Shark Tank continues to bounce back after a rough opening to season 8. The ratings according to Neilson shows that Shark Tank pulls in an average close to 5 million viewers per week.

The ABC entrepreneurial-based reality show has won over families, but currently is working on ways to keep their product fresh after eight seasons.

Tonight on Shark Tank the show opens their doors to contestants looking to strike a deal with the investors.

The show keeps it fresh with rotating the investors each week. This week the show will have Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Lori Greiner, Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec in the tank.

Line Cutterz and ENERGYbits are two companies on the chopping block this week. Both of their products have pros and cons. The preview below shows how Line Cutterz has a more structured product and business plan. ENERGYbits appears to lack the product knowledge that should pair with a successful pitch.

Shark Tank has already given me a deeper understanding of accounting and finance. The investors each come from self-made companies that started with little to no resources. The rags to riches story connects with the American dream. On a personal level, I directly relate to each of the sharks in different ways. They teach me imperfections about myself, as well as within the Crescent Vale company. Not only do I learn from their mistakes, I learn from how they learn.

Recently, I have been listening to interviews featuring Mark Cuban, Daymond John and Chris Sacca on YouTube. It is like sitting under a learning tree of the top business professionals of my generation. I’ve heard that a person is the sum of the five people they interact with the most. Watching Shark Tank, and diving deeper into the mentalities behind the sharks; it has been beneficial financially and psychologically.

One of the most valuable pieces of knowledge that I have acquired is Cuban’s advice on building sweat equity in comparison to acquiring funding for a company. As an independent startup in the digital news industry, we experience these big decisions after years of work. It is great to learn, and share Cuban’s wisdom with our audience.

Before Shark Tank, I didn’t have the business training to properly build a business. Within the few weeks of watching and engaging with season 8, I have already started to see changes in my workflow.

It doesn’t take funding from the sharks to learn from them. Sometimes knowledge is just as important as money.