Shark Tank Success Secrets for You! Everything I Learned as a Guest Shark on The Show! Ever Wonder What Happens on The Show? Join me Behind the Scenes!

Are You Ready to believe in YOU?🙌 jamiekernlima.com 👈 Sign up for my FREE Inspirational Newsletter here and you’ll ALSO get special prompt questions to help you grow in your self-worth-building that pair with each episode!🩷 Make sure to click the “Follow” button for the show on your favorite podcast app, so you’ll be the first to get each episode! ____ Are you ready to go behind the scenes with me on the hit ABC show Shark Tank? It’s SUCH a gift to be asked to join Season 16 of the show, as a Guest Shark! And let me tell you, the experience was simply incredible! So today, in this episode, I’m sharing Shark Tank Success Secrets with YOU! If you’ve ever had and idea, or perhaps you’ve launched your business and are hard at work growing it now, this episode is for you! If you’ve ever let other people’s doubts about you turn into doubt in your own head, this episode is for you. If you’re ready to get scoop on just how real the show is, plus hear the amazing thing another shark did for me on my first day, this episode is for you! I am SO excited, so dish all the details so get cozy, and lean in, and get ready to believe in YOU! Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to The Jamie Kern Lima Show 2:30 Your Personal Brand Is Now Required 4:18 How Shark Tank Happened 5:54 Keys To A Successful Entrepreneur 6:53 Rejection Never Means You Won't Succeed 8:01 Keep Going Don't Give Up 13:06 Being A Guest Shark On Shark Tank It’s such an honor to share this podcast together with you. And please note: I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Follow me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook Website — Sign up for my inspirational newsletter for YOU at: jamiekernlima.com — Looking for my books on Amazon? Here they are! WORTHY: https://a.co/d/6MkvL2j Believe IT: https://a.co/d/7nYhkfb

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Jamie Kern Lima is her name. Everybody needs Jamie Kern Lima in their life.

• 0:04Speaker 01

  Jamie Kern Lima.

• 0:09Speaker 01

  Jamie, you're so inspiring. Jamie Kern Lima.

• 0:15Jamie Kern Lima?

  Have you always felt like you have an idea, but you're not sure would it work if you launched it as a business? Or maybe you've started a side hustle and you're like, "How do I grow it?" Maybe you watch Shark Tank and you can relate to so many of the entrepreneurs on there, or even the sharks on there. Y'all, I had the biggest dream and blessing happen where I got invited to be a guest shark on season 16 of Shark Tank. So this has been so fun. And I have to tell you right off the bat, so many of the thoughts, I've watched the show for years. I've watched it. In fact, I remember being a broke entrepreneur,

• 0:59Jamie Kern Lima?

  sitting in my living room, watching the show. Like, watching the show, right? Relating to the entrepreneurs who walked through the door, who were like struggling, going, "Is my business gonna make it?" And I also remember sitting there and just learning so much and taking away nuggets here and nuggets there. But this show really, in so many ways, is the essence of the American dream, right? It's having an idea. It's so many people working really, really hard, making the decision to bet on themselves and then hoping for a shot with a shark to have someone else believe in them too on the journey. So when I used to watch the show and, you know, from the beginning, when I was a broke entrepreneur, all the way through this day, when I watched the show, I've always had questions. I've always had thoughts like,

• 1:44Jamie Kern Lima?

  "I wonder if the sharks know, you know, the business that's gonna walk through the door next." You know, is it really their money? Or is everything that happens real? What's it like behind the scenes? What's the whole journey like? Oh my goodness, I have to tell you. It has been incredible. I want to share with you and just take you through the answers to all those questions and share with you some of the insights that maybe add value to your life right now. Maybe you or a friend or a loved one or a family member or a colleague have an idea, have an invention, have a thought, have a dream of just offering your passion to the world or offering your service to the world. You want to know what's

• 2:28Jamie Kern Lima?

