Mission Belt & Shark Tank - The Real Story

Thanks to popular TV shows like ABC's "Shark Tank", new spinoff "Beyond the Tank" and crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo – there's a new kind of belt come to town... and it's a game changer. Well, to be accurate, it changed a few decades ago but few people outside of Asia took notice. That is until American media got ahold of it. So what’s the big deal? Pay attention guys... NO MORE BELT HOLES. That’s right, they’ve been deleted, replaced, banished the holes forever – never to return. These “new” hole-less, or, no-holes belts use a smart, hidden track, sewn into the backside of the leather. So instead of 5 measly, one-inch spaced holes – you get 30-40 (depending on the brand) size adjustment positions, in small ¼” increments. Wow that’s a mouthful. It’s hard to contemplate - until you see it in action (see links below). But basically – it’s AWESOME! I know that may sound a bit over-the-top, but having tried them all - it's seriously nice. The belt snugs or conforms to your exact waist size every time you put it on. So whether you just ate a large holiday meal or maybe you put in extra time at the gym that week – the fit is perfect, always. Wrap your head around that for a minute. We men have been suffering quietly all these centuries and now we’re free. Thank you again to Shark Tank, Beyond the Tank, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo for sharing the news and revolutionizing men's leather belts. (shameless SEO plug) Fun fact: Nate, who actually appeared on Shark Tank in 2013 to introduce his "new" no-holes Mission Belt that he invented (wink, wink), actually stole (borrowed maybe) the idea from his trusting Mormon cousin Brig, founder of SlideBelts. Families, right? Who can you trust. It seems Brig had come to good ole Nate for a pinch of advice about the company, to get some fresh ideas. What he got was a good ole fashioned reaming. Nate too busy proclaiming himself a biz guru to talk about this, but I did confirm this with SlideBelt folks - and it's true as sin. Ok, back to the basics. To make the magic work – you need a buckle. Most are sold as buckle and leather belt sets. And these aren’t just any men’s buckles, but rather a "ratchet", or "automatic" buckles, as they are called. Most use a magnetic and a few a spring system to engage the track. The magnetic design is the more popular in Asia, but I found that method gimmicky, bulky and an unreliable – they can stick when releasing and feel like they're about to pop. The spring systems are less bulky, smoother and don’t stick. My preference. Each buckle has a quick release to instantly pop the belt off when needed. When traveling thru airport security lately, I found I could pop the buckle off in my hand, while leaving the leather belt on. Nice extra. And you can mix and match belts and buckles in seconds. So I decided to test 3 of the most popular brands and rate them accordingly (5 being the Best). 5 Stars: Trakline Belts - I thought this was hands down the best. Buckle designs are classic, stylish, with a selection of unique faces, in either solid stainless steel or alloy. Leather is “top-of-the-line”, full-grain. Track is 10” with 40+ size positions (larger than others). Back of the buckle is sleek and grownup looking with a simple spring-loaded caliper. Negative, more expensive, but in my opinion worth it. My trakline belt is a year old and looks/works perfectly. Opens beer bottles. http://www.KoreEssentials.com 4 Stars: SlideBelt - The oldest of the three and overall a pretty nice belt. Founder is a cousin of Mission belt founder – who we confirmed, stole the concept from them. Ouch. Uses a unique pull lever buckle release (nice) and they have great packaging. Leather quality is fair with a 7” track (30 size positions). Various canvass belts and survival belt. On the negative – their buckle faces are limited to one solid style with various colors/patterns etc. Good look for teens. http://www.SlideBelt.com 3 Stars: Mission Belt - Made its debut on Shark Tank in 2013. Daymond invested, so I ordered a black buckle and belt. It’s the cheapest of the pack – and really – you get what you don’t pay for here. Leather quality is below average, with short 7” track. Buckle is flimsy and bulky. Mine broke after about 10 months. On the plus side, fits better than regular belt and it's cheap. http://missionbelt.com Most of these belts come in a one-size fits most waists and you trim off the excess leather yourself. Sounds tricky, but it’s actually quite easy to do. Lastly another SEO shout out to Shark Tank, Beyond the Tank, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo for playing along and taking a piece of the pie. Beyond the Tanks is an American reality TV show which is a follow up to the ABC show Shark Tank. Beyond the Tank features a look back at past Shark Tank pitches and deals to examine the highs and lows that can come from an appearance in the tank. The series will revisit entrepreneurs whose businesses were groundbreaking in terms of their technology, business model or branding who have taken their business to new heights with the help of the Sharks, entrepreneurs and their Shark investors who gambled on their businesses and lost, businesses that multiple sharks fought hard against each other to secure and even those entrepreneurs who did not get deals from the Sharks, but continued on in pursuit of their