When co-founder Nate Holzapfel went on the hit show Shark Tank, he had no idea he’d be walking out with a deal from Daymond John. In hindsight, the deal makes perfect sense. Daymond has had tremendous success in the past with clothing and fashion. But he has passed up plenty of clothing deals on the Tank and there’s never any guarantee once you enter “the Tank”.

Nate did an exceptional job showing why our belts and our company are worth an investment. Daymond saw the potential almost immediately as did his colleagues. In fact, one of the Sharks that passed on Mission Belt later said that was the one deal he wished he could have back.

Going Back Into The Tank

Due to the popularity of The Shark Tank, ABC has launched a spin-off show called Beyond The Tank. Mission Belt has been selected as a business to be featured on the new show.

In this show, companies that got a deal from a Shark will be put to the test to see how they have managed with the investment. We’re looking forward to seeing what America thinks of how we’ve done since being on the show.

Growth Brings Challenges & New Opportunity

We weren’t sure what to expect after being on the original show. The break between filming and airing gave us some time to prepare but there was no way to know how the world would respond after seeing us.

To say the response was huge would be an understatement. In a matter of a few days our company had grown exponentially, and we’ve been fortunate enough to continue our growth. But with that came unique challenges. How do we manage that growth without sacrificing our values and our future?

Thanks to valuable partners like Daymond, we’re doing just that. Since being on the show we have successfully expanded into licensed sports apparel with our Collegiate, NBA, and NHL lines. There’s even more to come in the near future so get signed up on our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss it!

Remembering Our Mission

Most companies weren’t founded with a philanthropic purpose like Mission Belt. One of our top goals in starting this company was to give back to those who need it most. To honor our mission to fight world hunger, a dollar from every belt sold is donated to micro-lending organization Kiva. In fact, we’ve recently surpassed 20,000 loans in over 70 countries.

Thanks to our loyal customers and valued partners, we’re helping to put an end to hunger in third-world countries. At Mission Belt, we’re all about making a difference. So now it’s time to get your own “Daymond John belt”. Thanks for being part of the mission!

 

January 03, 2015 — Connor MacArthur