  wild is, you know, now in this day and age, no matter what you want to do, there's a business and a brand attached to it, right? In the past, if you wanted to be a doctor, you could just be a really great doctor. Well, now, oh my goodness, in 2025, you have to have a personal brand as a doctor because you're online everywhere. You have your profile out there. You have, you know, photos of you. People are giving you ratings and reviews. There's press written up about you, whether you like it or not, if you're doing anything. All of the elements of a company are there, really, no matter what you, you know, want to do in your profession or what you are doing in your profession. And so, you know,

• 3:12Jamie Kern Lima?

  a lot of the lessons and the takeaways from the show are more applicable than ever, whether you're a peer entrepreneur, you want to launch the idea, or, you know, you're a real estate broker that now has to brand and market yourself, right? Or you're a teacher and you have the profile online and you're dealing with, you know, needing to do all the things for your school. You're almost running your classroom in some ways like a business. There are just so many elements now that are all so relevant from this show. So I actually think in so many ways now more than ever, it's just so invaluable to watch because it is real. I'm

• 3:51Jamie Kern Lima?

  here to tell you, it's real, 100% real, 100% real. So I'm going to share answers to all the questions, also a little bit about what happened on my episodes that I filmed live, all the things that that went down, the other sharks, all of it. And, you know, the show's in season 16 now, which is incredible. And seven years ago, seven years ago, I was still running at cosmetics, still doing 100-hour weeks. We had sold the business or was just about, I think we had sold the business at that point. And when I got, when I heard from Shark Tank for the first time and about being a guest shark, and of course I wanted to do it. And it was just the back and forth communication timing.

• 4:36Jamie Kern Lima?

  I was still going so hard and the timing wasn't in sync. And by the time we got back to them, I think they had filled the spots and so it didn't happen. And for the past seven years, I've been asked to go on other business shows as a full-time member or, you know, coming on for an episode. And I've always just had this feeling like, no, I think I'm gonna wait. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I just had this feeling I'm gonna do Shark Tank. And, um, and, and so I would always pass on everything else, just kind of waiting. And then there were a couple of times where, you know, we reached back out to Shark Tank. It was like, oh, is this a good time now? And they're like, oh, no, no, our cast is full. You know, we have Kevin Hart and this person, that person. I'm like, okay.

• 5:17Jamie Kern Lima?

  Um, and then all of a sudden, it happened, it happened. Literally not that long ago, you guys. We, uh, we got an email into the inbox and, uh, and the Shark Tank team, uh, uh, and their showrunner, um, Clay Newbill and his team reached out and said, we'd love to set up a meeting. Uh, and so we hopped on a call and did a meeting and just to really explore, is this a fit? And talked through a lot of the companies that I'm, you know, invested in now, uh, which is over 30 different companies and, you know, what I look for in an entrepreneur and what I look for in an investment and, um, what I don't look for and what kind of companies I love to invest in.

• 6:01Jamie Kern Lima?

  And, you know, personally, I really go for people that, I love entrepreneurs that no matter how many setbacks or failures, they don't go into that like, oh, you know, you know, the, the victim mindset. They more just go, yeah, yeah, that happened. But here's what I did about it. Here's what I'm doing about it. Here's how I'm solving it, right? Because it's like, that ability to be resilient when you fall on your face, it's never about, did you get rejected? Is your, did you have setbacks happen? For me, it's always about like, how did you handle the rejection? How did you handle the setbacks? What did you do about it? How did you, you know, how did you get through it? Did you learn anything from it? What are you doing now to kind of power forward?

• 6:44Jamie Kern Lima?

