BusyBox on Shark Tank: Founder, where to buy and more about the business for work-from-home professionals

BusyBox members appear on Shark Tank (Image via Christopher Willard/ABC)
BusyBox members appear on Shark Tank (Image via Christopher Willard/ABC)

The upcoming episode of Shark Tank Season 13 will feature a founder who launched his business during COVID-19 to help those working from home.

Steve Skillin invented BusyBox in March 2020 for work-from-home professionals. He will pitch his business on the ABC show with team member Conor Smith. BusyBox enables a person to work uninterrupted. Their business has been mentioned in the official synopsis of Shark Tank Episode 19 which reads:

“Entrepreneurs from Whitinsville, Massachusetts, and Kittery, Maine, present their productivity tool which helps professionals work uninterrupted while working from home.”

How was the idea of BusyBox born?

The idea of BusyBox was born after Steve Skillin was interrupted multiple times by some family members during business calls and he ended up doing the same accidentally. He invented the prototype in three days, thanks to his engineering background and a 3D printer that was in his possession.

Steve contacted his friend Fess to make the product wireless. The duo wanted to create a wireless smart sign. Their idea turned into an actual business after a successful campaign on Indiegogo, raising $330K. The business partners soon launched digital BusyBox after their standard product turned out to be a success.

The official description of BusyBox reads:

“The BusyBox wireless status sign allows you to create a space inside your home to think, to produce or to work. Made to minimize interruptions, it’s never been easier to create an interruption-free zone inside your four walls.”

What is the cost of BusyBox?

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BusyBox comes in two versions: “S” means Standard and “D” means Digital. The standard version costs $129, in which buyers have to manually change the slides. The messages include Busy, On Air, Recording, On a call, Live, and Do Not Disturb.

The digital version’s price is $299 and it comes with ten messages — Come In, Class Time, Working, Available, Game On, Quiet Please, Keep Out, Studying, Reading and Meeting.

Apart from these, the brand also sells a button that allows you to remotely turn the box on and off. The products can be purchased from the brand’s website or Amazon. Most of the products are currently out of stock, but can be made available on pre-order.


All about Shark Tank Season 13 Episode 19

Founder Steve Skillin will appear on Shark Tank to showcase BusyBox without his partness Fess. However, he will be accompanied by a team member, Conor Smith.

They will pitch their business during Shark Tank Season 13 Episode 19, which is set to air on Friday, April 8 at 8.00 pm Eastern Time (ET).

Apart from BusyBox, the upcoming episode will also feature other businesses like SwiftPaws, Lucy Drawing Tool and Dirty Cookie. After the new pitches, Shark Tank will have a former entrepreneur in the update segment. according to the synopsis that mentions Tenikle founder, Hans Dose. It reads:

“In a Shark Tank update, Hans Dose from Menifee, California, updates his investor Daymond John about Tenikle, the octopus-inspired tripod mount for phones, cameras and tablets.”

Episode 19 will not have any guest sharks and regular shark, Barbara Corcoron will also be absent. The panel will include Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary, Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, and Lori Greiner.

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