I love meeting very powerful women, and you did this all yourself. This is amazing. And what I did not know about you is that you have invented 1,000 different inventions.
Yeah. You have 120 patents. I had no idea.
So what was your very first invention, and when? How long ago? My very first product was an earring organizer.
It held 100 pair of pierced or clip earrings. I was a big jewelry lover, as you can probably tell. I was laying on a massage table.
My friend Pam was a massage therapist, and she's talking about jewelry and there's no good way to store your jewelry. And I said to Pam, oh, my god, I've got it. It hit me like a thunderbolt.
I saw my product and then I just raced home. Like every inventor or entrepreneur, you think your idea is the best thing ever. I run home.
I scratch it out on paper. I show my husband. I'm like, I'm doing this.
He drew it way better than me. He's meticulous. I'm all sloppy.
And then I just set about figuring out how to do it. I had no experience-- no MBA, no business, no nothing. And did you think you were an inventor before that idea hit you?
You know, I did, because I was always coming up with ideas, but then not finishing them. Like, I'd start, but then I wouldn't finish it. Then I'd see it on the bestseller list, or whatever.
Maybe mine wouldn't have been on a bestseller list, but it was the concept. Yeah. So this time I said I'm doing it.
So then you go on QVC, and then you become the queen of QVC. But how did that happen? Because then ideas just started flowing?
Well, yes. So once you're successful and you go on somewhere and things sell out, which they did instantly, then the buyers are like, we want more, we want more. So then I just started thinking, well, what can I create?
What do people need? What do people want? What solves a problem?
Was it all jewelry based? No. Well, being a woman, I know women's problems.
So some were cosmetic organizers, or travel bags, or just different things I thought were cool that solved problems that everybody had, and it was a better way in which to do it. And then what was the most successful thing that you came up with? Oh my gosh, it was my mirror jewelry cabinet.
It was a full-length mirror. That's it! A full-length mirror.
It had jewelry, where everything was hanging. You just opened it up and all your jewelry was there, and nobody even knew it was inside, and it was anti-tarnish lined. It's a good way to hide your jewelry, too, because somebody thinks it's just a mirror.
Yeah, right? That's a great idea. OK, so your products have now sold over a billion in sales, right?
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.
And I love Shark Tank. I watch it all the time. And I understand you know right away, what makes you know right away that you're going to invest in something?
Well, I look at two things. I look at what is it-- the product, the business-- and then I look at the person. So I have kind of a gut feeling if it's going to sell really fast.
But then I have four things I look for. I look for, is it something people need and want? Is it something that could be made at an affordable price?
Does it have a broad, mass audience-- like men, women, children, the broader the better-- and does it solve a problem? And if it does those four things, and the gut goes off, then I watch the person. Because if it's not a good partner, I'm not going to do it.
Right. But they seem like they're going to be good, then I'm in. And then do you get mad if there's something you really, really want and they go to somebody else?
Does it make you mad? Yeah, of course! Yeah.
I mean, I always look over at Mark, and I try not to let him know what I want, because I know if I want it, he's going to try to go for it. Is that right? Yeah, definitely.
OK, so let's talk about these things right here. So these are pizza cupcakes. Yeah.
So someone came on, pitched these things, and you said right away, men, women, children are going to eat a pizza cupcake. That's right. Yeah.
How did no one come up with this before? I don't know. Listen, wouldn't you all want a pizza cupcake?
Yeah, it's small. Ellen, you will love these. This is a special dough.
First of all, the husband of the husband and wife team, he's from Venice. This is the best quality products, but it's a special brioche sourdough dough and it's so delicious. So when I heard that, and then I took a bite, which I don't know if you can take a bite, but it's like love at first bite.
I can't right now, but I will try it for sure. Oh, good. These are out now?
Where are these sold? So you can get them at Pizzacupcake. com.
They deliver anywhere. And also, they'll be in grocery stores coming up soon. These sold $1 million worth the first week of airing on Shark Tank.
Of course they did. Is that crazy? It's pizza cupcakes!
Yeah, right? It's pizza cupcakes! Oh, my god.
