ToughCutie – Shark Tank Season 16
Aspiring entrepreneur Brittany Coleman tries to impress the Shark investors with ToughCutie, outdoor socks for women.
ToughCutie On Shark Tank Season 16
Highlights
- ToughCutie is brought to the Shark Tank panel by budding entrepreneur Brittany Coleman.
- Brittany asks for $100K for 10% equity in her sock brand.
- The Sharks are apprehensive about Brittany’s previous mistakes in inventory.
Overview
| Category | Details |
| Name | ToughCutie |
| Founder | Brittany Coleman |
| Industry | Fashion |
| Product | Outdoor Socks |
| Funding | Self-funded |
| Investment Ask | $100K |
| Equity Offered | 10% |
| Valuation | $1 million |
Aspiring entrepreneur Brittany Coleman approaches the Shark Tank judges with her sock venture in the sixteenth season. The energetic entrepreneur says that she is ‘on a mission to support women’ with her outdoor socks that are stylish and comfortable. Brittany is the founder and CEO of the venture.
Describing them to be the ‘ultimate adventure socks,’ Brittany says that ToughCutie’s sock collection is crafted with the unique needs of women’s feet in mind. Brittany claims that her sock brand uses certified merino wool that is soft to the touch.
The founder adds that ToughCutie wants to empower women so that the outdoor industry serves people like her.
ToughCutie Shark Tank: What Happened On Season 16
Aspiring entrepreneur Brittany Coleman makes her way to the Shark investors seeking $100K for 10% equity. The judges are impressed with the thoroughly prepared ToughCutie Shark Tank pitch. While presenting samples, Brittany reveals to have won Outdoor Life’s ‘most comfortable hiking sock’ award in 2023 and 2024.
Lori Greiner loves the name ‘ToughCutie.’ Brittany says its inspiration comes from women as they can wear all the shoes. Jamie Kern Lima notes ‘tough and cute.’ Brittany agrees. Although she wanted a corporate job, based on her experience of how women are treated wrongly, the entrepreneur came up with ToughCutie.
Kevin O’Leary wants to know about the business figures. Brittany says she started the sock brand in 2022. Lifetime sales of ToughCutie are $967K. Mark Cuban comments, “That’s not bad.” Costs are between $6.85-$7, and it retails for $24. Mark can’t believe that people pay such an amount for the socks.
Sales in the first year were $47K, followed by a whopping $748K in 2023. By the time of ToughCutie’s episode in 2024, year-to-date sales are $210K. The Sharks are shocked about the sudden decrease in sales. REI is ToughCutie’s major retail customer.
Brittany answers about the sales decrease and reveals that they were out of stock for a long period in 2024. So, as per the entrepreneur, they have transformed their supply chain network. Profits from the $748K in 2023 were $6K. Kevin thinks Brittany’s sock venture is breaking even.
The founder thinks ToughCutie will end the year between $300K-$350K in sales in 2024. Only 5% of their sales are online.
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Did ToughCutie Get A Shark Tank Deal?
Kevin O’Leary thinks Brittany should have built a community online first and then explored retail. This is why she struggled to meet the ‘over-orders’ after 2023. While Brittany responds by saying, ‘I am a trendsetter,’ he tells her, ‘You don’t want to be the trendsetter for failure. You want to be the trendsetter for success.’
As ToughCutie’s ‘model is in flux’ for him, Kevin exits the deal. Lori says, “I’m not the sock lady,” and steps out of the deal as well. Mark is apprehensive about investing because of Brittany’s mistakes with inventory. Brittany tries hard to convince him. Meanwhile, Jamie, too, opts out of the deal.
Barbara wants to know how she wants to use the $100K. Brittany reveals that a part of it will be used to grow the D2C business through ads. Barbara wants to help her with a ‘gimmick.’ Although she is unsure of how exactly she can help the entrepreneur, she proposes $100K for 25% equity.
While Brittany wants to counter, Barbara rejects any counteroffers. The entrepreneur then takes her deal for $100K at 25% equity.
See what else is new! View other businesses featured in this episode.
