Ellyette Gheno had a brilliant idea in 2015, and now the seed that has turned into BootayBag is headed to Shark Tank for some national exposure.
The company, which offers women a subscription service delivering a monthly installment of new underwear, was formed close to five years ago when the founder was about to cancel her cosmetic subscription box and spend the money on high-quality underwear instead. As Cinemaholic noted, that struck a light bulb for her as she realized that there were subscription services for a number of other products, but none for intimate apparel.
The company was launched almost immediately, with the founder doing all of the legwork herself at first.
“Initially, Elly bought her products from stores, wrapped them in fancy tissue paper, included a personal note, and mailed them out in recycled boxes,” the report explained. “But when she got a market of her own and created a long-lasting community of women, she upped her game to ensure quality and safety.”
The product is marketed as a good fit for all women, with a wide range of sizes offered. And instead of being selected at the store by the outfit’s founder, the underwear included in the monthly boxes are now designer styles, Cinemaholic added.
BootayBag has continued to grow from there, building a significant online and social media presence and racking up some impressive sales figures. Gheno is now bringing the service to a national audience, pitching it on Shark Tank in the hopes of scoring an infusion of cash that will allow her business to grow even further.
While it wasn’t revealed ahead of the Shark Tank episode whether BootayBag scored an investment from the sharks, early promotional material shows that it earned some praise from a guest star. Kendra Scott, a business mogul with a net worth of more than half a billion dollars, offered some praise to Gheno during her pitch when she revealed that the company already had $3 million in sales.
“Amen, sister! You’re amazing!” Scott said, via USA Today . “That’s amazing!”
“What you have created with $300, how you have harnessed the power of social media. You’re creating a movement around your brand, which is so unbelievable.”
This season of Shark Tank is billed as highlighting small businesses that are navigating the unusual and difficult terrain brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. This is an area where a mail-out product like BootayBag may have an advantage over brick-and-mortar retail stores.