'Shark Tank'-themed event comes to NMHS

Students in several classes at New Milford High School recently when head-to-head with local business sharks.

The sharks – several local business owners, each with impressive resumes – participated in a “Shark Tank”-like interactive activity in several Intro to Business classes for teacher Eileen Wargo, a NMHS graduate.

The students hoped to reel in the sharks to invest in their mock business or product.

“Be enthusiastic,” encouraged Wargo as she introduced the sharks – David Robles, John Nejaime, and Patty Bowers – for the first two classes of the day.

After the presentations, Wargo praised the students.

"It was nice for the students to get first hand insight into what it is like to start a business and how the real world applies to the classroom," she said.

"The students did a spectacular job fielding questions from the 'sharks,' really taking ownership of their business," she summed up.

The sharks

Robles is the owner of Green Home Solutions, an environmental business, and 

three Verizon retail locations in New York.

The New Milford native has been in retail for over 28 years and has won 20 President Cabinet awards for having some of the top producing stores in the country. 

He is also a landlord and owns several rental properties in New Milford.

Robles is board certified in microbial investigation and teaches seminars to inspection companies in mold and indoor air quality inspections. 

He graduated New Milford High School and is a self-made entrepreneur.

Nejaime is the owner of Nejaime’s Wine & Spirits in New Milford. He has been self-employed for 42 years.

While failing in two businesses along the way, Nejaime bought a liquor store with minimal money in the early 1990s. At the business’ peak, he owned three stores that were ranked in the top 50 stores in Connecticut out of 1,300.

“If I’m not changing with the times, I’m behind the times,” said Nejaime, who went to college, but did not graduate.

Patty Bowers opened The Gift Shop of New Milford just over five years ago in town. She is the primary buyer, does her own accounting, and also developed The Gift Shop’s website, which offers online shopping. 

She holds an MBA specializing in human resources and a BA specializing in social sciences and justice and law. 

Prior to opening the shop, she worked for 25 years at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals directing the global Research and Development Regulatory Compliance training program.

Later in the day, some sharks were replaced by others, Janet Taub and Dave Littlefield.

Taub is a portrait photographer who owns Planet Photo in New Milford.

She has been taking photographs and creating portraits for most of her adult life. She launched her photo business in 2013.

Littlefield, founder/owner of Housatonic River Brewing in New Milford in Danbury, has an extensive background in business.

He co-founded Environmental Investigation & Action, where he helped build the company from one employee to over 110, and over $10M in annual revenue and took the company public.

He also founded Harbor Lights Brewing Company, and owned two Wireless World retail stores and Front Row Center, which focused on home and video systems.

The sharks were coordinated through the Greater New Milford of Chamber of Commerce which had been contacted by Wargo.

Bella’s Boutique

Senior Bella Schwartz was the first of the day to ask the mock investors for $50,000 for a 5 percent stake in Bella’s Boutiques that would sell sweaters to a target age of 17-28. 

The boutique would be geared toward “women who like to express themselves through fashion and usually value creativity and sustainability, which is why they chose my products because we get it from local businesses, like farms that produce wool and cotton, and we get it in ethical ways,” Bella said.

Through a Google Slides presentation in front of the sharks and her classmates, Bella described the materials used for the main product – a wool and knit sweater – the packaging, the two locations for her stores (Westport and Newport, RI), the payroll, advertising methods, startup costs, including renovations for rental space, and the company’s potential growth.

The sharks approached different angles of business when they responded to Bella’s pitch.

John Nejaime, owner of Nejaime’s Wine & Spirits, asked Bella how she would handle the dramatic decrease in revenue at her store in Newport, R.I., from September through the winter months when tourists aren’t in the area spending money.

Patty Bowers, who owns The Gift Shop of New Milford, praised Bella for the target audience she chose (age 17-28) but noted the suggested price for a sweater of $70 may be steep for the younger shoppers. She also suggested Bella may want to consider adding accessories to her shop to bring in additional revenue.

David Robles, owner of Green Home Solutions and three Verizon retail stores, asked Bella why she limited her target audience from ages 17-28. 

“[The boutique] is a really good idea, but limiting to such a small target audience is going to limit your potential….having retail locations like Westport and Newport you might have an older demographic there,” Robles said, to which Bella replied that she would rethink the target audience based on her store locations.

Nejaime inquired about the amount of money Bella requested for her business. 

Bella, standing in front of classmates and the three sharks, answered quickly, stating she would have to review her numbers and get back to him. 

“Great answer and great job,” Nejaime said.

Wargo thanked Bella for having volunteered to present first and then addressed the class, noting “it’s always hard to think on the fly,” like Bella did. 

