Grace and Lace: What Happened After Shark Tank

Grace and Lace: What Happened After Shark Tank

Ready to give yourself an updated style? You can find all you need with ease at Grace and Lace! This one-stop shop has a broad selection of fashionable items, from clothing to accessories. Whatever your wardrobe desires, maybe Grace and Lace are sure to have it!

This online business astoundingly launched with crocheted cotton socks as their first product–and if you think that’s amazing, wait until you hear what happened next. In the very first year of operation, they made notable sales figures and have since become an underestimated treasure in fashion with a truly unique USP.

If you’re a fan of Shark Tank, then you know about the episode where two sisters pitched their business, Grace, and Lace. These sisters had a unique idea: they wanted to create a line of lace lingerie that would make women feel beautiful and confident.

After their pitch on Shark Tank, the sisters experienced an incredible amount of success. But what happened after the show? In this blog post, we will explore what happened to Grace and Lace after Shark Tank.

What Is Grace and Lace?

Grace and Lace adds a little twist to boring socks, and helps to give women’s boots a flair. The secret to Grace and Lace’s success has been their focus on high-quality fabrics, unique design styles, and a commitment to customer satisfaction [1]

What Is Grace and Lace?

Whether you are buying a pair of plain white socks or a pair of intricate lace boots, you can count on Grace and Lace to provide high-quality products that look great.

Who Is The Founder Of Grace and Lace?

A few years ago, Melissa Hinannt from Austin, Texas, was pregnant with her and her husband, Rick’s first child [2]. Complications five months into the pregnancy had Melissa confined to bed rest. With all of her recently found free time, the started crocheting a baby blanket. In a sad turn, two weeks later Melissa delivered the couple’s child prematurely and the baby was stillborn. 

While recovering, Melissa continued her needlework and her first pair of lacy leg warmers that would become the Grace and Lace line was completed about a year later. She received immediate interest, with people clamoring for their own set. Strangers approached her asking how they could get a pair. She and Rick opened an online store and generated an astounding $ 850,000 in the first year in business.

Many of their neighbors and unknown people approached the house to understand the price of the crochet socks. Rick came across the idea to sell them online. Later they expanded to the retail landscape and got to be known for this product in 230 locations.  

Grace and Lace Before Shark Tank

As much as Melissa had unknowingly manufactured the prototype for Grace and Lace’s product line, she accidentally launched their first marketing campaign when she wore her new boot socks out in public the next day. “Everywhere I went, women would stop to ask me where I bought them. Total strangers. I made more and put them online. Within 48 hours, we had over 400 purchase requests”.

The sudden influx of customers meant the Hinnants needed more people to make the socks. “I wasn’t planning to make another pair the first time around. No way am I going to be able to make 400,” says Melissa. “We started by hiring my friends and neighbors that knew how to sew. In fact, many of them still work here”.

Next, Melissa posted a photo of the boot socks on Pinterest. The image went viral, becoming one of the most pinned photos in 2012, and the Hinnants began to see how exciting the future might be. “We recognized that we had an opportunity that could be something big,” says Rick. “Then we had an opportunity to be on Shark Tank, and then things really got crazy”.

Grace and Lace Before Shark Tank

Grace and Lace On Shark Tank: The Pitch

The Hinannt’s entered the Tank asking the sharks for a $ 175,000 investment in exchange for 10 percent of Grace and Lace. Boots have become a mainstay for women’s footwear in recent years. Melissa Hinannt explains that Grace and Lace elevate the typically plain and boring socks that women wear under their boots and explains to the Sharks how she pretty much stumbled onto the concept during a most difficult period in her family’s life.

After the Sharks learned a little bit about the history of Grace and Lace, Barb wanted to get right to the numbers and asked how sales had been so far in the first stages of their business.

Up to the point of the taping, Grace and Lace had done around $ 1.22 million in sales, piquing the interest of the panel [3].

Melissa explains that 90 percent of their revenue came from online sales. They had entered over 230 stores by utilizing the benefits of advertising on social media. She claims that they had never paid for the marketing of their product. The Facebook page has over 34,000 followers after earning a No. 1 pinning on Pinterest which helped to drive sales early on.

Grace and Lace socks are made from cotton, which Barb said feels as soft as silk. Each pair costs $ 5-$ 10 a pair to make and sells for $ 34. Barb and Kevin express being supremely impressed by both the Hinnants and their product. Melissa tells them their profit comes out to about $ 35,000.

Lori adores the product and tells Melisa how happy she is that they have been able to create this niche empire out of nothing in so little a time frame. However, it is not really her kind of product category and does not feel it is worth an investment in Grace and Lace. Lori becomes the first Shark to drop out of the running.

Rick tells Robert that the business would use the investment money to hire a strategic partner. Two weeks after selling their first pair, Grace and Lace received an email from large retailer Nordstrom, saying that they could produce 30,000 to 50,000 pairs of knitted socks and needed a partner to help create and manage a business plan.

Rick feels a potential deal with Nordstrom could yield a $ 5 to $ 10 million deal, and is looking to the Sharks to broker deals to generate over $ 100 million.

Barb feels the couple is over-valuing the potential for Grace and Lace. She makes an offer of $ 87,500 for a 5 percent stake in the business, but only another Shark on the panel would match the deal. Kevin makes an offer on his own, the $ 175,000 the Hinnants are asking for in exchange for 20 percent equity in the Grace and Lace, which would decrease to 10 percent once the investment is paid back.

Robert agrees that they need a partner based on the sales so far. He makes an offer for $ 175,000 and a flat 10 percent share, the exact offer the couple came in asking for. He pressed the couple for a response to his offer before they hear from Mark.

When Rick asks if he can discuss it with Melissa first, Robert said that he was no longer interested and dropped out.

