Scott Stofel, president of Tough Guys LLC, is ready to take the next step and try to grow his business through the Independent Stock Market.
“I started selling advertising on my trucks and that’s how I really got it going, and fast forward another 10 years,” Stofel said.
“My friend said, ‘Hey, I heard about ‘America’s Real Deal’ coming to Lubbock, and they’re looking for entrepreneurs like you and I thought about you,’” Stofel said.
Three Lubbock businesses – Tough Guys Moving, A Fragrance of Heaven and Fight the Good Fight Foundation– will be featured on “America’s Real Deal.”
“With ‘America’s Real Deal,’ they’ll have an app where they can buy shares, products, services and invest in the company,” Stofel said.
The idea of the show, to give small businesses the ability to raise capital and eventually go public through the Independent Stock Market.
“So basically what ISM is, it’s like ‘Shark Tank’ where America plays the shark,” Stofel said.
Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington is the brains behind this new online show, and A Fragrance of Heaven is hoping to cash in.
“To have three companies going to be on the first interactive television show that means a lot for Lubbock, Texas,” said Terri Arthur, owner of A Fragrance of Heaven.
Stofel said he’s risking a lot after 11 years of hard work by putting his company out there.
“Independent Stock Market, ISM, is a relatively new thing. You kind of take a chance on it. The people that I’ve met that are involved in it are big-time players, they’re super smart people,” Stofel said. “Once, I went down there and met the company, and I had my own reservations about going forward on this.”
