What Shark Tank investor Daymond John looks for in a business pitch

It takes more than a good idea to land a shark as a business partner.

  • As a successful entrepreneur, investor, and one of the stars of 'Shark Tank,' Daymond John is used to being pitched business ideas. In this interview, he shares what separates bad pitches from great pitches.
  • Beyond the idea, how well (or not) he and potential business partners will work together is a big factor.
  • Proof that the person did their research and some of the legwork before hand also goes a long way.

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Which stress personality are you?

Learn how to cope with your stress by better understanding which stress personality type you are.

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  • Stress is a complex defense mechanism that is highly personal and can vary depending on the situation.
  • Your personality greatly impacts how you cope with stress, research suggests.
  • You can learn how to cope with your day-to-day stressors by understanding which "stress personality type" you are.
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Perfectionism wastes everyone’s time. Here’s how.

The goal should be satisfaction, not perfection—why good enough is good enough.

  • According to business psychologist and consultant Melanie Katzman, being a maximizer, or someone who seeks and over works in pursuit of perfection, is a waste of time, energy, and resources.
  • Completion and perfection are often not synonymous, and it is possible to continue tweaking something long after it is done.
  • A desire to demonstrate expertise can overcomplicate the work and muddle the message. To avoid this pitfall, Katzman encourages clients to stop in the middle of a project and reassess.
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How to manage self-inflicted stress

Stress and anxiety therapist Dr. Amelia Aldao suggests waiting 60 seconds before reacting to a stressor, giving your rational mind time to catch up to your emotions.

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  • Stress is a complex defense mechanism that we experience in relation to either internal or external threats.
  • Self-inflicted stress is stress we inflict upon ourselves with our emotional and behavioral responses to certain situations. An example of self-inflicted stress would be your car breaking down on the morning of an important meeting because your "check engine" let had been on, but you ignored it.
  • There are a few ways for you to cope with self-inflicted internal and external stressors, put forth by researchers and therapists.
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Correctness makes you less creative. Here’s why.

Effort-focused exercises often lead to better, more innovative ideas.

  • Anthony Brandt argues that everyone is born with the facilities for creativity. Being creative means being a risk-taker, and that's something that needs to be encouraged and taught to children.
  • Techniques such as sandboxing place more of an emphasis on the effort as opposed to the results. This gives people, children especially, permission to try different approaches and offer new ideas without the usual pressures.
  • Without experimentation, there can be no innovation.
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