`The smallest exercise machine in the world´ – relaxation in mini

The solution can sometimes be so simple: Many people are plagued by pain in their back, neck and jaw in everyday life. But even if these problems are serious and major, the solution can perhaps be quite simple. This is exactly what the founders of
TJ-Motion thought and developed ‘the smallest training device in the world’.

Two tooth attachment cushions made of medical silicone, which are placed between the lower and upper jaw on the lateral molars, help to relax the jaw muscles and alleviate the above-mentioned pain. And so the start-up TJ-Motion was born.

Like many other start-ups, TJ-Motion was looking for ways to secure market entry, quickly increase brand awareness and scale the business healthily. The german TV show ‘Die Höhle der Löwen’ (“Shark Tank” / US format, “Dragon´s Den” / UK format) became aware of TJ-Motion and advised them to apply to the show. No sooner said than done.

The start-up was invited. The main purpose of the investment was to build up the online shop and drive forward international-isation and marketing.

Die Höhle der Löwen, VOX [Photo: RTL / Stefan Gregorowius]

The upswing comes with
„lion support“

The founders‘ participation in the german TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen” was a complete success. Not only was their offer accepted, but the broadcast also had an immediate effect: orders in the online shop skyrocketed. And these then had to be shipped in the next step.

‘This is one of the strongest businesses we‘ve ever had here,’ says judge Judith Williams about the start-up TJ-Motion, which pitched its product on the evening of the September 9, 2024 in “Die Höhle der Löwen”. All the lions wanted to invest – except Carsten Maschmeyer. Judith Williams, Tilman Schulz, Ralf Dümmel and Dagmar Wöhrl battled it out for TJ-Motion. Wöhrl won the race, without haggling, without hesitation. She was the founders‘ investor of choice.

The decision was made quickly, also thanks to Maschmeyer. He asked whether they would accept the offer, as apparently nothing else would come along. A misunderstanding. The founders thought there were no other offers and accepted Wöhrl‘s deal: 200,000 euros for 25% of the company shares.

Dümmel, Williams and Schulz had also prepared offers, but the founders were no longer interested. ‘Do you know what you‘re missing out on?’ said Dümmel disappointedly. Schulz was stunned. Williams was also surprised; in all her years on ‘Die Höhle der Löwen’, she had never been in a situation like this before.

Remorse? None. ‘Wöhrl was our dream investor,’ said Brehm. ‘For us, the goal was achieved.’

The small parcels have to be packed and sent – with the right partner

To cope with this rush of new customers, TJ-Motio had to find a logistics and fulfilment partner that could handle the volumes and react quickly. After all, little can hurt a start-up more than not being able to cope with the first big wave of orders and thus gambling with customer satisfaction right from the start. Furthermore, TJ-Motion has already had its own future dev-elopment in mind and is looking for a partner with whom it can grow together.

There are many hurdles for start-ups right at the beginning of their career. Of course, it is a major challenge to publicise the product or service, increase brand awareness and acquire new customers. But as soon as the business is up and running, small companies quickly face the challenge that many partners prefer to avoid working with start-ups.They prefer the big fish and don’t want to invest time and perhaps money in an unknown variable.

How it all began

In August 2024, we received an exciting inquiry from TJ-Motion via our partner ‘Happy Squirrels’. The logistics and e-commerce experts installed the weclapp ERP system, but TJ-Motion was still looking for the right fulfilment partner for the upcoming broadcast on ‘Die Höhle der Löwen’. Personal proximity and a well-coordinated team were crucial for TJ-Motion – and that’s exactly what won us the contract with FULFILL.ONE, despite major competitors.

One last rush job on the Friday before the broadcast: the connection to Amazon had to be made as quickly as possible, which made the launch even more complex. Our team made the impossible possible – overtime, extra shifts and detailed preparation for dispatch. We manually packed thousands and thousands of small sets including flyers into shipping bags to make sure everything was ready.

Then we got started. TJ-Motion opted for shopify as its online store software. The cloud-based omnichannel store system was exactly the right choice and could be easily connected to us. shopify attaches great importance to reliability and stands for stores that don’t break down even with large order volumes.

At primetime, everyone was feverish: the team from FULFILL.ONE, Happy Squirrels, PARCEL.ONE, who were responsible for cross-border shipping, and of course TJ-Motion itself. But the success was greater than expected – stocks were exhausted within a very short time.

With immediate consultation and new production batches, we ensured that demand was satisfied. We also had to urgently organise more cardboard boxes, as the order quantity was seven times the estimate.

The stream of orders did not stop even after the broadcast on the VOX television channel on the evening of September 9.

In the first three weeks after the initial broadcast, TJ-Motion already received over 60,000 orders from 25 countries. This amount in such a short time is overwhelming – especially for a start-up, of course.

In the days that followed, every detail was coordinated: Address validations, store settings, subsequent deliveries. We dealt with inquiries about the product, delivery times, address and quantity changes in customer support.

PARCEL.ONE and FULFILL.ONE –
The perfect logistics-combination for
TJ-Motion

As an experienced fulfillment service provider, with FULFILL.ONE we are prepared for just such cases and peaks. Our team at PARCEL.ONE can also handle such numbers in shipping with ease.

So we directly took over all the steps in fulfillment and logistics and ensured that the small parcels were packed and sent to the customers in the shortest possible time.

When the first steps bear fruit and the brand is successful, orders increase exponentially. And the partner must also be able to cope with this increase.

As the PARCEL.ONE family, we are made up of just such companies and help our business partners to succeed thanks to our many years of expertise and the simultaneous inclusion of start-ups in our portfolio.

our Learning

When “Die Höhle der Löwen” comes along, it needs more than just stock. Fast post-production, flexible shipping logistics and a plan B are essential.

We at PARCEL.ONE and FULFILL.ONE have not only mastered this moment, but also proved that we are ready as a logistics and fulfillment partner on all channels – especially when it counts.

Die Höhle der Löwen, VOX [Photo: RTL / Stefan Gregorowius]