CNBC/YouTube
For most people, mowing the lawn is a repetitive chore at best and a noisy, dangerous, and exhausting ordeal at worst. Add in the fact that, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one hour of running a gas mower releases the same amount of pollution as driving a car for 45 miles, and you’ll find plenty of customers willing to swap out their existing mowers for something quieter, safer, lower-maintenance, and more environmentally friendly. Andy Humphrey, founder of Ecomowers, attempted to capitalize on this available market, and he presented his idea to the Sharks on “Shark Tank” in Season 2.
The Ecomower is essentially just a traditional reel lawnmower — a more cost-effective alternative to gas or battery-powered mowers that spin the blades as you push — but repackaged as a new eco-friendly product. It also promises a more frictionless and hassle-free lawn mowing experience thanks to the unique blade design that doesn’t need to be routinely sharpened. While the market for a lawn mower like this certainly exists, it was up to Humphrey to prove that the Ecomower was unique enough to succeed as a product.
Ecomowers on Shark Tank
CNBC/YouTube
On Season 2, Episode 7 of “Shark Tank,” Andy Humphrey began his pitch by asking the investors for $90,000 in exchange for 20% of his business, a move that valued Ecomowers at around $450,000. The stars of “Shark Tank” were slightly interested when he began explaining that his product would offer a solution to risky, annoying, and gas-guzzling lawnmowers, especially considering that, at the time, the EPA was on the brink of regulating emissions from lawn equipment. Unfortunately for Humphrey, however, the Sharks quickly changed their minds once they saw the proposed solution was a fairly normal reel lawnmower. Compare this approach to the creativity of Rent A Goat from Season 5, and you’ll understand why they were less than impressed.
After this, Humphrey was practically laughed out of the Tank, and the situation was only made worse when he revealed that the Ecomower was just a prototype and he’d yet to actually sell any of his own products. A few of the Sharks suggested that he’d be better off licensing and branding an existing product rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel, and he eventually left without an offer from any investors.
Ecomowers after Shark Tank
Ecomowers / Facebook
At the time of Andy Humphrey’s Ecomowers pitch on “Shark Tank,” his product was simply a prototype — it had yet to hit the market, so, even with a publicity push from appearing on the show, the brand wouldn’t have sold any more product than it already was. Couple this with the fact that Humphrey had a fairly negative experience on the show and didn’t walk away with any additional funding, and it’s no surprise that Ecomowers didn’t experience the sought-after “Shark Tank effect” that gives many companies a push — even ones that didn’t secure a deal.
Instead, it looks like Humphrey actually received a bit of backlash, and a few visitors to the brand’s Facebook page even left comments poking fun at the pitch after watching the episode. It appears the company kept trucking along, despite the negative comments, but ultimately shut down soon after Season 2, Episode 7 of “Shark Tank” aired. It looks like the product briefly made it to market, but the company’s website is completely shut down and the last post to the Facebook page was in April of 2011.
What’s next for the founder of Ecomowers?
Sprinkler Nerd
Ecomowers might have shut down over a decade ago, but that doesn’t mean it was the end of the road for Andy Humphrey. According to his LinkedIn page, Humphrey is the founder of TreeKeeperBag.com and Sprinkler Supply Store, two online retailers that appear to be active and selling their products. He’s also the host of the “Sprinkler Nerd” podcast and YouTube channel, which covers both business-focused topics like marketing and advertising and more technical subjects surrounding lawn care and irrigation.
It doesn’t look like Humphrey is planning on reviving Ecomowers anytime soon, but it’s clear that, even after a rough pitch on “Shark Tank,” he hasn’t lost his entrepreneurial spirit. It’s likely that he’ll continue releasing his weekly podcast, running his two e-commerce websites, and staying involved in the lawn care and irrigation community. Luckily, if you’re disappointed to find that the Ecomower is no longer for sale, there are still similar products available on the market, like the Fiskars StaySharp Reel Mower, that promise all the same benefits of the Ecomower, even down to the infrequent need to sharpen the blades.
