The Spatty Success Story After Shark Tank: Net Worth, and Growth
It is incredibly frustrating to spend good money on a premium product, only to throw a quarter of it away because it is stuck at the bottom of the bottle.
Consumer reports show that people routinely throw out up to 25% of their cosmetic, grocery, and household products simply because the packaging makes it impossible to reach the last few drops.
If you buy a $60 bottle of liquid makeup, throwing away the bottom quarter means you are tossing $15 straight into the trash.
Everyday items like peanut butter, expensive face creams, and craft glues all suffer from this same packaging flaw. Pumps stop working, and regular spoons are simply too wide to fit through narrow bottle necks.
Spatty, a clever product introduced to the world on Season 4 of the hit reality show Shark Tank, was invented to fix this exact problem.
The Spatty is essentially a tiny, flexible spatula. It is built to squeeze through the tightest bottle openings and scrape the sides clean. By helping people get every last drop out of their containers, this simple tool pays for itself after just a few uses.
As we look at the brand in 2026, Spatty has grown from a homemade prototype into a massive household name.
This article explores the true story of the Spatty, the founder’s journey on Shark Tank, the company’s real financial numbers, and the costly mistakes the owner made along the way.
The Frustration That Sparked an Invention
The Spatty was created by Cheryl Rigdon, a woman from South Carolina who worked as a speech and language pathologist in the public school system.
Rigdon did not have a background in business, manufacturing, or e-commerce. Instead, she was just a regular consumer trying to get ready for a dinner date with her husband.
While doing her makeup, Rigdon realized her expensive liquid foundation was running low. The pump could no longer reach the makeup at the bottom, and she could not fit her finger or a cotton swab inside to scoop it out. Refusing to waste the expensive product, she decided to make her own tool.
Rigdon used her natural problem-solving skills to design a tiny, flexible spatula that could bend and scrape the inside walls of small bottles.
After making the perfect tool for her makeup, she realized the same idea could work in the kitchen for mustard or mayonnaise, just on a slightly larger scale. This larger version eventually became known as the “Spatty Daddy.”
At first, Rigdon handmade these tools in her own home. She listed a few of them on eBay and managed to sell about 15 units. She knew the idea had massive potential, but she needed money to start real manufacturing.
With just a homemade prototype and a lot of passion, Rigdon decided to take her idea to national television.
Spatty Shark Tank Pitch: Season 4, Episode 5
In October 2012, Cheryl Rigdon walked into the Shark Tank to pitch the Spatty to some of the wealthiest investors in the world. She asked for $50,000 in exchange for 40% ownership of her new company. This offer gave her startup a total valuation of $125,000.
Rigdon gave a very clear and engaging presentation. She showed the sharks exactly how much makeup and food gets left behind in normal containers, and then she demonstrated how the Spatty easily scooped it all out.
Because she was only selling a prototype, she had no real sales numbers or profit margins to share with the investors.
The sharks had mixed reactions to the pitch. First, they thought the names “Spatty” and “Spatty Daddy” were hilarious. Mark Cuban even joked that “Spatty Daddy” should be Kevin O’Leary’s new nickname.
However, when it came to investing money, the room grew serious. The sharks all agreed that the product was incredibly useful, but its simple design worried them.
Kevin O’Leary called the product “pure gold,” but he felt it was too risky to invest in a company that did not even have a manufacturer yet. One by one, most of the sharks dropped out because they felt the business was just too early in its development.
Then, Daymond John stepped in. He loved Rigdon’s energy and saw huge potential for the tool in the beauty industry. Instead of offering her cash for a 40% stake in her company, Daymond made a very unique offer.
He promised to introduce Rigdon to his powerful connections in the makeup and manufacturing industries. He would act as a mentor and help her secure licensing deals. In return, he would only take a percentage of the specific deals he helped her close.
Rigdon happily accepted Daymond’s help. This was a massive win because she got the expert guidance she needed while keeping 100% ownership of her actual company.
The Immediate Boom After the Show
Appearing on Shark Tank is often life-changing for small businesses, and Spatty was no exception. When the episode aired, millions of viewers immediately saw the value in a tool that could save them money.
Rigdon’s website was flooded with pre-orders. In a very short time, she completely sold out of her initial stock and pulled in $32,000 in early sales. For a school teacher working out of her house, this was a massive achievement.
With Daymond John’s guidance, Rigdon quickly moved from handmade prototypes to full professional manufacturing. By November 2012, she had her first real production molds finished and was ready to sell to the masses.
Rigdon also got helpful advice from other Shark Tank winners. Mona Weiss, the creator of Eco Nuts, gave Rigdon some great marketing tips. This advice helped Rigdon get the Spatty featured at the 2013 Academy Award Gifting Suite, which put her product directly into the hands of famous celebrities.
Surviving the Wild Retail Market
As the years went by, Spatty grew into a major retail brand. Rigdon expanded her reach by getting her products onto the shelves of giant stores like Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath & Beyond. She also had highly successful appearances on QVC, a major home shopping network.
However, the retail world changes fast, and brands have to be smart to survive. For years, Bed Bath & Beyond was a massive player in the home goods market.
But because they struggled to build a strong online shopping experience, they eventually fell behind competitors like Amazon. In 2023, Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy and was forced to close all 360 of its physical stores.
While losing a major retail partner would destroy some small businesses, Spatty survived easily. Rigdon had already built a massive online presence.
She shifted her focus heavily toward selling directly to customers through her own website and through Amazon’s massive shipping network.
Even though the Bed Bath & Beyond brand is attempting a digital comeback in 2026 under a new parent company called Beyond, Inc., Spatty no longer relies on them to make a profit. By owning her online sales channels, Rigdon built a brand that could survive major retail crashes.
