Lori Greiner
Lori Greiner | |
---|---|
Born |
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | December 9, 1969
Residence |
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1] |
Other names | The Queen of QVC |
Alma mater | Loyola University Chicago (B.A., Communications) [2] |
Occupation | Inventor, entrepreneur, television personality, author |
Spouse(s) | Dan Greiner |
Website |
lorigreiner |
Lori Greiner (born December 9, 1969) is an American inventor, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is best known as a cast member of the reality TV show Shark Tank and has been called "The Queen of QVC".[3] She has also appeared on its spin-off, Beyond the Tank. Since 1998, she has had a program on QVC called "Clever & Unique Creations Show." She is also president and founder of the Chicago-based company For Your Ease Only, Inc. which she established in 1996 and which does product development and marketing.[2][4] She helped launch more than 400 products and holds 120 U.S. and international patents.[5]
Early life
Greiner grew up on the Near North Side, Chicago, the second daughter of a real estate developer father and a psychologist mother. Her parents divorced when she was 9 years old.[2] She majored in Communications, focusing on journalism, television, and film at Loyola University Chicago, and worked for the Chicago Tribune while attending university.[2] She was briefly a playwright and also sold her own jewelry on the side.[6]
Career
Greiner created a box that organized earrings which she later patented.[7] Using borrowed money she created a sample product which was picked up by J.C. Penney before the holiday season. Eighteen months later the earring product reportedly "made her rich."[8]
In 2012, Greiner joined the TV series Shark Tank and has been called "the warm-blooded shark".[8] In 2014, her investment in Scrub Daddy, a company which produces a revolutionary, texture changing household sponge (the material is stiff in cold water but soft when warm), was noted as a great success.[9][10] On July 30, 2014, she sold more than 2 million of the sponges on QVC (in 1 day alone).[11]
As of April 30, 2016, ScrubDaddy still reigns as “the biggest success story in Shark Tank history” with sales over $75 million and a growing product line sold in a myriad of stores.[12]
Other Investments by Lori Greiner in the Top 18 Shark Tank Deals as of April 30, 2016 include: Squatty Potty, Readerest, Paint Brush Cover, Hold Your Haunches, Drop Stop, FiberFix, and Screenmend.[13]
In 2011, she spoke at the first United States Patent and Trademark Office Women's Entrepreneurship Symposium.[14] In March 2014, Greiner published the book Invent it, Sell it, Bank it! – Make Your Million Dollar Idea into a Reality, which reached #3 on the Wall Street Journal's Best Seller List.[15]
Personal life
She is married to Daniel Greiner, a former controller at Bell & Howell before he became manager of the finances of his wife's company, For Your Ease Only, Inc.[1]
Selected publications
- Greiner, Lori. Invent It, Sell It, Bank It!: Make Your Million-Dollar Idea into a Reality, New York : Ballantine Books, 2014. ISBN 978-0-8041-7643-9.
See also
- Joy Mangano, HSN inventor
References
- 1 2 "Lori Greiner of 'Shark Tank': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", heavy.com, April 18, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Bertagnoli Lisa, "Neat trick: patenting her way to wealth", Crain's Chicago Business, September 26, 2009.
- ↑ "Lori Greiner, Shark Tank Star And Queen Of QVC, On A Great Asset: A Partner In Her Spouse". Forbes. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
- ↑ Kassar, Ami. "The Queen of QVC Talks About the Risks of Dealing With Sharks", New York Times, October 12, 2012.
- ↑ Robehmed, Natalie. "5 Lessons For Female Entrepreneurs From Shark Tank's Lori Greiner". Forbes. July 24, 2012.
- ↑ Collins, Karyn D., "Lori Greiner marks a tidy 10 years on QVC", The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 2, 2010.
- ↑ Weisman, Aly. "A Grueling 22-Hour Workday In The Life Of A QVC Host & 'Shark Tank' Judge". Business Insider, April 23, 2012.
- 1 2 Williams, David K. "Lori Greiner, Shark Tank Star And Queen Of QVC, On A Great Asset: A Partner In Her Spouse". Forbes. September 22, 2012.
- ↑ Walker, Jodi. "Where To Buy 'Shark Tank's Scrub Daddy So You Can Help It Remain the Series' Most Successful Product", Bustle.com, December 12, 2014.
- ↑ Morabito, Andrea. "Who profits the most from 'Shark Tank' success?", New York Post. May 15, 2014.
- ↑ Bilello, Michael. "Scrub Daddy Launches New Lines with Over 10 Million Units Sold through QVC, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Giant, Kroger, Ace Hardware, Wal-Mart, SuperValu and Others", marketwatch.com, November 4, 2014.
- ↑ Feloni, Richard. "The 15 biggest 'Shark Tank' success stories of all time", BusinessInsider.com, Dec. 15, 2015.
- ↑ Allen, Fox Van. "The 18 best Shark Tank success stories", ZDNet.com, April 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Lori Greiner Net Worth". Celebritynetworth.com; accessed December 5, 2015.
- ↑ Cassell, Warren Jr. "3 Takeaways From Lori Greiner's Invent It, Sell It, Bank It.", entrepreneur.com, December 15, 2014.
External links
- lorigreiner
.com , official website - NPR interview with Lori Greiner, npr.org, January 31, 2012.