This mechanic’s forgotten sponge invention led to a $200M deal on ‘Shark Tank’ — thanks to lawn furniture
‘Shark Tank’ star product Scrub Daddy was not only a brilliant idea, but it also had an intriguing backstory. It featured on ‘Shark Tank’ Season 4, Episode 7, back in 2012. Aaron Krause, who was behind the design, walked onstage and won Sharks with his business model as well as presentation. As per Collider, Scrub Daddy was introduced as a smiley-faced sponge that changed the way people cleaned their kitchens and homes. The contestant demonstrated that the product had the tendency to change its texture based on water temperature. When in cold water, it was firm, which was best for tough scrubbing. For gentle cleaning, it turned soft in warm water. Its ergonomic design was also a real game-changer because of its durability.
However, as per reports, the real reason why judges were impressed with the product was the story behind it. Kruase worked for an international car manufacturing company and spent his day repairing car machinery, which meant he had his hands dirty all the time. So he invented the product. He discovered that a highly engineered polymer foam could be the answer to all of his issues, as written on the Scrub Daddy website. The product was of round foam that had grooves on one side, featuring two holes punched out of its center for a better grip.
Krause patented this design and pitched his idea to a few body shops. However, back then, no one he approached was interested, which led him to scrap the idea. But in 2008, multinational conglomerate 3M acquired the buffing pad company from Krause. However, the company had no interest in Krause's original patented products, meaning that Scrub Daddy was left out of the deal. Krause later studied his old design and discovered a new way to sell it. It was when he was cleaning his lawn furniture that he noticed the sponge worked great and didn't even scratch the surface. He also discovered that the texture changes with the temperature.
This led him to test the foam on dishes, and surprisingly, the product performed brilliantly. He then decided to add a smiley face design for better utensil cleaning and secured another patent. He invested $75,000 in production before he ended up in the business reality show. By 2012, he started capitalizing on the product. According to CEO Magazine, Krause also landed a weekend front-page business feature in the Philadelphia Inquirer, while also making two successful appearances on QVC’s shopping channel. During these appearances, Scrub Daddy was sold out within eight minutes. This led Krause to later pitch on ‘Shark Tank’ in the hope of securing huge investments. While Daymond John and others came forth with great deals, Krause eventually settled for Lori Greiner's $200,000 offer.
