Taylor Johnson, a 27-year-old Colorado Mesa University (CMU) alumna, answers hundreds of phone calls for her family’s business everyday. She posts on social media, interacts with customers online and travels wherever her job takes her. One might say she has a dream job; the kind of job that any Mass Communication or Business major goes to school to pursue.
Taylor and her family’s entrepreneurial successes have led them to the development of a unique product, the growth of a family business and most notably an appearance on Shark Tank.
Shark Tank is a TV show that showcases millionaire and billionaire tycoons as they invest in in products they believe could be the next big thing.
The Johnson family went on Shark Tank on Oct. 27 to showcase their invention: Tailgate N Go. It’s a portable outdoor kitchen and dry box that’s designed for camping, tailgating, traveling and any kind of outdoor adventure.
The family, consisting of Ron Johnson (54 years old), his daughter Taylor and son Kobe (18 years old), went through nine prototypes of their design. Kobe is the first deaf entrepreneur to appear on Shark Tank.
After a nerve wracking exchange with the sharks who all initially turned them down, they closed a counter offer from Matt Higgins, the Miami Dolphins Vice Chairman and RSE Ventures co-founder and CEO. The deal, which was $250,000 for a 20% stake in the company, includes a $50 per-unit royalty. Taylor said that the Shark Tank process was as exciting as it was stressful.
“It was pretty dicey throughout the episode. We didn’t know what would happen. [Being on Shark Tank] has opened tons of doors for us and just helped us get it out there,” Johnson said.
Tailgate N Go features many different detachable modules that can be attached to different parts of the box, making it functional from every angle. Taylor said that the original idea for the product came from a family camping trip, when they forgot many kitchen supplies and other necessities during the packing process.
“The Tailgate N Go is the most elaborate outdoor kitchen and dry box you’ve ever dreamed that has all your tailgating and camping needs covered,” Higgins said in a press release by Tail Gate N Go. “A grill, a griddle, a burner, a sink, a dry box, a cutting board and more all at once. I can’t wait to work with this amazing family and my sports network to make some magic!”
The kitchen includes a grill, griddle, burner, sink, cutting board and more.
“I am a part owner [of the company] along with my brother. My father is the inventor of the product. I do the day to day work, like answering phones, posting on social media, that kind of thing,” Johnson said.
Taylor said that being on Shark Tank was a dream come true. She grew up watching the show with her family, so actually being featured on it was incredible for her.
“Honestly it’s so crazy it’s just kind of a blur. We feel like we didn’t even walk in there, we feel like we floated. At the beginning of the episode I stumbled because I was so stunned and I got caught up in my head going ‘oh my God this is real,’” Taylor said.
She then added that she was able to regain her confidence once she realized that the celebrities she was intimidated by were really just ordinary people.
“If you’re passionate about something, you’ll get your point across,” Taylor said.
After their appearance on Shark Tank, the Johnson family has sold many Tailgate N Go boxes. Their company is steadily growing and business is expanding well outside Colorado. According to Taylor, her experience as a Mass Communication major at CMU has helped her prepare for the responsibilities involved in owning and running a small business.
“I use my degree everyday because I do all of our marketing, all of our photos, and all of our print,” Taylor said. “My one word of advice is to [get a minor in business], it helps you learn how to work for yourself and do things on your own. I had to be thrown into the fire and learn how to run a business.”
This is just the beginning for the Johnson family. Taylor said that she loves her job and the way it gives her the opportunity to work alongside some of her former professors as well as with her family. She’s proud to be the owner of her own company.
“I love doing it. Any small business owner will tell you it’s very demanding but [it’s] worth it. It’s something to be proud of, and it gives you good amount of self-worth,” Taylor said.
Their website check it out: tailgatengo.com
https://scrapbox.io/DIAMOND16/Diamond168
https://diamondlnwpg168.com/
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/30
https://github.com/defunkt/ambitious_activeldap/issues/14
https://github.com/openai/sparse_attention/issues/13
https://github.com/dashpradeep99/https-github.com-miguellgt-books/issues/6
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/1
https://github.com/cy4nguy/PythonSimpleKeylogger/issues/3
https://github.com/gzc/isystem/issues/1
https://github.com/SaeruHikari/SakuraEngine-Old/issues/3
https://github.com/xyba1337/ValorantEZTS/issues/3
https://github.com/henryjeff/portfolio-website/issues/16
https://github.com/EllanJiang/GameFramework/issues/76
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/2
https://github.com/qianjiahao/MongoDB/issues/2
https://github.com/u21h2/nacs/issues/13
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/31
https://www.paiklangna.com/
https://github.com/rafaballerini/GitTutorial/issues/200