  It's that resiliency, that grit, that scrappiness, that perspective, that ability to handle rejection? That, for me, is huge. Because what I know for sure, and I don't know who needs to hear this today, but if you're one of the brave ones, putting your idea out there in the world, putting your business out there in the world, putting your product invention out there, your book, your services, your, your heart, any of it, if you're one of the brave ones willing to do that, it's inevitable that you're gonna face rejection and setbacks and hard times and, you know, moments where you feel like you got knocked down. And so often, you know, we have that happen and people think like, oh, this is some indication that maybe,

• 7:29Jamie Kern Lima?

  you know, my product's not as good as I thought, or maybe I don't have what it takes to run this business. But the truth is, every one of us has that happen. And so, you know, number one, if that's you today, it is so important you don't let anyone else's doubt about you or any rejection or any failure somehow equate to doubt in your own mind. And I promise you, I promise you, that no matter who says what, right? No matter, no matter who says you're not gonna make it or you don't have what it takes, or this product isn't good enough, or, or whatever, that is never an indication of its potential to succeed.

• 8:09Jamie Kern Lima?

  Like, what I know and why I'm so attracted to the show Shark Tank, why I felt like in my body viscerally I'm supposed to do it for the longest time, is because every entrepreneur that walks through those double doors and the doors open and they start walking into the tank, right? I feel in my body viscerally the things that they're going through, no matter what phase in their journey they're in, because I've lived through all of it, right? I've been the entrepreneur in my living room with a dream and a hope, just like that knowing in my gut that the business idea is gonna work, but nothing around me telling me it's gonna work, right? And then I went through years and years and years of hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of no's. Even touted experts in the beauty industry

• 8:53Jamie Kern Lima?

  saying that they didn't think that this brand was gonna make it, that we didn't have what it takes. And so I've been through that journey of going, "I don't know how I'm gonna pay myself. I don't know how we're not gonna go bankrupt this month. I don't know how we're gonna survive." And so for entrepreneurs that are in that space, walking through the doors, like, I know exactly, I know exactly, oh, that feeling. And where they're at, when you have this dream and you keep getting that feeling you're supposed to do it, but it's not working. And that is such a hard spot to be in. So I know that very well. There is so much more coming up in this episode. You are not gonna wanna miss it. But first, I wanted to share this with you.

• 9:37Jamie Kern Lima?

  In life, you don't soar to the level of your hopes and dreams, you stay stuck at the level of your self-worth. When you build your self-worth, you change your entire life. And that's exactly why I wrote my new book, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life for You. If you have some self-doubt to destroy and a destiny to fulfill, Worthy is for you. In Worthy, you'll learn proven tools and simple steps that bring life-changing results, like how to get unstuck from the things holding you back, build unshakable self-love, unlearn the lies that lead to self-doubt,

• 10:21Jamie Kern Lima?

  and embrace the truths that wake up worthiness, overcome limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome, achieve your hopes and dreams by believing you are worthy of them, and so much more. Are you ready to unleash your greatness and step into the person you were born to be? Imagine a life with zero self doubt and unshakable self-worth. Get your copy of Worthy, plus some amazing thank you bonus gifts for you at worthybook.com or the link in the show notes below. Imagine what you'd do if you fully believed in you.

• 11:04Jamie Kern Lima?

  It's time to find out with Worthy. Imagine, what would you do if you fully believed in you? My weekly free inspirational newsletter is packed with tips and tools to help you find out. It's called One on One with Jamie and it's delivered right to your inbox each Tuesday morning. It's a love letter from me to you, from my soul to yours. And I hope it brings you the words and messages you need at just the right moment. Plus, when you're a part of my free inspirational newsletter community, you'll be the first to get behind the scenes content, inspirational messages,

• 11:48Jamie Kern Lima?

  and be the first to learn about upcoming events and more. It's the place to be and I sure hope you'll join me there. So if you're not on the list yet, you can sign up for free at jamiekernlima.com or click the link in the show notes below. And here's to becoming unstoppable together. And now more of this incredible conversation together. And then, you know, there was a moment for me where we got a big break and we got that shot on QVC and we sold out and all of a sudden we started growing, growing, growing, growing. And the inventory demands that we couldn't even keep up with. All of a sudden, we're in this hyper growth mode where there's all this demand for our product.

• 12:30Jamie Kern Lima?