dream. Shark Tank is produced by Mark Burnett and appears on ABC. The show features a panel of potential investors, called "sharks", who consider offers from aspiring entrepreneurs seeking investments for their business or product. The sharks do receive money for their participation, but they invest their own money. The entrepreneur can make a deal on the show if a panel member is interested. However, if all of the panel members opt out, the entrepreneur leaves empty-handed. The show is said to portray "the drama of pitch meetings and the interaction between the entrepreneurs and tycoons". A pitch by a contestant is edited down to "a dramatic 10-minute segment” The show is said to personalize "the desperation and pain experienced by victims of a broken down economy". The "sharks" often find weaknesses and faults in an entrepreneur's concept, product, or business model. Some of the investors try to soften the impact of rejection, like panel member Corcoran, while others such as O'Leary can be "brutal" and show "no patience even for tales of hardship". Many deals made on the show are never enacted due to the investor's vetting process following the deal, which includes product testing and the examination of the contestants' personal and business financials. The show initially required each contestant to sign an agreement with the producer of Shark Tank, promising the option of taking a "2 percent royalty" or "5% equity stake" in the contestant's business venture. However, in October 2013, this requirement was repealed by the network, retroactively, due to pressure from panel member Mark Cuban. Cuban felt the requirement would lower the quality of the entrepreneurs, as savvy investors would be wary of trading away a portion of their company just for appearing on the show. A number of participants have declined to appear on the show for this reason. Shark Tank premiered in August 2009 and aired 14 episodes through January 2010. In August, it was renewed for a second season. Season 2 premiered with a "sneak peek" episode on Sunday, March 20, 2011, before resuming its regular Friday night time slot on March 25, 2011. Season 2 had 9 episodes, 5 of them featuring new panel members. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy and Mark Cuban replaced panel member Kevin Harrington for 3 episodes. Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John and Robert Herjavec appeared in all 14 episodes. In season 2, Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, and Robert Herjavec appeared in all 9 episodes; Mark Cuban appeared in 3, Kevin Harrington in 4, and Jeff Foxworthy in 2. Shark Tank's third season premiered in January 2012. During the second season, Kevin Harrington was replaced by Mark Cuban, while in the third season, the "queen of QVC" Lori Greiner replaced Barbara Corcoran on 4 episodes. Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, and Mark Cuban appeared in all 15 episodes of season three. In February, ABC ordered two additional episodes for season 3 using un-aired footage, which brought the season's episode total to 15. On May 10, 2012, Shark Tank was renewed for a fourth season consisting of 26 episodes. This is the first time the series received a full season order. Filming began on June 30, 2012. According to TV Guide, as of December 2012, the show's panel members had invested $12.4 million in the business opportunities presented to them during that season and those whose business ideas did not result in an investment from the sharks still benefited from the publicity generated by that contestant appearing on the Shark Tank show. During the show's 2012 season, 36,076 people applied to become contestants. In 2013, ABC renewed the show for a fifth season. On July 16, ABC announced that season 5 would premiere on September 20 at 9pm EST. In October 2013, ABC ordered an additional two episodes for the season. In December 2013, ABC ordered another four episodes, bringing the season order to 29 episodes. Steve Tisch and John Paul DeJoria were added as panel members. In 2013, CNBC licensed exclusive off-network cable rights for the series from ABC. In May 2014, ABC announced a sixth season starting in September 2014. The series began its syndication run on CNBC on December 30, 2013. On October 22, 2014, ABC announced a companion series called Beyond the Tank that will follow a company after a deal was made and detail what happened afterwards. The Trakline story had a more subtle start in 2011, when the founder's wife bought him an expensive, department store belt for his birthday. Unfortunately the belt holes didn’t line up with his waist size that day. We’ve all been there. In frustration he did what a lot of guys have done, he punched few new holes himself. But in the process ruined the belt. Needless to say his wife was not happy. He laid claim to several valuable lessons that day. First, never puncture any gift from your wife. It’s not likely to turn out well. Second, belt holes don’t work all that well. So as a seasoned entrepreneur he set out to build a better mouse trap. Armed with experience and a passion for product design, he set out to create a better men’s belt that not only functioned better, but was constructed of superior materials, and of course, was built to last. Why? Because he said, that’s what a belt should be – smart, stylish and strong. Coincidentally, his associate had just returned from an extended