"Why didn't he help you build twice the amount of toy boxes so you could make double the money?"
Here's the deal. He was laid off from his job, doing some consulting work, taking care of the kids, taking care of the house (grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning), and interviewing for full-time work. His help with everything (including helping me with polyurethaning toy boxes, etc) allowed me to focus on growing Mod Mom and do everything needed to prep for Shark Tank which is an insane amount of work. While I did make $34K in 2009 (over $100K from 2007-2010), his salary was so far above mine that having him working with me full-time and me making and extra $30K a year wouldn't even touch his income level. A few people suggested that if he worked with me while he was unemployed, I would have made more money. He was working with me -- he was handling everything that fell under parenting/homelife. He was unemployed when we filmed the show in October 2010 and remained unemployed til January so every bit of emotion you saw and felt in the Tank was real. We were counting on either MMF or his job or both to save us financially. The main objective for him (for both of us) was finding a full-time gig making his VP level salary because we knew that what was going to save us immediately. We live in LA which means if you're making $30K per year for a family of four, you're living in a van down by the river. (Nod to Chris Farley) It's a TV show so they edit it the way they want to have story play out even though I talked quite a bit about how he was helping me. (Oh, and he does use power tools and builds things as well so he knows his way around the garage.)
"Why wasn't he in the Tank with you showing his support?"
It's my company-- always has been my brain child. While he's insanely supportive and helpful and will be collaborating with me on a few designs in the future, it's still my blood, sweat, and tears all over MMF from the very, very humble beginning in 2007. I certainly wouldn't go with him to show my support on one of his interviews. It's the same kinda thing. Also, he was home taking care of the kids. Besides, let's be honest. If he'd been up there by my side, the first question out of the Shark's mouth would've been, "So he's building them, right?" That's the world we live in....the world I'm hoping will change. I've been working my way through (sometimes fighting my way through) my male-dominated industry for years now so I'm not off in thinking that question would've come up.
"Were you always a stay at home mom? How did you come up with the idea?"
http://modmomfurniture.blogspot.com/2011/04/straight-and-narrow-career-path.html
"What happened after Shark Tank? Did you sign with Robert?
I wrote a post about it HERE but also wanted to add a few AWESOME things that have happened since filming Shark Tank in October 2010:
- I had already partnered with my Amish manufacturer when I pitched the Sharks (we were in the beginning stages) so we're now up and running fully with production of MMF heirloom quality modern kids' furniture from Dundee, Ohio. More about our partnership here!
- I was invited to be a guest on the Nate Berkus show this past month! So fun, amazing, and surreal! Here's the link to part of the episode: http://www.thenateshow.com/episodes/detail/check-yourself
- The Owyn Toy Box will be on the show set of prime-time shows "Up All Night" (with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett) in the fall as well as the new season of "Dexter".
- MMF retailer list is growing by leaps and bounds and ball is rolling on European distribution!
- The Owyn Bedroom Collection will debut at the ABC Kids Show in Louisville in September!
- A few other surprises coming up!
