Oliver Zak - The $50M College Startup That Scored A Shark Tank Deal

In this episode, I sit down with Oliver Zak, co-founder of Mad Rabbit, to break down his journey from launching a DIY skincare product in a crockpot to securing a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban and scaling into major retailers like Walmart.

We dive deep into:

• What really happens after a Shark Tank deal and its long-term impact
• The business of tattoos and how Mad Rabbit is disrupting an overlooked industry
• The power of TikTok, influencers, and affiliate marketing in scaling a DTC brand
• Succeeding in retail & Walmart
• Raising venture capital, working with investors, and the lessons learned from Mark Cuban
• How community-building is at the core of Mad Rabbit’s success

Oliver doesn’t hold back on the realities of fundraising, navigating competition, and marketing strategies that drive real revenue. If you're an entrepreneur, a brand builder, or just someone interested in scaling a consumer product, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

00:00 Intro
01:00 Early Life and Family Influence
02:28 High School and College Ventures
04:25 Learnings as a Generalist
05:41 Oliver’s First Business
06:29 Founding Mad Rabbit
07:42 Developing the First Product in a Crockpot
08:33 Process for FDA Regulations
09:22 Company Breakdown from $0-$3 Million
11:00 Shark Tank Experience
17:33 Advice for Shark Tank / Raising Capital
18:02 Business Behind the Tattoo Industry
21:00 What a Shark Tank Deal Looks Like After the Show
23:05 Revenue Effects from the Show
24:00 VC Effects of Deal with Mark Cuban
25:15 Challenges with Raising Money
27:18 Communicating with Investors
28:10 Advice on Raising Money
29:02 Utilizing Investor Money
31:06 Working with Walmart
33:03 Getting into Walmart / Brokers
36:35 Using TikTok to Drive In-Person Sales
38:13 Succeeding in Retail
42:45 Approach to Competition in the Space
44:07 Marketing Mix
45:57 Affiliate Program Infrastructure
53:22 Incentivizing Affiliates
55:57 Tattoo Artist Pro Team
58:22 Tips for Building Community
1:00:11 Mad Rabbit’s Creative Space
1:01:53 Most Impactful Marketing Initiative
1:04:57 The First Thing You Should Do to Build Community
1:06:30 Biggest Failure
1:08:39 Lessons from Mark Cuban
1:10:01 Biggest Regret from Raising Money
1:10:49 Lightning Round
1:15:36 Weapons of Choice
1:17:49 How Big Can Mad Rabbit Be?
1:18:55 Outro

Hard Things about Hard Things: https://amzn.to/4bBXhGF

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olvrzk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverhzak/
Website: https://www.madrabbit.com/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
Website: https://openresidency.com/
Contact: info@openresidency.com

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