If you want someone to not do certain mischief, what do you do? Be strict or discipline them. But if they are our domestic ones like squirrels, how do you manage their troubles and keep them away from the bird feeders?
DeSanti comes up with an ingenious idea to keep away the squirrels away from the bird feeder. How he did it, by devising a unique method of passing small shocks to squirrels and keeping them away.
Did Michael DeSanti keep the Sharks engaged to get the investment or his static shocks kept the sharks in or out?
Squirrel Boss at a glance:
| Business idea | Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder |
| Founder | Michael DeSanti |
| Asked for | $130,000 for 40% |
| Accepted deal | No Deal |
| Sharks | None |
| Business status | Out of Business |
| Episode | Season 4, Episode 421 |
Index:
Founder Story:
Michael DeSanti is from Pennsylvania in the mountains, whereby he had seen many incidents when his bird feeder was visited by many other animals than the birds themselves which he was not happy and wanted to find a solution to keep them away.
Mike did come up with a great idea to keep these animals away by their little shocks which remind them there is danger and not to lurk around.
Being an aerospace engineer but turned entrepreneur to turn his idea into a business. With his focus and determination was able to reach the right design and commenced 2009 their online business.
What is Squirrel Boss?
It is a bird feeder with an electronic mechanism that delivers a mild static shock to squirrels when they try to eat the bird seed. The idea is to deter squirrels from eating the birdseed, allowing birds to enjoy the feeder undisturbed.
Did Squirrel Boss get a deal on shark tank?
Michael DeSanti an aerospace engineer turned entrepreneur was in Shark tank to pitch for his “Squirrel Boss” business at $130,000 at 40% of this equity stake.
Michael explains the background and how we have created a device to shy away squirrels from the bird feeder by giving little shocks. Michael does a demo of the product and then hands over the device to allow Sharks to experience the static shocks.
Daymond, Lori, and Mark take the first shot at the device and the Robert and Daymond also join in to try the static shock. Mr. Wonderful prefers to stay away from the surprise-twitching shock.
Sharks were concerned that such a product would be treated as a violation by animal activists. Mike explains rather the Squirrel Boss is very mild and lets them shy away from the alternatives the worst option as they can harm the animals also. Animal lovers are rather happy to look at this better alternative to mild shocks.
Got an Angel investment of $140,000 but could repay only 30% of the money back and the rest is still pending. The sales of Squirrel Boss until now of 40,000 units were at $196,000. The Product on the shelf was sold for $98 and was made at the cost of $47.47 per unit doing usual sales. Mike had his own investment to the tune of $80,000 to make his dream come business true.
Robert makes a strong judgment that the product is a novelty than a solid product to be scalable as it’s addressing a very specific need. Lori and Robert are out.
Mark, Kevin, and Daymond were also not much impressed with the status of the business and could not find a business convincingly to invest in.
Michael insists to stay on the show to get the Shark’s investment and Kevin makes a reverse remark that if he does not call it off then will be zapped by the remote. Michael DeSanti had to leave the episode without any shark Deal.
What happened to Squirrel Boss after shark tank?
Post the episode, there was curiosity about the product and sales did happen at a reasonable level. Mike in spite of no Sharks investing in his business, still has been able to sustain his business. Online business is doing well, and one can reach out to their website at – Squirrel Boss | Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder.
For a short period, the product was on sale at Amazon but due to bad reviews, Michael DeSanti’s business could not sustain itself beyond 2016, and he liquidated his business.
Product details:
- Squirrel Boss Bird Feeder comes with a set of rechargeable batteries, plastic feed tubes, steel conductors, and steel feeding stations.
- Remote is effective from a 200-foot distance.
- The company can be accessed online at, Squirrel Boss | Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder
- Harmless and safe for Squirrels and is approved by Animal Activists as a safe method. Some residents do use BB guns to get rid of Squirrels, which is not advisable, rather prefer Squirrel Boss.
- Free shipping for all orders. Based out of Pennsylvania.
- All instructions are already shared clearly on their website in a detailed fashion.
Competitors of Squirrel Boss:
Some competitors of Squirrel Boss are-
- All things Birds
- Trixie Bird Feeders.
- Duncraft
What is the net worth of Squirrel Boss?
At the time of the show, they were valued at $325,000 as per the founders. The company has liquidated its business in 2016, there is no information on its current net worth.
Is Squirrel Boss still in business?
The Squirrel Boss website is still working, and they are taking orders. The current Online price is at $69 compared to the store price of $98. The online business is the only mode as the business with Amazon is no longer available to customers.
Michael DeSanti’s passion for Birds led him to discover the “Squirrel Boss”, which lets you become your own BOSS to decide the appropriate birds only have access to a bird feeder and avoid any raccoons, deer, and squirrels.
Michael could not sustain further but his website is active, let’s hope he is able to revive and see alternative ways of fueling his business into new product lines.
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FAQs:
What is Squirrel Boss?
It is a bird feeder with an electronic mechanism that delivers a mild static shock to squirrels when they try to eat the bird seed. The idea is to deter squirrels from eating the birdseed, allowing birds to enjoy the feeder undisturbed.
What's the net worth of Squirrel Boss?
At the time of the show, they were valued at $325,000 as per the founders. The company has liquidated its business in 2016, there is no information on its current net worth.