Swimming with the Sharks
R.Riveter was recognized on Shark Tank’s “Greatest of All-Time” February 2020 episode that looked back on the Tank’s most successful products.
Founders Lisa Bradley and Cameron Cruse appeared on Shark Tank four years ago in February of 2016 and the business has not been the same since. In 2016, we had a small team of 13 remote Riveters and 11 local operators stationed in our finishing location in North Carolina. When Mark Cuban, who was known for working with military-affiliated companies, gave an offer of $100,000, Bradley and Cruse could not pass it up. With Cuban’s support and expertise, the business saw financial growth and increased our customer following. This meant expanding the community of Riveters. In the months that directly followed, R.Riveter was able to double our team, offering flexible and mobile income to even more women.
The business model is simple—the production is all done across the United States by women called “Riveters.” Each woman works on one or multiple pieces of a bag, stamping them with their unique RR I.D. and shipping them to North Carolina, where they undergo final assembly and quality assurance by another Riveter. R.Riveter’s mission from the beginning was to offer mobile and flexible income to military spouses. This idea was born from the founders’ own frustration of being turned away for jobs they were qualified for due to their frequent moves with their families.
Today R.Riveter products can be purchased online and in our two locations. Our flagship store is located in Southern Pines, North Carolina, in the heart of the city's charming downtown. In early February 2020, R.Riveter opened a second location in Columbus, Ohio, which is particularly exciting to Founder Lisa Bradley. Not only is Columbus a flourishing retail market that is key for expansion and brand recognition, but it’s also the first time in eight years that Lisa has the company located so near to her home, allowing her to see the creation of the store through to completion.
R.Riveter is so proud of the growth and support received from customers over the past four years since diving into the Shark Tank. The team is so thrilled and absolutely honored to say our community has since grown to 77 Riveters, including 35 remote Riveters and 42 local operators.
Plans for R.Riveter’s future include bringing more women into our tight knit community of makers. The addition of hand-poured candles to our collection lends room for that growth. A few of the women that specialize in candle making are spouses of civil servants. This is another group of ladies that R.Riveter hopes to rally behind and bring into our growing girl gang.
Yet again, the women of R.Riveter find themselves moved by the continual encouragement from customers and members of Shark Tank.
