It takes a certain amount of willpower to start a company, but even more so when you’re taking money out of your future wedding to start it.
For Steve and Angela Watts of Slyde Handboards, it seemed like a no-brainer. After racking up credit card debt, the couple met a dead-end in their body surfing and water sports business — and “Shark Tank” was like a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Right before we got the call from the producers that we were going to be on the show, I remember the week before crying to Steve, saying that I think I’m going to have to take another job because I don’t know how we’re going to pay rent,” said Angela.
That lucky call was just the beginning.
On “Shark Tank,” the couple asked for $200,000 for a 15 percent stake in their company. The panel of investors were impressed by their dedication to the business — but Kevin O’Leary didn’t think sales were high enough.
That, however, didn’t stop him from giving the couple an unlikely offer.
“I’m actually now licensed to marry people, and I’m willing to perform your wedding right here in the Shark Tank,” said O’Leary. “If you two are ready, let’s do it right now.”
The couple laughed it off and respectfully declined the offer. Later, Steve jokingly told CNBC in an interview that they “kind of wished [they] had done it,” after realizing that even last-minute Las Vegas weddings can get pricey.
“Without the show we wouldn’t be where we are now,” Angela added. “We were at a point where we were so much in debt in our own credit cards, to our family…we really needed it, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
Don’t miss Steve and Angela Watts pitch Slyde Handboards Sunday at 7P ET on CNBC.
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