E188: From Sneakers to Shark Tank with 24-Year-Old David Zamarin

<p>David Zamarin is the founder of DetraPel, an innovative, nanotech-based liquid repellent, which is harmless, planet-friendly, and made of cancer-free agents. Recently making it to the Forbes 30 under 30, David started his own business at 15 years old, cleaning and conditioning sneakers.</p> <p>After a sweet exit selling the business at $150,000, David went on to another ride of his life where he landed a $200,000-deal with Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. Mark is clear proof that age doesn't matter when it comes to entrepreneurship and building a business such as DetraPel, which is now valued at $30 million.</p> <p><strong>Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:</strong></p> <ul> <li>David’s eureka moments</li> <li>How he created a shoe cleaning business in 9th grade and scaled it</li> <li>Why a lot of immigrants are so successful</li> <li>The impetus behind DetraPel</li> <li>What is nanotechnology</li> <li>How he got to pitch at Shark Tank</li> <li>David’s Shark Tank experience and how it elevated his business</li> <li>His biggest lesson to hire slow and fire fast</li> </ul> <p><strong>Episode Highlights:</strong></p> <p><strong>What is Nanotechnology?</strong></p> <p>A nanoparticle is a particle that’s 10-9. It’s so small that it's invisible to the naked eye. When you create multiple different particles together and you create polymers, it becomes a liquid. Eventually, you can't see the particles themselves because they're still in the nanoscale, but you can see the film because it is visible to the naked eye.</p> <p>Nanotechnology has huge applications in the field of electronic, software, and hardware technologies. It allows you to get traditional types of bonds between molecules at a much smaller degree, which effectively allows you to make highly effective products at a more affordable price.</p> <p><strong>It Never Hurts to Reach Out</strong></p> <p>Whenever there's a big personality, or celebrity, or someone that you want to reach out to, don’t hold yourself back t