Ashley Caron and her mom Karen Walker hope to make a splash in the Tank with Splash Place Swim Goggles, their swim goggles that are comfortable to wear and won’t tangle hair, in Shark Tank Episode 1519. Ashley created the goggles when her kid’s goggles’ elastic band broke. Ashley took some stretchy fabric she had left over from a business that sold kids’ headbands, so she took some of that and used it as a strap for the goggles.
To her surprise, it worked pretty good. She applied for a patent for the method of attaching swim goggles to a fabric strap and began selling them. The goggles themselves have anti-fog and shatter-resistant lenses. They’re also hypoallergenic, latex, and PVC-free.
The goggles come with a wide variety of strap options. Each pair costs $20.95. The company also sells swim masks with similar straps for $26.95. People ages 3 up to adults can wear them. Their products are sold in hundreds of independent shops and small chains all over the USA. You can also buy them from the company’s website and Amazon store. They likely want a Shark’s help expanding their retail presence.
Company Information
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Posts about Splash Place Swim Goggles on Shark Tank Blog
Introducing Splash Place Swim Goggles
Splash Place Swim Goggles Shark Tank Recap
Ashley and Karen enter the Shark Tank seeking $200,000 for 5% of their business. Karen says a day at the pool can get ruined if a kid’s swim goggles break or they’re too tight and uncomfortable. The worst part is they tangle and pull out your hair. Ashley says she knew there had to be a better way and that’s why she created Splash Place Swim Goggles.
Fed up with buying her kids new goggles they wouldn’t want to wear, she decided to make her own. Instead of using uncomfortable elastic straps, she designed her goggles with super soft, super stretchy fabric straps. Ashley’s kids demonstrate putting the goggles on and Karen says there’s no more pulling or tangling your hair. They ask the Sharks “who wants to jump in and make a big splash with us?”
Samples and Questions
The Sharks examine their samples as Ashley’s kids leave the stage. Lori says they are soft and stretchy. Robert says his daughter hates putting on the goggles because the elastic gets caught up in her hair. Emma says this is amazing for kids – her kids are doing swim lessons and she has the tangling problems with their goggles. Kevin asks why people don’t knock her off and Ashley says she’s patent pending. There are no other goggles with a swimsuit-like fabric strap. They have over 25 designs and kids like the variety.
Robert likes the goggles and wants to know how they came up with this. Ashley says she had a sewing business previously and she had a son that passed away at 6 weeks old. One year after that, her husband suffered a severe brain injury. She started the sewing business at that time to help provide for her family. When they were about to go on vacation, her son brought her his broken goggles and she made the first strap that day.
Let’s Talk Numbers
Kevin asks about sales and when Ashley tells them lifetime sales are $6.1 million, the Sharks are amazed. They started in May of 2017 and had $1.75 million in sales last year (2022). For 2023 she’s projecting $1.8 million. This year (2023) she has $378,000 in profit. They sell on Amazon, their website, swim schools, boutiques, resorts and more; they’re international. Ashley and Karen run the business and contract with 14 local women to help them make the goggles.
The goggles retail for $21 and they cost a little over $3 fully assembled and ready to go. Karen says it’s been a blessing due to the tragedies Ashley has suffered. Mark is super impressed with them. Their first sales were off their website after Ashley posted about the goggles on a mom Facebook group. Their lifetime spend on advertising is less than $150,000. They want the $200,000 for more goggle molds and to help them approach larger, brick and mortar sporting goods stores. Karen and Ashley own the company 50-50. They each put in $2400 and Karen loaned the business $4000.
Who’s In?
Kevin says he doesn’t know how to add anything. They don’t have any pain points. He says they don’t need anything. He wishes them the best of luck and he goes out. Ashley tells Lori they want help and guidance with big box retail. Robert says he’ll be a customer, but he goes out. Lori says she wants to be part of their journey and she offers $200,000 for 10%. Ashley counters with 7.5% and Lori says she’ll be invested in the business. Karen and Ashley accept Lori’s offer.
Splash Place Swim Goggles Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. By May, 2024, the deal with Lori closed – quick by Shark Tank standards as the episode first aired in April, 2024. Sales blew up the week following the initial air date. The company also offers snorkels, towels, and bags – something they added to bring in more value from their appearance in the Tank. You can find the goggles in over 1000, mostly independent stores. Lori and her team are making inroads to getting into big box retail. The Shark Tank Blog will follow-up on Splash Place Swim Goggles & Ashley Caron and Karen Walker as more details become available.
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