  And, and we don't, we still don't have enough money to pay ourselves because all the money is tied up in working capital for inventory. And we actually need more money to even like, like that kind of phase, right? Which is what a lot of sharks, a lot of entrepreneurs walk through the shark tank. is like I need money to fund inventory. Right. So I've been through that phase. I've been through the hyper growth mode where we scaled from two of us in our living room. I hired my best friend who came to work like in her living room. She was six months pregnant at the time. We couldn't even afford to give her insurance then. And she took a chance on us and and we scaled from from that living room to over a thousand employees. That journey. Oh, my goodness, so building teams, building departments, building infrastructures, building redundancy.

• 13:15Jamie Kern Lima?

  Right. For the entrepreneurs walking through the door, I've been through that phase. Oh, my goodness, have I made mistakes? Have I got great lessons, you know? And and that's another thing is like. Having put in so many reps. In my own life, my hope and prayer is that I can offer value to to the entrepreneur walking through Shark Tank or to anyone at home who has a dream or an idea. And and so I've been in that space. Then there's entrepreneurs were like, oh, my gosh, my business is actually really, really big. We're doing tens of millions of sales. And I'm thinking about the next step, which is do I partner with someone? Do I bring on an investor? You know, do I bring on private equity? Do I set my business up for to go public? Or or to be bought by a strategic partner?

• 14:00Jamie Kern Lima?

  Right. So I've been in that phase as well. And and learned so much. And then, once you make a sale, once you get to that exit process of your business. Then there's the acquisition phase and the integration phase. Where your business, your company, this thing that you've birthed is now integrating into a bigger business. That is a whole other phase. So I've gone through all of those. And so what I love so much about the show is. The entrepreneur who's walking through the door could be at any one of those stages. And I like feel it viscerally in my body and I want them to win so badly.

• 14:39Jamie Kern Lima?

  And when I have to say no as a shark, like you're not ready for an investor or, you know, give really tough feedback. It just destroys me like I cried. I cried. I'm not going to give away anything, but. I cried on the show because there is one. Entrepreneur couple in particular, I just, I wanted them to win so bad and I didn't want to say no because I know what that feels like and just wasn't the right time to, for them to partner with a shark right now. But like, I just feel in it. So I, I've always dreamed of like, oh yeah, this is going to be so fun to be part of the show one day.

• 15:20Jamie Kern Lima?

  And so to get the call, to go through all the interview rounds with the Shark Tank team, with their executive producers and showrunner and, and then of course with ABC and MGM and Sony and everybody involved. And then to, to get that opportunity to be a guest shark and to do a couple, what I believe will be a couple of episodes airing. So excited, so honored. So here's a couple of things about it that I didn't know. I, I guessed, but I didn't know. Number one, it's a hundred percent real. So as a shark, you're in that chair. You don't know who's walking through the doors. We actually don't know anything. We're not told anything ahead of time. So you have no time to do research

• 16:05Jamie Kern Lima?

  or to, no, you don't know anything until they walk through the door. And it's up to you and the other sharks up there to ask the entrepreneurs questions and to try to get to the bottom of their business, of the potential of the business of is this a great investment for you? Do you believe in this entrepreneur? Do you have feedback you can offer? It is real. It's in real time. You literally know nothing until they walk through the door. And you don't have a long period of time to make a decision. Once you make a decision and if you have a deal, then that entrepreneur walks out and right away they meet with your team and you exchange info and then all the diligence starts and

• 16:49Jamie Kern Lima?

  you dive right into, you know, of course, getting more information, you know, verifying that all the numbers are right, doing all the diligence and then hopefully closing the deal and making it happen. It all happens there. It's all real. I remember in the interview process, they're like, because you know, I'm, I'm a much better Listener than I am a talker. So when I go to parties, I barely say a word, you guys. I just listen. When I host my podcast, why I love it so much is I just like love other people's stories and ask them questions and I just listen. I just listen. My husband Paulo, he talks a lot. He talks a lot. He's very extroverted and very introverted and I listen. And in the Shark Tank interviews are like, are you comfortable talking over the other sharks?

