You're gonna need a bigger check

Oddly enough, my chum Rich (oh come on, you were thinking it) also has a post about sharks up on his blog today.

Must be something in the water.

If you haven't seen the ABC show Shark Tank, you're missing out on watching capitalism at work the way it was intended.

And by that I mean people with no money begging in front of people with a lot of money. It's extremely entertaining.

The premise couldn't be simpler: entrepreneurs present their business ideas to five "sharks" - multimillionaires who have made it big in their respective fields (real estate, infomercials, fashion, etc) and are looking to invest their own money in new enterprises.

For an ownership stake of course.

There are a few fascinating aspects to the proceedings. One is how smart the sharks are. Not that I think rich, accomplished business people aren't smart. But the speed at which they can evaluate an idea or product, see its weaknesses and strengths, and make a decision about it is breathtaking.

It runs completely counter to the image of slow moving, indecisive, multi-layered management. Not that I've ever had any experience with those kind of clients...er...companies.

Another thing is how good some of the ideas and products actually are. Some are so good, you can't help but wonder why they'd surrender sometimes up to 75% of their stake just to get the seed money.

But then there is something to be said for a straight line to the money, without banks, middle men, brokers and relatives wanting in for a price (although there's some of that because the money for the prototypes had to come from somewhere).

I think the show is at its best when there's a feeding frenzy: an idea so good all the sharks want a piece of it. Sitting back and watching them outbid and insult each other, throw more money and take less of an ownership stake in the idea they're fighting over is unbelievably entertaining.

As is the look on the faces of the entrepreneurs they're fighting over, as they suddenly realize they're sitting in the catbird seat with five millionaires clamoring to be in business with them.

The show is inspiring in a way that most shows aren't. It gets you thinking about possibilities. Even more so when they do a follow up piece about the success of something or someone they've invested in.

It'll be back on the air sometime this year. Dive in.