The May 1, 2020 episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank” was especially exciting. Randolph-Macon College alumna Mollie Thorsen ’13 and her dad, Bob Thorsen, pitched products from their family line called the Little Burro. Mollie and all four of her siblings graduated from RMC: Robert ’05, John ’07, James ’09, and Becca ’09, who unfortunately passed away in 2016.

The premise of “Shark Tank” is that the “sharks”—a group of tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons—invite guests to pitch their products on-air; the sharks then individually decide if they want to invest in those products. Businesses have the potential to secure deals that could make them millionaires.

From Concept to Reality: The Little Burro Story
Several years ago, Bob built the prototype of the Little Burro out of cardboard, “and we just went from there,” explains Mollie. The company was launched in 2013—the same year Mollie graduated from RMC with a degree in art history. The Little Burro, a caddy that can hold a cellphone, keys, gardening tools, and plants, attaches to a gardener’s wheelbarrow.

The Little Burro and the Burro Buddy (a smaller version of the product) have been featured in magazines such as House Beautiful, Real Simple and Popular Mechanics and are sold in stores nationwide including True Value, Ace Hardware, and Menards, and online in stores such as Lowe’s, Walmart, Amazon, and The Home Depot.

Show Time
Nine members of the Thorsen family flew to Los Angeles for the “Shark Tank” taping, but only Mollie and Bob were able to pitch on air.

“Every time we go to a trade show, someone says, ‘This is the ultimate “Shark Tank” product,'” Mollie said as she and her father pitched The Little Burro to investors Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary (aka “Mr. Wonderful”), Lori Greiner and Daymond John. The Thorsens asked the sharks for 250K in exchange for 10 percent equity in the company.  

O’Leary, after hearing the Thorsens’ pitch, told Mollie, “You certainly know your numbers. I like that.” Both O’Leary and Greiner made offers that fell short of the Thorsens’ goals, and Mollie and Bob graciously turned them down. The remaining sharks declined to make offers.

An emotional Mollie thanked the sharks and said, “My sister [Becca, who served as CFO of the company] would be really proud of us. We made a smart decision and that’s the most important thing.”