'Shark Tank' offers life-changing deal to 15-year-old boy who showed up with his dad as sidekick

"Shark Tank" is different from traditional platforms for entrepreneurs to reach venture capitalists, but not just because it's a reality TV show. It provides an opportunity for people of all ages and social backgrounds to come up with the most unconventional pitches for innovative products. This was proven by the 15-year-old co-founder of "Touch Up Cup" named Carson when he negotiated a $200,000 deal all on his own, leaving the Sharks in awe. The more interesting part was that his dad was left playing sidekick on stage, as the young CEO took charge.

In the episode, Carson and his dad, Jason, entered the show seeking $150,000 for 10% equity in their business. Introducing his son, Jason explained that the teenager was the one running the company, and he was just a proud dad of a young CEO. Jason explained that he and his son once faced a problem while fixing the paintwork around their house. They shared that every time they did a 'touch-up job,' they were left with cans of paint that were nearly full or nearly empty. This was a problem as the cans took up a lot of space, and they couldn't preserve the paint for long either. "The rust and the smell is unbearable," Jason said.

Thus, the father-son duo tinkered in their shop and came up with the idea for the 'Touch Up Cup'. Their product had a patented design that could hold small amounts of paint effectively. Furthermore, it came with a silicone seal that kept the paint fresh for over 10 years and a stainless steel blending sphere for mixing.

While the product was impressive in itself, Carson had a little more to share to interest the Sharks."We're already in 4,000 locations and we'll keep going until touch-up cup is in every home store and workshop around the world," he said. 

The Sharks were impressed by the young entrepreneur's work and pitch. When asked about the patents, Carson explained that he held a utility and a working patent on the design of the cup. 

He further shared that he and his dad both work in the business, and apart from that, he goes to school while his dad works in medical sales. He added that the company had a private label partnership with Painter's Tape, which is one of the most recognizable brands in the industry. He also explained that the business had a mix of 70% online sales and 30% retail sales, and they had made $220,000 from sales over the last two years.

Kevin O'Leary started by telling Jason, "Normally on shark tank when you bring in your son usually the father gives the pitch and the son does a little demo and then off they go because things are gonna get tough in the tank. So far, Carson's doing all the talking you're not saying anything."  

After a brief chat, guest judge Blake Mycoskie made the first move to offer $200,000 for 25% equity, which was more than what the ask was. This event took fellow Shark, Daymond John, by surprise. "I was going to give $150,000 for 25% and now he did $200,000 for 25%, So I'm forced to do 200,000 for 17.5%,  to cut his legs out from underneath," John said.

John then asked Carson about who would run the business, and the response from the entrepreneurs wasn't satisfactory for the shark. "I'm gonna have to revise my offer to $150,000 for 20%," John said as he felt he needed to hire someone to help run the business. However, Mycoskie refused to change his offer.

Carson then countered Mycoskie with an offer of 20% equity for $200,000, but the shark didn't budge. In the end, Jason asked Carson what he wanted to do, and the young CEO chose to strike a deal with Mycoskie.