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St. Charles, IL —
About 10 years ago, St. Charles resident Pat McCarthy heard about a Japanese study that said filling an office with the smell of money increased worker productivity.
McCarthy, a top executive for sales at a Chicago software company, thought bottling the ingredients of money — cotton, silk and linen — along with some sweeter scents, into a perfume could inspire success with each spray.
Four years ago, the idea led him to create the first batch of his own fragrance and cologne — Her Money and His Money — that comes with real shredded money packed with the perfume.
It wasn’t long before the idea took off. And now, the product is getting national attention.
At 7 p.m. Friday, McCarthy will be shown pitching his idea face-to-face with investors on the ABC show “Shark Tank.” On the show, McCarthy and others with ideas ask for money in exchange for a percentage of their companies.
Part of the show’s appeal is its harsh investors who are self-made multimillionaires and billionaires.
“You have to endure,” McCarthy said. “They will shred you.”
McCarthy can’t say whether his pitch was accepted until after the show airs. Still, he thinks his idea is golden. He said he’s already sold about 20,000 bottles around the world in China, Korea, Japan and England, as well as in about 100 stores in the U.S.
Asia, in particular, he said, has become his most popular market.
“Every time I explain the product, (buyers) just love the idea,” he said. “They’re amazed no one has followed through with a product like this.”
After filming the show in Los Angeles in July, crews came to St. Charles a month later to film McCarthy at his home and downtown.
He said he believes his product is fascinating partly because of the economy.
“It’s a little piece of humor in a challenging market,” he said. “I hope it inspires and motivates.”
To McCarthy, his success is measured in the thousands of bottles he’s already sold for $42.50 each. This week, the perfume is offered online at www.liquidmoney.com at a special “Shark Tank” deal of $32.50.
So far, most sales have been made through his website, where his son and daughter are featured as models. However, McCarthy said he’s already in talks to sell the product at department stores such as Macy’s and Nordstorm. He also wants to sell to financial institutions, casinos and hip-hop stores.
About 10 years ago, St. Charles resident Pat McCarthy heard about a Japanese study that said filling an office with the smell of money increased worker productivity.
McCarthy, a top executive for sales at a Chicago software company, thought bottling the ingredients of money — cotton, silk and linen — along with some sweeter scents, into a perfume could inspire success with each spray.
Four years ago, the idea led him to create the first batch of his own fragrance and cologne — Her Money and His Money — that comes with real shredded money packed with the perfume.
It wasn’t long before the idea took off. And now, the product is getting national attention.
At 7 p.m. Friday, McCarthy will be shown pitching his idea face-to-face with investors on the ABC show “Shark Tank.” On the show, McCarthy and others with ideas ask for money in exchange for a percentage of their companies.
Part of the show’s appeal is its harsh investors who are self-made multimillionaires and billionaires.
“You have to endure,” McCarthy said. “They will shred you.”
McCarthy can’t say whether his pitch was accepted until after the show airs. Still, he thinks his idea is golden. He said he’s already sold about 20,000 bottles around the world in China, Korea, Japan and England, as well as in about 100 stores in the U.S.
Asia, in particular, he said, has become his most popular market.
“Every time I explain the product, (buyers) just love the idea,” he said. “They’re amazed no one has followed through with a product like this.”
After filming the show in Los Angeles in July, crews came to St. Charles a month later to film McCarthy at his home and downtown.
He said he believes his product is fascinating partly because of the economy.
“It’s a little piece of humor in a challenging market,” he said. “I hope it inspires and motivates.”
To McCarthy, his success is measured in the thousands of bottles he’s already sold for $42.50 each. This week, the perfume is offered online at www.liquidmoney.com at a special “Shark Tank” deal of $32.50.
So far, most sales have been made through his website, where his son and daughter are featured as models. However, McCarthy said he’s already in talks to sell the product at department stores such as Macy’s and Nordstorm. He also wants to sell to financial institutions, casinos and hip-hop stores.
McCarthy said business owners can give the product to their employees to inspire them. Banks in Asia, he said, are already giving the fragrance away as an incentive for opening a checking account.
“They really do like American products,” McCarthy said. “No product is more American than money.”
To get started, McCarthy sought one of the best noses in the business, St. Charles resident Larry Murrison.
Murrison — who creates perfumes for brands such as Calvin Klein and Clinique in his West Chicago office — helped McCarthy hone the scent of money. With oils that came in from a manufacturer in Lombard, McCarthy paid about $40,000 four years ago to produce about 10,000 bottles.
Since then, he’s produced a second batch of 10,000 bottles. After “Shark Tank” airs, McCarthy said he expects his third batch to include 50,000 to 100,000 bottles.
“We’ve been warned our site will crash,” he said.
As sales continue, McCarthy said he’s considering making perfumes with base ingredients of foreign currency. Body washes and lotions of the His and Her Money scent, along with high-end clothing made with elements of bills, might also be produced.
“This is what I do,” McCarthy said. “It’s been my hobby for a long time.”
He’s also using product to make a point for his sales team.
“It’s about setting up big audacious goals,” he said. “You never give up. It’s about being tenacious.”