https://github.com/Yalantis/uCrop/issues/948
https://scrapbox.io/DIAMOND16/Diamond168
https://diamondlnwpg168.com/
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/30
https://github.com/defunkt/ambitious_activeldap/issues/14
https://github.com/openai/sparse_attention/issues/13
https://github.com/dashpradeep99/https-github.com-miguellgt-books/issues/6
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/1
https://github.com/cy4nguy/PythonSimpleKeylogger/issues/3
https://github.com/gzc/isystem/issues/1
https://github.com/SaeruHikari/SakuraEngine-Old/issues/3
https://github.com/xyba1337/ValorantEZTS/issues/3
https://github.com/henryjeff/portfolio-website/issues/16
https://github.com/EllanJiang/GameFramework/issues/76
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/2
https://github.com/qianjiahao/MongoDB/issues/2
https://github.com/u21h2/nacs/issues/13
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/31
https://www.paiklangna.com/
https://github.com/rafaballerini/GitTutorial/issues/200
https://github.com/Yalantis/uCrop/issues/948
https://gist.github.com/sfvyuw534/230960cf61f0942d5a5343b43edd9aea
https://gist.github.com/sfvyuw534/c0700d61acc253e199382726062dc582
https://gist.github.com/sfvyuw534/716fb900bec02c5c4d31d607ee93110d
https://gist.github.com/sfvyuw534/08c1103adde9ddf071f03124b22263f7
https://gist.github.com/sfvyuw534/f68b1c0bd2c4054ab8c2e8b67f613124
https://gist.github.com/sfvyuw534/fd5827d565a1c994e0e76424c564d5a2
https://gist.github.com/robertfrazier686/2de240653f4cd79df83dcb991582c116
https://gist.github.com/robertfrazier686/c5c65fc5c14c5baa79fcd904a7d484fe
https://gist.github.com/robertfrazier686/0e524aa454488f5885dcdf0c69cc0be6
https://gist.github.com/robertfrazier686/255360823b10eef217d5d1cd469b98b8
https://gist.github.com/robertfrazier686/6ea43e055fab263c27b2dd4f919ffad2
https://gist.github.com/robertfrazier686/2ee9cf5b5ea36cae192e72d22119dddf
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/096dd7f3921e2eb3a63bcf51f8f85401
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/ed68d7186b239c4fe3f6689cbcf1f88b
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/76e61df557ccd326aafe6eacb941cd72
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/098f39d7065dfde12dceefde09cccb5c
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/2061d87857210b38d674c680cfe6a6cb
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/26cfbdd521be4585cecdb2743f295e13
https://gist.github.com/barlow835/c87633916194efb457b1c6ea350f7303
https://gist.github.com/xjmkiudfuduudfdf/a5df0cfee9b20e5ee07931cbbb734885
https://gist.github.com/xjmkiudfuduudfdf/7cb106bb3d709cd198ae93dd79fa5546
https://gist.github.com/xjmkiudfuduudfdf/2cbbe2c123ed7e82d80f9ccd35fe4671
https://gist.github.com/xjmkiudfuduudfdf/7c1728a91eb9cffa7c5220a46e383aa0
https://gist.github.com/xjmkiudfuduudfdf/b1ec97c1443e1b47bdffd6474c6a8678
https://gist.github.com/xjmkiudfuduudfdf/8ff4cbcdcfd4e228f32de9093213e91d
https://gist.github.com/richgary485/6dbc2be753e2319462944d31293589f6
https://gist.github.com/richgary485/a6bca3d760e0fddef15b274ac0307f1f
https://gist.github.com/richgary485/6245b60bf354483ee65bdd1db29ede86
https://gist.github.com/richgary485/a15b734f46abd3fd038c7e9412fa732d
https://gist.github.com/richgary485/7c913c2cf7cb4520d99d793ca23b40d8
https://gist.github.com/richgary485/fc063450dbe4339f60256a415f5558e2
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/30
https://github.com/defunkt/ambitious_activeldap/issues/14
https://github.com/openai/sparse_attention/issues/13
https://github.com/dashpradeep99/https-github.com-miguellgt-books/issues/6
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/1
https://github.com/cy4nguy/PythonSimpleKeylogger/issues/3
https://github.com/gzc/isystem/issues/1
https://github.com/SaeruHikari/SakuraEngine-Old/issues/3
https://github.com/xyba1337/ValorantEZTS/issues/3
https://github.com/henryjeff/portfolio-website/issues/16
https://github.com/EllanJiang/GameFramework/issues/76
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/2
https://github.com/qianjiahao/MongoDB/issues/2
https://github.com/u21h2/nacs/issues/13
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/31
https://github.com/qw3rtman/p/issues/35
https://github.com/rafaballerini/GitTutorial/issues/200
https://github.com/Yalantis/uCrop/issues/948
https://www.paiklangna.com/
https://diamondlnwpg168.com/
https://scrapbox.io/DIAMOND16/Diamond168
https://diamondlnwpg168.com/
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/30
https://github.com/defunkt/ambitious_activeldap/issues/14
https://github.com/openai/sparse_attention/issues/13
https://github.com/dashpradeep99/https-github.com-miguellgt-books/issues/6
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/1
https://github.com/cy4nguy/PythonSimpleKeylogger/issues/3
https://github.com/gzc/isystem/issues/1
https://github.com/SaeruHikari/SakuraEngine-Old/issues/3
https://github.com/xyba1337/ValorantEZTS/issues/3
https://github.com/henryjeff/portfolio-website/issues/16
https://github.com/EllanJiang/GameFramework/issues/76
https://github.com/HoyDiamond/DiamondSeo01/issues/2
https://github.com/qianjiahao/MongoDB/issues/2
https://github.com/u21h2/nacs/issues/13
https://github.com/Programming-from-A-to-Z/A2Z-F15/issues/31
https://www.paiklangna.com/
https://github.com/rafaballerini/GitTutorial/issues/200
https://github.com/Yalantis/uCrop/issues/948
Leave a comment