Hairy Grabster Before Shark Tank
When showering, it’s normal for people to lose a little bit of hair. Although, when this happens, the hair tends to spread all over the shower—on the walls, on the floor, and sometimes it will even collect at the drain. This can become annoying, especially if they’re having to clean it up every day. Luckily, an entrepreneurial pair has created a helpful tool that can be used to reduce how much hair spreads in the shower. This invention is called the “Hairy Grabster.”
The Hairy Grabster is an in-shower attachment device that attaches to the wall of the shower to give consumers a place to store any stray hair. This gadget consists of a suction cup on the back side to ensure it sticks to the surface, while the rubber spikes on the front can grip the hair to prevent it from gathering in a clump down at the drain. On average, a person can lose up to 100 pieces of hair during the course of a shower; when that hair gathers at the drain, the drain becomes clogged. The Hairy Grabster ensures that will no longer be a problem. As of right now, the Hairy Grabster is set at a price of $11.95 on Amazon and the Hairy Grabster website. Consumers can choose from a blue one or a white one.
The Hairy Grabster is a product of the Watne Group LLC, a family-owned business run by an entrepreneurial couple, Patricia and Andrew Watne. Patricia became the Chief Executive Officer of Watne Group LLC in January of 2018; however, she spent 30 years working at Mitchell’s Flowers Inc. before quitting that position about two years after the LLC was started. As far as her educational background goes, she studied at Indiana University Bloomington from 1991 to 1995. During that time, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration. Additionally, Patricia has a certification for GS1 Fundamentals as well as a certification for the Digital Marketing Suite. Andrew studied at the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in Master of Finance. After that, he got a job at the Multiplan Health Care Company, where he was a project manager for nearly five years. In June of 2022, he quit that job and moved into a senior project manager position with BMO Commercial Bank. 
The couple started selling the Hairy Grabster device in 2018 after investing much time and money into launching the business. They used their own savings towards getting patents, marketing their product, and manufacturing the product. This was their very first product launch under the Watne Group LLC brand. The idea for the product came to Andrew after he noticed how much hair was left behind after his eldest daughter used the shower. At first, the founder thought it was best to speak to a doctor about the hair loss; however, when he learned that it’s a normal occurrence, he and Patricia began thinking up possible solutions. What they came up with was the “Hairy Grabster.” Since its inception, this company has relied solely on the Watne’s personal income. Without any money raised from a crowdfunding campaign, Hairy Grabster may need a shark’s help in getting started.
Hairy Grabster on Shark Tank
Patricia and Andrew Watne enter the Shark Tank with their product, the Hairy Grabster, to pitch to the sharks during the 18th episode of Shark Tank’s 12th season. The couple is asking for a $75,000 offer in return for a 20% stake in their company. They begin their pitch with a demonstration, which consists of Andrew in a prop shower. When Patricia notices the loose hair on the shower walls, she screams before the Watne family collectively shares how they could clean the mess up. Following that, the founders then introduce themselves, share a bit of information regarding their previous background experiences, and tell the sharks about their hair snatching product, Hairy Grabster. Their pitch ends with them explaining to the sharks how the device works.
The Hairy Grabster can be manufactured for $1.30; the Watne’s sell the product for $9.99 each, with white and blue options available. At the time of filming, this company had only done about $600 worth of sales, which the sharks didn’t like hearing. Additionally, they are using Facebook Ads to market their product; however, they quickly revealed that they aren’t making a profit from their return on investment. When asked why they’re hoping for an investment from a shark, they say they’re planning to use it towards their marketing strategies. 
Though the founders led with a good pitch and an entertaining demonstration of the Hairy Grabster, things took a negative turn once they mentioned their sales. Daymond John was the first to leave the deal without making an offer. Following him, Barbara Corcoran then backed out as well, stating that loose hair in the shower isn’t a big enough problem to need this kind of solution. Next, Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, and Lori Greiner back out after stating that the Hairy Grabber business is not the right fit for them to invest in. Given that all of the sharks backed out of the deal, the Watne’s were forced to leave the tank without a deal.Â
Hairy Grabster Now in 2024 – The After Shark Tank Update
After Patricia and Andrew Watne left the Shark Tank without a deal, it seems their Hairy Grabster product is doing alright. Unfortunately, as of January [this year], there is no recent evidence of the company’s sales numbers; however, they did successfully sell more than 2,000 of their products since their appearance on the show. While the founders were on the show, Mark Cuban advised them to try influencer marketing, as he believed that that strategy would help the business. As things stand, Patricia is the one working on the marketing and sales of the Hairy Grabster. Though it has not been revealed whether she has taken Mark’s advice thus far,
The Hairy Grabster is currently available on Amazon, Walmart, and the Hairy Grabster website. The founders did reveal that most of their overall sales come from Amazon purchases, where the product has multiple great 5-star reviews. Patricia and Andrew have also gotten their products into gift shops and salons. This happened after they took part in a sales event with Zulily. Now, there has been talk about Patricia having a few new ideas in the works for the Hairy Grabster. Though we don’t know what those ideas may be yet, we may find out in their next business update. 