One-stop law firm

Next up was freshman Quinn Duncan, who posed opening a law firm that would be client-centric and encompass all aspects of law, a type of one-stop shop law firm. She asked the sharks for $25,000 for 10 percent of the company. 

Nejaime questioned Quinn about the fixed and variable costs and inquired how she came to the hourly rate for legal services and whether she had considered buying space instead of renting.

Without hesitation, Quinn explained the hourly rate was calculated by the number of clients she would have within the first few months, along with expenses. 

“And I will eventually be able to buy the building, and that’s why I’m asking you for help,” she replied.

Robles shared that he felt the startup of the business would be difficult, including her ability “to carry salaries” in the beginning.

“What I really like, though, is the idea that you come out really, really strong being customer service-oriented and being more affordable than other law firms,” Robles said of her business plan. 

“You need to focus on the clients – that’s a great idea,” he said. “But don’t grow too quickly. Be strong, lean and mean.”

Bowers questioned if Quinn had considered demographics, in particular serving low- to middle-income clients, not just middle- to high-income clients, especially given the New Milford market.

“Yes, as the law firm expands, I hope to offer services to all income levels,” Quinn assertly answered. 

After Quinn’s presentation, Robles related his personal experience, sharing that the sharks on the panel had “all made mistakes…and had all failed” at times.

“I remember one business I buried myself in because I started too big and my expenses exceeded my income,” he admitted.

Nejaime expanded upon that, noting entrepreneurs take risks and that “learn from [their] mistakes.” 

For coffee lovers

Freshman Danna Gallegos Aguilar proposed a downtown New Milford coffee shop that sells “good” coffee for less than what places like Starbucks charge, and sweets. 

The focus would be on coffee, but the shop’s atmosphere would be “calm” and welcoming, she explained.

He business would eventually expand into neighboring towns.

Robles questioned Danna’s price of $4 per cup of coffee, noting that price would impact he profit margin because her “costs are going to exceed your revenue.”

He reminded her of monthly expenses such as payroll, rent, and insurance, and quickly calculated that if she planned for monthly expenses of $3,000, she would need to sell 5,000 cups of coffee per month to break even.

“I think you’re coming in for a low for the price of the coffee,” he said. “I think people are willing to pay that $8-10 and that’s why those places [you mentioned] charge it because they need it.”

Both Nejaime and Bowers agreed bringing a coffee shop like the one she proposed is a wonderful idea.

“People will sit and shoot the breeze morning and evening if it’s a relaxing environment,” Bowers said. “You might want to have internet spot so people can work quietly while others are chatting.”

She also related one thing she has “learned in business is that it’s always good to have that second pull… you bring them in for coffee, but then your second pull is having that pastry everyone talks about and wants.”

Other proposals

Freshman Tyler McKenzie’s electric binder idea was well received by the sharks, who all acknowledged his idea of having an electric binder into which individuals place their dated notes and other documents and automatically analyzed the content and automatically filed it into chronological order would benefit many people, including some of them.

Nejaime suggested Tyler consider adding retail stores such as Target to his distribution sites because, as he knows from personal experience, many families make a stop at Target for last-minute items after settling a student in at college for the start of a school year.

Sophomore Tiara Harvey’s jewelry business also received accolades from the sharks.

She requested $10,000 for 5 percent of her company that sells $5 bracelets constructed on elastic string material to fit most wrists and features long-lasting, fade-resistant beads.

She cited 35 sales to date, a revenue of $175 and $30 for expenses. She also explained her plan for advertising her business, including social media and its cost per click on various platforms.

Freshman Maddy Rossitto sought $250,000 in exchange for 20 percent of her company, Candy, that sells candles made with essential oils.

She stated some problems “customers have with candles is the exposure of hazardous chemicals contained in them.” To reduce the chances of health risks, her candles are made with essential oils.

She described how she will manage business risks by obtaining the necessary insurance, limiting liability and controlling growth.

The sharks acknowledged her foresight and encouraged her to consider adding other products to her store to increase revenue, and not to sell herself short on the price point.

Deborah Rose/Local business owners, from left to right, John NeJaime, owner of NeJaime's Wine & Spirits, Dave Robles, owner of three Verizon retail locations and Green Home Solutions, and Patty Bowers, owner of The Gift Shop of New Milford, served as the sharks in Eileen Wargo's Intro to Business classes at New Milford High School Jan. 9, 2025.

Deborah Rose/Quinn Duncan listens closely as the sharks give feedback following her proposal of a law firm during a "Shark Tank-" like event Jan. 9 at New Milford High School.

Deborah Rose/Bella Schwartz explained how her business will source from local farms that produce wool or cotton.