Later, Craig, Tana and Kendra met with their designers to finalize the idea for their new product. Kendra said that many Staples customers were buying stackables, so she suggested a new product based on them. But Craig complained that Kendra couldn't express her idea in a concrete way. Then, Craig suggested putting four of the stackables together to form a cube for storage. In an interview, Kendra said that Craig took her idea. Then she added, "That's just who Craig is." The tension only escalated when Craig and Kendra argued about what items they should put in their new storage product during their presentation. When Craig told Kendra he would explain his position again to her "slowly," Kendra took offense and said that she was sick of the condescending way Craig spoke to her.
Without any input from Staples executives or a focus group, Alex and Bren sketched out their new office product: a table on wheels with compartments and shelves. The crowning glory of their brainchild was the table's clear top, which was on a hinge so it could be lifted to gain access to two compartments underneath. The next morning, Alex and Bren arrived at their design shop and were thrilled to see their product, which Alex dubbed "The Packrat." Alex was so impressed that he said he wished he could have the rights to market it; he was sure he'd make a million dollars. Bren was so confident that he said he feared the lashing his opponents would take in the boardroom.
As Magna waited for their product to be fabricated, Craig and Kendra clashed… again. Kendra accused Craig of talking to her like she was a six year-old. Craig had no problem admitting that he talked to Kendra the same way he talked to his children when he had to repeat himself. Kendra again accused Craig of being condescending. Craig claimed that Kendra didn't even know what "condescending" meant. Kendra fumed and said that their conversation was over. But Craig wasn't finished. He told Kendra that he had given her respect that she didn't even deserve. Kendra shot back that every time she had asked Craig to do something he had said "no." Craig said, "Every time?" Kendra corrected herself and said, "…almost every time." Craig repeated, "Every time?" And then he said, "Now you're a liar." For her part, Tana avoided the battle of accusations and insults, but she was worried. Tana said that she had two teammates who hated each other and a presentation to make. But Kendra said, like faking a marriage that had gone bad years before, she and Craig would plaster on big fake smiles and get through it. The three candidates got in front of the execs and office managers and performed a little dramatization. Craig was a poor office worker with a mess on his desk that was out of control. Fortunately, the team had their product at the ready - a large, rotating caddy with multiple compartments. The caddy held a lot and the team was able to organize all of Craig's mess, which included several reams of paper, a dozen or so highlighters, pencils, a stapler, extra tape, ink cartridges, an office planner, a notebook and more. The reaction from the crowd was positive and an office manager commented that while the product was a little big, it was interesting.
Next up was Alex, Bren and The Packrat. Alex opened the clear top and showed how easy it was to insert an inbox and outbox and then close the top again. And because the top was clear, Alex explained, it was easy to see the contents of the boxes underneath. Then Alex showed that he could stack several piles on top of the table and still see the inbox and outbox. But an office manager raised a fundamental design problem - Alex couldn't get to the contents of his inbox or outbox without removing all of the piles from the top of the table. Another office manager jumped onboard and eventually everyone seemed to be concerned about the issue. Alex tried his best to explain the design, but the issue seemed to take the wind out of Net Worth's sails.
Trump arrived in time for the Staples executives to hand down their judgment. Magna, according to the execs, had clearly connected with the customer - and their product was "innovative" and "practical." Most importantly though, the office managers said they would actually buy Magna's product. Net Worth, however, failed to hit the mark. The execs said their product lacked important features. But their big issue was the seemingly useless storage areas directly below the hinged tabletop. Magna was the winner! As for Net Worth, both Alex and Bren would meet Trump back in the boardroom where one of them would be fired.
For their reward, Magna had breakfast with George and Carolyn at the legendary Rainbow Room. Between the sumptuous food and drink, Tana, Kendra and Craig got the chance to know George and Carolyn on a more personal level. Craig called the experience "valuable." Kendra said it was "special" and Tana said that you couldn't put a price on it.
The night before one of them would be sent home, Alex and Bren took a walk and got some coffee. Even though they lost, they both agreed that they had the better product. They still believed in The Packrat. Alex admitted that he was sad knowing that no matter what happened in the boardroom, he would have to say good-bye to his "buddy" Bren.
The next day, Alex and Bren entered the boardroom and Trump pulled no punches, calling the team's creation a "piece of crap." But Bren and Alex were united - they thought it was a terrific product. Trump pointed out the problem with not being able to get papers from under the tabletop without lifting up the top. Alex tried his best to defend the design by saying that you could store items underneath the tabletop for later, but George wasn't buying it. In fact, George said he was embarrassed by the product. Carolyn switched gears and criticized Bren for not finding a single person for the team's focus group. Then Trump criticized Alex for not meeting with the Staples executives in person. Trump came down hard on Alex, saying that Alex started out as a star but was finishing weakly. Alex put the blame for the loss on Bren. He said that Bren had dropped the ball on marketing. But Trump called both men "lousy." In an attempt to defend himself, Bren admitted that he was still learning to take risks. Alex saw his opening and took it. Alex proudly said that he had taken risks all of his life because he had the passion and desire to be the best. Trump turned to a silent Bren and told him that Alex was "killing him." Trump said he wanted someone with an entrepreneurial spirit - something that Bren didn't seem to have. Trump believed that Bren would be a big success someday, but for now, Trump said, "Bren, you're fired."
<< Previous
|