This notebook was rejected on Shark Tank but helped its company make $10 million
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AmazonThink you have the next big idea? It's probably crossed your mind to try your luck on "Shark Tank."
Over the past eight seasons, hundreds of entrepreneurial hopefuls have used the show to launch their unique product, and many "Shark Tank" success stories have already made millions.
But what happens if your big idea is rejected by Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, or Kevin O'Leary? If you're lucky, you could end up making $10 million.
That's what happened to Jake Epstein and Joe LeMay, founders of the Rocketbook. After forgetting to pack the correct notebook for an important meeting, Lemay wanted a way to access his notes anytime, anywhere. He teamed with Epstein to create a notebook that not only sends all your notes to the cloud, but erases itself when you throw it in the microwave.
At first glance, Rocketbook looks like any other notebook. It has a tight spiral binding and 80 thin pages to jot and draw on. But when you take pictures of each page through Rocketbook's app, it'll scan, enhance, and send your pages to your intended digital destination. With seven icons pre-printed on the footer of each page, you can choose where your notes are sent, whether it's Dropbox, Google Drive, or your inbox.
Anyone who takes notes by hand knows those stacks of used journals can get expensive. Instead of spending a small fortune on disposable notebooks, pick up Rocketbook's Wave journal and a batch of Pilot's Frixion Pens. Combined with Rocketbook's fine-grain pages, this ink becomes clear when exposed to heat, so you can use your notebook several times without losing your notes.
Though "Shark Tank's" investors passed on the company's big idea earlier this month, Rocketbook seems to be doing just fine on its own. Not only did the company's first model, the Wave, make over $1.2 million on Indiegogo, it was Amazon's best-selling notebook in November 2016.
The Everlast, which uses water to erase your notes, made over $4 million dollars through its Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns — and that's before it's even hit the market. According to the company, Rocketbook has shipped over 50,000 journals and made $10 million in revenue.
With over 300 5-star ratings on Amazon, it seems to be worth the hype:
"I use this product on a daily basis and it's already made my life easier," one user said. "I work with five other engineers in my office and now we are all using them. If you rely on note taking in your daily life I highly recommend this revolutionary notebook."
"This is an amazing solution to my problem of keeping track of my notes from meetings, etc.," another said. "With this notebook and the Rocket System, I can instantly digitize and organize my notes online. I can then access them from anywhere. Simple and effective. Brilliant!"
Admittedly, there are some kinks that still need to be worked out. For example, one reviewer said some ink colors don't show up when you scan the pages. But if you want to find an easy way to organize your notes without ditching the pen and paper, Rocketbook might be the solution.