyzing the specific bird’s probability in the area, the company creates a personalized blend of seeds to prepare a diet for birds. From here on, the bird will pay a visit to your house to eat the food that is specially created for them.
Is It Financially Stable?
Coming to the most important part, everyone was quite impressed with the idea. Lori specifically praised the concept behind this company and said that it was appealing to see how the right kind of birds can be attracted by the right kind of food.
Upon inquiring about how much the product cost, Susan said that their most popular seed bag which weighs around 10 pounds costs $49 landed. And to create it, they are spending $26.79. All in all, they have a profit margin of about $22 – which doesn’t seem bad at all at this stage. But, you’ll see the twist later.
Now, as the sharks heard the profit margin, they were quite surprised and wanted to know more about the company’s financials. Below, the table explains everything about the company’s financials.
| Retail Price | $49 |
| Production Cost | $26.79 |
| Profit Margin | $22 (approx.) |
| Lifetime Sales | $459K |
| Sales in 2021 | $9K |
| Sales in 2022 | $109K |
| Sales in 2023 | $189K |
| Year to Date | $152K |
| This year (Projected) | $360K |
Well, as you may notice, the numbers are not bad at all. But as you may have also read why The Happy Birdwatcher Co. failed to land a deal. So, what happened during the pitch? Let’s see:
The Final Remarks
Susan said in her pitch that she wanted to lower the COGS (cost of goods sold) by $3 to $4 by using the shark’s money. She also confessed that after doing record sales in her business career, she wouldn’t be able to make a profit this year. It’s because her profit margin is good, but COGS and overheads are too much.
However, Lori was still a bit confused about the idea and said:
Am I 100% sure to attract certain birds that I want?
Susan: Yes!
Even after this, Lori did not seem interested as, Daniel took over and said that he loved birds a lot, but felt like there was so much wrong with the business right now. From here on, Kevin initiates the rejection ritual by saying:
Kevin: You’re unique, but I don’t like your business model because no matter how much you scale, you are not profitable.
Mark: Along the same lines with Kevin. He advised Susan to stop pretending that she was in the product business. She should rather be in the service business.
Lori: She said that a product in this niche wouldn’t be the right kind of investment for her.
Barbara: Doesn’t see this business as investible.
Lastly, Daniel came again and said that Susan was doing good and she should always remember that the journey was more important than the destination. And that she has to figure out the cost and revenue and till then, it’s not a good idea to be an investor in this.
| Sharks | Deal Offered | Remarks |
| Kevin | No | Awful business model |
| Mark | No | Along the same lines with Kevin |
| Lori | No | Too much niche product |
| Barbara | No | Doesn’t seem an investible business |
| Daniel | No | Needs to sort out so many things before seeking an investment again. |
Some Sound Assumptions
Yes, The Happy Birdwatcher Co. failed to secure the investment. And I’m sad for her as well. But it does not mean that her business won’t thrive. It will, as you may see in the years to come. Below, I have done a brief financial analysis of this company for the upcoming five years.
| Year | Sales Revenue | Units Sold | Production Cost | Gross Profit | Profit Margin % |
| 2025 | $540,000 | 11,020 | $295,080 | $244,920 | 45.3% |
| 2026 | $810,000 | 16,530 | $442,620 | $367,380 | 45.3% |
| 2027 | $1,215,000 | 24,795 | $663,688 | $551,312 | 45.3% |
| 2028 | $1,822,500 | 37,192 | $995,531 | $826,969 | 45.3% |
| 2029 | $2,733,750 | 55,788 | $1,493,297 | $1,240,453 | 45.3% |
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