How did Deviate Labs get its start? Interestingly enough through working with companies featured on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. As an intern at Deviate Labs, I had the chance to interview our founder, Chad Riddersen, about getting Shark Tank clients on the hook when Deviate Labs was a mere minnow in its first year of business.
"How was the process of landing your first Shark Tank client?" I asked. "Serendipitous," Chad replied.
When Chad was visiting his wife's office in Los Angeles, he noticed a temporary sign publicly disclosing that there was filming nearby. Being curious he asked around and learned MGM Television was filming for Lollaland, a company previously featured on ABC’s Shark Tank. Chad saw an opportunity and sent a cold email with a video walkthrough on how he could improve their website before their appearance on a follow-up Shark Tank episode. They loved it, leading to our first Shark Tank client.
Working with Lollaland wasn’t easy. They had investments from Mark Cuban and Robert Herjavec, raising the stakes. Chad agreed to completely redesigning their ecommerce website in just a few weeks time as their “Beyond the Tank” segment would soon be on air. To seal the deal, he offered a deep discount on the condition that Lollaland would refer Deviate Labs to other Shark Tank companies if they were satisfied with the work.
This strategy paid off big time. Apparently, past Shark Tank participants are all in one private Facebook group chat (because nothing says 'exclusive club' like a Facebook group). Lollaland endorsed Deviate Labs in this group, which led to over a dozen inquiries and about half a dozen new clients. These new clients were looking for similar growth hacking services, and Deviate Labs’ success with Lollaland provided the perfect case study.
From securing press coverage to fine-tuning product development to optimizing conversion funnels, each client received a personalized service that addressed their unique needs. At the time (2014-2015), “growth hacking” was a new and nebulous term that meant each engagement would entail a whirlwind of scope all in the spirit of cost-effective growth. While finding tailored solutions for each client was crucial, it was equally important to read between the lines and identify strategies that remained effective across different clients to put together a solid framework.
“Could you see yourself going back to working with Shark Tank companies?” I asked Chad. "The Shark Tank clients were... quite the learning experience," he replied, with a knowing smile. Turns out, when you mix dramatic television personalities, sky-high expectations, and the pressure of national TV exposure, you get a cocktail that's equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. However, he wouldn’t have done anything differently, these high-stakes clients pushed Deviate Labs to develop a growth hacking framework which ultimately led to writing their book on Growth Hacking.