Who is Derrek Burr? Meet 'Shark Tank' reject who sold his no-drill brackets, 'Kwik-Hang', for $8M
Having faith and conviction in your product while appearing on a show like 'Shark Tank' is essential. The investors aka the 'sharks' don't always go easy on business owners. After all, it's their job to invest in a business idea that they love. And seeing that it is a large sum of their money going into these products, they are definitely entitled to an opinion.
However, taking that opinion to heart and acting upon it solely depends on the person participating. While we've seen many dreams being crushed on the show, some people like Derrek Burr, forge their own path to success
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When Burr first tried to secure funds on the show, he ended up with no deal. And while that's quite disheartening to hear, Burr didn't let that stop him. Instead, he went on to the market and sold a product he believed in, ultimately selling a whopping $ 8million of the 'Kwik Hang'.
In case you're wondering, the 'Kwik Hang' is a curtain rod bracket that can be hammered on top of a window molding. This prevents you from damaging your walls and hangs the curtains in a jiffy. So, what is the story behind this wildly successful product that was rejected on 'Shark Tank'? Let's find out!
The brains behind the 'Kwik-Hang' was Tom Burr
Although it is Derrek Burr who is credited for making the 'Kwik-Hang' a household name, it was his father, Tom Burr, who invented the nifty little device. Tom created the 'Kwik-Hang' in 2013, intending to solve a common household chore — putting up curtain rods without damaging walls. He figured that there must be an easier way to do this, as that it would not only help homeowners but those renting out spaces as well.
His first prototype was crafted using a piece of cardboard, but after noticing that it was a pretty ingenious idea, he found a manufacturer to help him produce the same. However, when his health began to fail, he passed on the reigns to his son, Derrek Burr, who came with his own unique vision to take the brand ahead. Tom passed away in 2016 and a year later, Derrek found himself on 'Shark Tank' hoping to scale his father's business.
Burr was in law enforcement earlier
Although Burr took over his father's business, he was also a part of the Braintree Police Department, the law enforcement based in Braintree, Massachusetts. Burr is also a Marine Corp veteran and in 2018, he won the US Patriot Award, honoring Kwik-Hang as a veteran-owned and employed business.
Unsuccessful 'Shark Tank' attempt
Burr was on Season 9 of 'Shark Tank' when he pitched his product and asked for an investment of $80,000 for a 20 percent equity. While he had his plan and product in place, the sharks didn't seem to bite the bait. Instead, they urged him to get the designs patented, seeing that copycats were popping up already. While they all had plenty of advice to give Burr, seeing that they wanted him to succeed, they weren't as forthcoming with their investments.
The investors maintained that Burr was 'too early' and that his product might have potential, but he'd have to wait and get his timing right when it came to expansion. Burr, however, was not deterred by his failed run.
"Yeah, I'm a little disappointed. I got a little knocked down today but my dad never gave up on this product and neither did I. I'm going to definitely prove them wrong," he said. With new styles and a new US Patient for Kwik-Hang’s no-drill, damage-free technology for curtain holdbacks, it's safe to say that he made the right choice to stick to his guns.
Burr is currently hunting for a new home and who better to help him than Clinton Kelly, the award-winning host of 'Chew' and 'What Not To Wear'? As per the episode summary: "Clinton helps Kwik-Hang's Derrek and The Cup Board Pro's Kaley and Brendan search for dream homes. Inspired by their dads' inventions, Derrek sold $8 million of his no-drill brackets, while Kaley and Brendan made over a million with their cutting board."