Unless you were Amazon or Apple, 2020 was a tough year for businesses. Some were hit harder than others, but many are still much worse for the wear as we head into the new year. But the key to survival is thinking outside the box and finding a way to persevere. Take it from an event that happened in our very own Las Vegas backyard.
If you haven’t seen the show “Shark Tank,” we highly recommend it, especially if you’re a business owner. The basic gist is that the show gets five or six self-made millionaires and billionaires together in a room to hear pitches from entrepreneurs who are trying to make their business dreams come true. They ask the “sharks” for help by way of money and expertise. For 11 seasons, “Shark Tank” has been forging deals and inspiring thousands of entrepreneurs across the world to work hard every day. It’s a pretty incredible show.
When it came to filming the 2020 season, there were concerns about getting people together in close quarters to shoot episodes given COVID-19 risks. But when hope and inspiration are all many have to hold onto these days, the opportunities that “Shark Tank” provides to participants and viewers alike just can’t be ignored. So, the showrunners found a way to make it work.
“Shark Tank” teamed up with the Venetian Hotel and Resort to build a production bubble right inside the hotel where the 2020 season could be safely filmed. It was built to house the entire crew and all the sharks and entrepreneurs for two months of filming. The production crew alone took up over a third of the Palazzo tower. They built a brand-new studio set with safe social distancing measures everywhere, and to date, there have been no reports of any outbreaks. The season was a complete success.
Many other companies are now reaching out to the Venetian to create the same bubble experience. It truly was an incredible feat. But the most important lesson to take away from this out-of-the-box team up is this: When the desire to push forward is great enough, there’s always a way to make things happen. That’s a valuable lesson for any business owner to remember.