Breaking Down the Real Financial Numbers
Many Shark Tank companies keep their exact sales numbers a secret, but Cheryl Rigdon has been very open about her financial journey to help teach other online sellers. Today, Spatty operates as a highly successful Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) business.
Since starting the company, the Spatty brand has generated over $5.2 million in total sales. After paying for manufacturing, Amazon fees, shipping, and advertising, Rigdon has kept roughly $3 million in pure profit.
Her growth did not happen overnight. It was a slow, steady climb that eventually exploded. The table below shows the rough financial journey of the Spatty brand from its first year up to its peak.
| Business Timeline | Estimated Total Revenue | Estimated Net Profit |
| Year 1 | $4,600 | $2,600 |
| Year 2 | $45,000 | $25,000 |
| Year 4 | $173,000 | $97,000 |
| 2018 | $500,000 | $280,000 |
| 2019 | $574,000 | $300,000 |
| 2022 (Peak Year) | $900,000 | $500,000 |
| 2024 | $600,000 | $350,000 |
The company saw its absolute best year in 2022. During this time, the economy was heavily impacted by inflation, and everyday household items became very expensive. When money is tight, people look for ways to stretch their budgets.
Buying a low-cost Spatty tool allowed families to save money on expensive groceries and cosmetics, which drove Rigdon’s sales up to nearly $1 million in a single year.
Costly Mistakes and Important Business Lessons
While making millions of dollars sounds easy, Rigdon’s journey was filled with incredibly stressful and expensive mistakes. She has openly shared these failures to warn new business owners about the dangers of the online retail world.
Her biggest financial disaster cost the company an incredible $40,000. Rigdon was contacted by someone claiming to be a music industry insider. This person promised they could connect Spatty with massive A-list celebrities, including Beyoncé and the Kardashian family.
Thinking this could make her brand globally famous, Rigdon hired expensive lawyers to draft heavy contracts for these celebrity endorsements.
Unfortunately, the promises were completely fake. The celebrity connections never happened, and the business lost $40,000 on useless legal fees.
Rigdon also lost a massive amount of money trying to get good pictures of her products. In the world of online shopping, clear and professional photos are the only way to convince a customer to buy your item. Trying to get the best look, Rigdon paid a photography company $10,000.
The pictures they delivered were terrible. Hoping to fix the problem, she hired a second company for another $10,000, but their photos were just as bad. Wasting $20,000 on bad pictures taught her how important it is to carefully research contractors before handing over company money.
In the very early days, Rigdon also struggled with bad product descriptions on Amazon. Because she did not know how to write professional online listings, her products were hard for customers to find in the search results. It took time and learning to finally optimize her store so that everyday shoppers could easily discover the Spatty.
Spatty Current Product Line
What started as a single makeup spatula has now grown into a full catalog of helpful tools. Rigdon realized that different jobs require different types of spatulas. Today, the brand is broken down into specific categories to help customers find exactly what they need.
| Product Name | What It Is Used For | Who Usually Buys It |
| Beauty Spatty | Reaching the bottom of liquid foundation, expensive face serums, and thick body lotions. | Skincare fans and professional makeup artists. |
| Kitchen Spatty | Scraping out the last bits of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and peanut butter jars. | Home cooks and families trying to save money on groceries. |
| Handyman Spatty | Scooping out wood glue, reaching into thick paint cans, and grabbing automotive grease. | Mechanics, woodworkers, and DIY home repair fans. |
| Crafting Spatty | Mixing thick epoxy resins, spreading craft glue, and working with custom paints. | Artists, teachers, and hobbyists. |
| Baby Butt Spatula | Applying messy diaper rash cream to a baby without getting the thick ointment all over your hands. | New parents with infants and toddlers. |
To keep the brand exciting, Spatty also sells special bundles, shiny metallic versions, and fun holiday-themed spatulas. The company is also very active on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
They post helpful life hacks and funny videos to show people new ways to use the tools. In one popular comedy video, they even used Barbie and Ken dolls to show off the product.
Giving Back Through the Clean Water Initiative
One of the most impressive parts of the Spatty brand is how much it gives back to the world. Rigdon did not just want to build a profitable company; she wanted to make a real difference.
Right now, there are roughly 800 million people around the world who do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. Drinking dirty water causes severe illness and holds entire communities back. Because Rigdon cares deeply about helping others, she baked charity directly into her business plan.
A portion of every single Spatty sold is donated directly to organizations that build clean water systems in underdeveloped countries. When a customer buys a Spatty, they are not just saving money on their makeup or groceries; they are actively helping to provide life-saving water to people in desperate need. This focus on charity has made Spatty a highly respected brand among modern shoppers.
Is Spatty Still In Business Today?
Yes, as of 2026, Spatty is still fully in business and thriving. The brand has sold well over 1.3 million individual items worldwide.
What started as a $125,000 idea pitched to the sharks has exploded in value. Today, the Spatty brand is estimated to have a net worth of roughly $4 million. The company continues to pull in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit every single year, proving that simple solutions to everyday problems never go out of style.
Cheryl Rigdon’s life has changed completely since her TV appearance. She was able to leave her full-time job as a speech pathologist in 2018 to focus entirely on raising her two daughters and running her multi-million dollar business right from her home.
The success of Spatty proves a very simple rule about human nature: people hate wasting things. Throwing away a bottle that clearly still has good product inside feels bad.
By giving people a cheap, reusable way to fix that problem, Cheryl Rigdon built an empire. Her journey from mixing makeup in her bathroom to surviving the wild world of Amazon retail is one of the most practical and inspiring success stories to ever come out of the Shark Tank.