Grace and Lace On Shark Tank: The Pitch

Mark quickly offers the very same deal and also says he needs an answer immediately or he would be out too. Rick again asks for some private time with his wife to talk it over, but Mark explains that the business will suffer with any indecisiveness. Barb chimes in that she is changing her offer with the same $ 175,000 with 10 percent of the equity, but that half of the investment would need to come in the form of a line of credit.

The owners of Grace and Lace accept Barb’s deal and leave the Tank with a solid deal and bright future ahead for them and their knitted socks.

Grace and Lace Now

In episode 9 of Season 6 (during the update portion which airs so often), the Hinnnants said Barbara is a really good partner. Barbara introduced the Hinnants to the editor of Cosmopolitan, who featured them in the February 2014 edition.

Since appearing on the show they’ve done $ 6.5 million in sales and have opened orphanages in India as well. They have also taken 100 orphans into their homes and used some profits to better the lives of these children. Grace and Lace are doing great things and making women look great.

The sales exploded and they made a sale of $ 1 million in the first year (2013) they started. They have been so successful from that day on, that the love they had for the business took them to do social work for countries like India and Nepal where they have opened numerous orphanages for the needy and humble children of these developing nations.

A couple of years later they reported sales of $ 6.5 million and $ 15 million was the revenue they achieved shortly after that [4].

Their website still sells socks with numerous other products like Apparel, accessories, sweaters, leggings, and jeans. They also give you a chance to gift many of their products to relatives. The sales increased from $ 800,000 to $ 19 million in the years from 2012 to 2019.

They sell the products on their website and Amazon. They have been skyrocketing in sales since they entered the shark tank in 2013 and have been very generous to countries like India and Nepal to provide houses for orphans in these countries. Starting with only $ 800,000 in sales today they have reached a sales figure of $ 19 million. 

The Net Worth Of Grace and Lace

At the time of the shark tank appearance, Grace and Lace was valued at around $ 1.75 million [5]. Grace and Lace are at full speed toward success and plan to build and become more charitable moving forward. Now with $ 19 Million in sales, and a variety of new product lines introduced the business has flourished. 

With costs within $ 10 per pair and being sold at $ 24.95 that allows a whopping 60% margin on their base socks segment. The product lines have expanded to Tops, Bottoms, Sweaters, and accessories also.

The business has been generating more than 90% of its sales online. This was due to their strategic investment in the website, www.graceandlace.com which now proudly offers a wide range of new products and fashion accessories. Providing the essential fresh new look for their customers, the grace of God will always be with them as they believe in giving to society by doing good.


FAQ

  1. Who is the richest person in the Shark Tank?

Many people consider Mark Cuban to be one of the richest and most successful Sharks on the show. During his time on Shark Tank, he has invested in a wide variety of successful businesses, ranging from home decor companies to fitness startups. Overall, he is estimated to be worth over $ 3 billion. 

Other notable investors on the show include Daymond John and Lori Greiner, who are both estimated to be worth more than $ 250 million each. Regardless of who is considered the richest Shark in the Tank, all of these investors have been incredibly successful and have helped countless entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.

  1. What “shark” has made the most deals?

While Mark Cuban may be considered the richest Shark on the show, Daymond John is often considered to be the most successful when it comes to making deals. He has made well over 100 deals on Shark Tank since joining the show in 2009, and he is widely known for his ability to quickly assess investment opportunities and make sound business decisions.

Many entrepreneurs also appreciate John’s willingness to work closely with them after a deal has been made, helping them navigate various challenges as their businesses grow and develop over time.

  1. Which Shark Tank businesses have failed?

Despite the many successes of Shark Tank businesses, not all have been successful. Some notable failures include Tower Paddle Boards, which went bankrupt shortly after its appearance on the show, and Treadmill Transformer, an exercise product that proved to be a poor investment for several Sharks.

While these businesses may have failed in the long run, they continue to serve as important lessons for entrepreneurs who are considering pitching their ideas on the show.

The Net Worth Of Grace and Lace

  1. Do Shark Tank members get paid?

Some Sharks do receive compensation for participating in the show, though this amount varies widely. For example, Kevin O’Leary is reported to be paid around $ 30,000 per episode, while Barbara Corcoran receives a modest expense allowance from ABC.

Meanwhile, Daymond John and Mark Cuban reportedly received no compensation for their time on the show until recently, when they negotiated a deal that included both upfront payment and a percentage of profits from successful deals made during their time on the show.

  1. Who turned down $ 30 million on Shark Tank?

One of the most notable deals made on Shark Tank was when entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary offered to invest $ 30 million in the company Scrub Daddy. However, despite this impressive offer, O’Leary was ultimately turned down by entrepreneur Aaron Krause, who felt that he could earn a larger return on his own.

This deal has since gone down in Shark Tank history as one of the biggest missed opportunities, and it serves as a reminder to entrepreneurs that they should always carefully weigh their options before accepting an investment offer from a Shark.

  1. Is Shark Tank owned by Disney?

While ABC, which is owned by Disney, produces it, Shark Tank is not technically owned by Disney itself. However, as one of the most popular and well-known reality TV shows on air today, Shark Tank continues to be a major source of revenue and exposure for the Disney Corporation. Whether or not it will remain part of the Disney family over time remains to be seen, but for now, it continues to be one of the company’s most valuable assets.

Useful Video: Grace and Lace – Shark Tank


References:

  1. https://bizzbucket.co/grace-and-lace-after-shark-tank-update
  2. https://insigniaseo.com/blog/grace-and-lace-shark-tank-updates-in-2020
  3. https://gazettereview.com/2016/08/grace-and-lace-shark-tank-update
  4. https://smallbusinessrevolution.org/small-business-revolution/story/grace-and-lace
  5. https://www.graceandlace.com/pages/our-story