• 17:33Jamie Kern Lima?

  Interrupting the other sharks, getting your questions in, chiming in, fighting for the deal? And I'm like, yeah, of course, because I know, I know that that's the environment. Okay, let me tell you, they were right. You feel like you have no time and you've got to just hop right in and get your questions in and fight and all the things because you know, normally when you invest in a company, it's you know, a very long duration of time before a deal happens. And here, you know, it's anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes and you know, it's, it, it goes fast. And everyone's jumping in. And so, you know, in a business meeting, normally you would never interrupt people and talk over them and cut them off, but here you have to. So I was like, okay.

• 18:17Jamie Kern Lima?

  When duty calls, I gotta do it. And I had so much fun. I have to tell you, the sharks were so incredible. And for my filming day, I was there with Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Grenier, Barbara Corcoran and me. And then on another day, I was there for the rap party. I met Damon John and also Robert as well. So I met all the original OGs that have been there since, gosh, this is their season 16. So it was such an honor. And I met some of the other guest sharks as well, which was a lot of fun. And I have to say, everyone was kind, even Mr. Wonderful is so kind, like what you get is what you see.

• 18:59Jamie Kern Lima?

  Which I think is the most beautiful thing that when someone is just exactly who they are. Barbara Corcoran, I have to say, was the most beautiful, incredible.

• 19:12Jamie Kern Lima?

  Heart, soul-filling experience. So, I am gonna film an entire episode with her, The Jamie Kern Lima Show, because she is that amazing. What she did for me as an empowered woman, who steps right over to empower another woman, stepping on the set of her show, just blew me away. She's incredible. She is incredible. They always give, I guess the first shark to set every day gets a $20 bill, and it's always Barbara. And, uh, so they gave her the $20 bill. She comes out to set, and I was there waiting. I was there on set already, so I was the first to set. She marches right up to me, she tells me the whole deal, and she hands me the $20 bill. And, um, and this is not even the story I'm talking about.

• 19:57Jamie Kern Lima?

  There's a whole other story that she did that I'm gonna share in a separate episode of me and her on the podcast, but, you guys, she is incredible, next level. Um, the biggest thing that I thought was most rare and unique about the show was the crew. The crew, the hundreds of people that work on the show, love it. Like, they emit joy and passion for the show, behind the scenes. A lot of them do different shows on television throughout the year, and they say that no matter what, they always come back to Shark Tank. You rarely see that, where everyone that works on the show is so proud of what they're doing, proud of the offering they're putting out into the world.

• 20:41Jamie Kern Lima?

  And so, that was really cool to see. And of course, that always stems from leadership at the top, uh, from Clay Newbill, from Yun, from the entire teams there, uh, and of course, the Sharks. So, that was really, really cool to experience. So, I don't wanna give away too much, because you've gotta watch the episodes. So, I am going to be a guest shark in a few episodes this season, season 16, on ABC. I'm of course gonna be posting updates the second I know when my episodes are gonna air. Um, I will share them with you on Instagram, through my email newsletter. Make sure you're subscribed to that, and, um, it's totally free to join. I send it once a week into your inbox to just pour into you with inspiration.

• 21:22Jamie Kern Lima?

  So, if you haven't signed up for that, go to JamieKernLima.com and sign up. I love you, I believe in you, I see you, and I'm so excited to experience Shark Tank, season 16, with you.

• 21:37Jamie Kern Lima?

  If you loved today's episode, my only ask is that you please click the follow or subscribe button for this show on your app and give it a rating or review. And then share this episode with everyone you believe in. Share it with another person in your life who could benefit from it. Post it and share it with others online or in your community who just might need the words and tools and lessons in this episode today. You never know whose life you're meant to change today by sharing this episode. And thank you so much for joining me today. Before you go, I want to share some words with you that couldn't be more true.

• 22:17Jamie Kern Lima?

