Inventor and police officer Alfonzo Dowe was a long-time die-hard golfer and knew that golf balls need to be perfectly clean to perform well, plus clean golf balls last longer. Most players carry a damp towel with them to wipe off the balls. That’s not the most efficient or convenient solution, so Alfonzo created a portable golf ball cleaner, the Twister, that is lightweight and portable. Golfers can slip the Twister into their golf bags and not have to depend on the stationary ball wash stations.
Alfonzo demonstrated: He unscrewed the top of the water-tight chamber filled with cleaning solution, then placed the golf ball in between the cleaning bristles on the bottom half of the chamber. He twisted the lid back on, gave a little shake, then twisted the lid back and forth. When he took the golf ball out, it looked brand new. The sharks were impressed.
Alfonzo worked full-time as a police officer, plus he was new to the business world and didn’t know how to approach and sell retailers on his products. He only had sales of a few thousand dollars from online sales and flea markets. He was looking for a business partner as well as an investment.
Alfonzo did not get a deal. However, the exposure on Shark Tank resulted in a small but steady sales stream that still exists today. The Twister is available on the Walmart and Amazon sites and other assorted golf-gadget sites. Also, the patent is up for auction.
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