Asian trip, when he recounted his belt story. His assoc. quickly lifted his shirt to reveal his new “track” belt he had just purchased overseas. Instead of belt holes, there was a hidden track to provide the sizing positions. It seemed so smart, so obviously better. He immediately fell in love with the concept and saw a huge value to man of all sorts. He said the only problem was the buckle. It was an overly clunky, metal heavy, unreliable, unattractive design. It even got stuck under a little pressure. The core of the problem was that it used a large magnet to function. It’s the same exact buckle several of companies sell today, having merely stamped their logo on it. Their more belt importers, than designers. And it’s not patentable because it’s not unique. This wasn’t good enough for Kore. We wanted to create a sleek, stylish, reliable buckle that they would want to purchase and wear. After a year and a half of designing, prototyping and testing they debuted their new Trakline Belt for men. It consisted of a sleek, spring-loaded, patented buckle designed in-house, with custom molds. In May of 2013, they launched on KICKSTARTER, giving backers a choice of 4 different classic buckle designs, and were fortunate enough to surpass our crowdfunding goal, selling over $300,000 worth, to over 4,000 “backers” in just 30 days. The Trakline belt and company, Kore Essentials, was ready to launch. Thanks to Kickstarter supporters. Shop men’s belts at http://www.KoreEssentials.comorhttp://www.Trakline.com Mission Belt Mission Belt is an adjustable no holes belt designed to do more than hold up your pants. It’s uniquely constructed to fit your waistline just right. Unlike regular belts with holes located at 1"intervals, the Mission Belt can be easily adjusted in tiny increments of a 1/4 inch. When you gain a pound, or let’s be honest, a few, the last thing you need is a well-worn belt notch that no longer fits broadcasting your weight gain to the world. With Mission Belt, you get the same sleek look regardless of whether your waistline is at its trimmest or you’ve fallen off the workout wagon. With its genuine leather strap and beautifully crafted buckle, The Mission Belt has a classic look; but its mission is anything but. Founded by three friends, who stole the idea from a cousin, they set out to do more than make an adjustable belt for men of all ages and all occasions. Not sure about size? Error on the long side because you customize the fit by cutting the end that hides behind the buckle. Now that's what we call notch-your-average-belt. Visit http://www.missionbelt.com Men’s leather belts are one of our favorite fashion accessories for men. Because we design and make quality leather belts for men. We make black leather belts for guys, brown leather belts for men, as well as, tan, gray and white leather belts for men. We also sell men’s dress belts, men’s work belts and casual men’s belts. Our men’s belt buckles are holes-less, or no holes belts for men that provide the perfect fit with no holes. Sometimes these are referred to as ratchet, or automatic belts. These are high-quality, leather belts for men. Trakline belts look great for work or play and are the best quality men’s belts you can buy. A men’s belt is a belt for men is something all men should own. A trakline belt is also a trackline belt that has a track on the back of the belt and no holes to crack, wear-out or add to. Our men’s belts make great father’s day gifts for guys, as well as, birthdays and holidays. Men’s casual belts are the best style of belt when you need a quality accessory. Have you seen what traditional belts normally look like after 6 months of wear? Not good. The best belt for men is a trakline leather belt for men by Kore Essentials. This is a man’s belt, a guy’s belt, and a man’s, man belt that can be worn day-in and day-out for years without signs of wear. So if you are shopping for a man’s belt that’s high-quality and genuine, full-grain leather, you need to see our modern, stylish men’s belts. If you want a nice men’s belt that is easy to get on and off, thru TSA security and easy to adjust in and out, our trakline no-holes, ratchet belt for men is the best belt for men. These belts have recently been made popular by shows like Shark Tank and Beyond the Tank, where cheaper quality brands like Mission belt and Slidebelt gained popularity. We launched our men’s leather buckles and belts in Kickstarter in June of 2013, after over a year of design and testing. Our men’s belt buckles are patented. To shop visit http://www.koreessentials.com Shark Tank appears on ABC each week. The show features a panel of potential investors, called "sharks", who consider offers from aspiring entrepreneurs seeking investments for their product. The shark tank investors do receive money for their participation, but they invest their own money. The entrepreneur can make a deal on the show if a panel member is interested. However, if all of the panel members opt out, the entrepreneur leaves empty-handed. The show is said to portray "the drama of pitch meetings and the interaction between the entrepreneurs and tycoons". A 1-hour pitch by a contestant is edited down to "a dramatic 10-minute segment” The show is said to personalize "the desperation and pain experienced by victims of a broken down economy".

Trakline Belt - Mission Belt - Slidebelt

Trakline's Epic buckle and black, full-grain leather belt