  You, right now, exactly as you are, are enough and fully worthy. You're worthy of your greatest hopes, your wildest dreams, and all the unconditional love in the world, and it's an honor to welcome you to each and every episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show. Here, I hope you'll come as you are and heal where you need, blossom what you choose, journey toward your calling, and stay as long as you like, because you belong here. You are worthy. You are loved. You are love. I love you, and I cannot wait to join you on the next episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show.

• 23:02Jamie Kern Lima?

  Do you struggle with negative self-talk? Living with a constant mental narrative that you're not good enough is exhausting. I know, because I spent most of my life in that habit. The words you say to yourself about yourself are so powerful, and when you learn to take control over your self-talk, it's life-changing. And I wanted to give you a free resource that I created for you if this is something that could benefit your life. It's called Five Ways to Overcome Negative Self-Talk and Build Self-Love. And it's a free how-to guide to overcome that negative self-talk, to build confidence

• 23:45Jamie Kern Lima?

  and develop unshakable self-love, so that you can dream big and keep going in the pursuit of your goals. Don't let self sabotaging thoughts hinder your progress any longer. It's time to rewrite the script of your life, one filled with self-love, resilience, and unwavering belief. If you're ready to take charge of your narrative, build unwavering confidence, and empower yourself to persevere on the path to your dreams, you can grab your free guide to Stop Overthinking and Learn to Trust Yourself at jamiekernlima.com/resources or click the link in the show notes below.

• 24:26Jamie Kern Lima?

  Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious, and so is self-belief. And I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration, which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also a love letter to you, delivered straight to your inbox from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamiekernlima.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your One-on-One with Jamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you. If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some

• 25:10Jamie Kern Lima?

  tips, tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl. Subscribe at jamiekernlima.com or in the link in the show notes.

• 25:22Speaker 01

  I am so excited for this book. You know why? Because it's going to save so many people. It's going to save them. Were thee your new beautiful book, Were Thee? Get this book? This book? I'm telling you, it's a book that can change anybody's life who picks it up. Anybody who's ever felt that they were not good enough, didn't measure up, something's missing in your life, I have to tell you. It's powerful. It's happening.

• 25:52Jamie Kern Lima?

  It's worthy. Imagine what would you do if you fully believed in you? I went from struggling waitress facing nonstop rejection to founder of IT Cosmetics, a billion dollar company, by learning how to overcome self doubt and believe I am worthy of my hopes and dreams. And I'm sharing how you can too in my new book, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life. If you're ready to truly trust yourself and break through that barrier of self doubt and know that where you come from, or even where you are right now, doesn't determine where you're going, then worthy is for you.

• 26:37Jamie Kern Lima?

  It's time to go from doubting you're enough to knowing you're enough. It's time to step into all of who you are and into the person you were born to be. And it's time to believe that you are worthy of it. Because in life, we don't become what we want. We become what we believe we're worthy of.

• 26:59Jamie Kern Lima?

  Join the Worthy movement today by grabbing your copy of Worthy anywhere books are sold. Then head to worthybook.com now for free gifts, including my five-part course on Becoming Unstoppable and my 95-page Worthy Workbook Action Plan that teaches you how to implement the tools from the book into your real life right now.

• 27:23Speaker 03

  Worthy is groundbreaking. Yo. Oh my God. Worthy, you are worthy.

• 27:27Speaker 04

  This book is gonna change lives.

• 27:29Jamie Kern Lima?

  This book literally will teach you how to actually feel worthy so that you can have the strength, you can have the confidence.

• 27:35Speaker 03

  The lessons in this book and the strategies will change your life. You will never be the same again after you read this book.

• 27:42Speaker 05

  Jamie's book, Worthy, is a must-read. It is going to inspire you, empower you, give you the hope that you need and the kick in the rear end that you deserve.

• 27:54Jamie Kern Lima?

  Is incredible. The gifts are going away, but they're all free right now on WorthyBook.com.

• 28:01Jamie Kern Lima?

  It's such an honor to share this podcast together with you. And please note, I'm not a licensed therapist and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. If you love this episode's insights, this next transformative episode is for you.