Your Friends & Neighbors

Beach-chair Tycoons

Their deal on TV’s Shark Tank fell through, but that didn’t stop these Shoregoing entrepreneurs from marketing their invention.

The family’s amped for a relaxing day in the sun and surf, but first there’s the dreaded trek—when beach chairs are haphazardly opening and closing, umbrella pieces are falling to the ground and everyone’s complaining.

That’s a familiar scene to any beachgoer, and it was the scene nearly five years ago, when Short Hills resident Leslie Hsu, now 50, hit the sand with her husband, Greg Besner, now 56, and their two daughters. That’s when Hsu declared: “There has to be a better way.”

The inspiration led the couple to create what they call Sunflow, an innovative beach chair setup (with accessories) that they say is more comfortable and easier to carry than the typical beach paraphernalia. Their invention won them a spot on the investment-appeal TV reality show Shark Tank, where they nearly secured a $1 million deal with investor Kevin O’Leary, nicknamed “Mr. Wonderful.” The handshake arrangement fell through after the taping, but the couple did the show one better and raised $3.5 million from investors. Morris/Essex Health & Life recently spoke with the pair, who plan an upcoming move down the Shore to Spring Lake.

What sets your chair apart from the competition?

Leslie: We wanted to make it easier to carry and created a patented telescoping backrest, so with the push of a button it retracts. It’s small to carry but opens into a very big chair. I spend quite a bit of time on the beach when I get there, and typical chairs become uncomfortable over time. We set out to change that. Our chair is made with one piece of fabric so it’s almost like a hammock.

Some Shark Tank judges were skeptical of the price—$198 for just the chair or $296 with all the accessories.

Greg: People care a lot about their work-life balance. It seems we’re all working 24/7, being connected all the time, so when we finally do have our earned personal time, people treasure it and will invest. They’ll invest in premium camping or ski gear, or whatever their hobby is, but we found there really weren’t premium beach products.

Tell us about your experience on Shark Tank.

Leslie: It was just as fun as you can imagine it would be. It’s really amazing how it comes together, and the right questions and information come out and then the final clip is so suspenseful. They’re really very kind—it’s all genuine smiles because they know it’s intimidating. They try to make every person who walks in take a deep breath and just feel welcome.

How did you feel about the deal with Kevin O’Leary falling through?

Greg: The experience was absolutely amazing. Leslie came up with this idea almost five years ago, and now we have a company, a product and brand and many happy customers. To be able to show it to the world on TV—what could be better than that? The deals are handshake agreements that happen in a very short time, then there are additional discussions and negotiations. We couldn’t come to a final agreement with Kevin O’Leary, but fortunately we have other investors who are excited about our business. We’ve raised $3.5 million, and that will allow us to make Leslie’s vision of additional products a reality.

You’ve worked together in the past—with Leslie, a former handbag designer, on the creative side and Greg the business side—but this is your first time working solely on one business together. What’s it like working with your spouse?

Leslie: I think one of the best things about it is we both have the same end goal, and we really stay in our lane. We’re adult enough to know what we don’t do well and experienced enough to know what we do well.

Greg: I could never do this without Leslie— she’s the product visionary and designer and makes the vision come to reality. My background has always been general management—CEO, CFO, COO—the less sexy part of the business. Designing the product is the heartbeat of the company, but of course you need the rest of it too.

On Shark Tank you spoke about the possibility of more products for Sunflow. What’s next?

Leslie: We’ll have a higher chair—we’re hoping to have that out on the market by spring 2023. And there are other accessories coming that I’m really excited about, and I hope people will agree are very thoughtful.

Greg: Innovating and invention of products is one piece of our growth, but we’re also focused on geographic diversification and expanding to other channels. It all leads to delighting more customers in more places.