Her "Shark Tank" appearance certainly didn't work out the way she planned -- it was much better. And her story may just inspire you to turn your passion into profit as well.
Jennie Nigrosh says she was scared to death when she appeared on "Shark Tank."
"That was daunting but I had to do it. This company has become my baby and you take your lumps," Nigrosh said.
The sharks rejected her idea of a reusable dry cleaning bag. But a call came after the show, and it would change everything.
"You know, don't worry about it. We believe in your product," Nigrosh said.
Michael Nesbit, the man behind MW Cleaners in Houston, loved Nigrosh's idea of a 3-in-1 eco-friendly bag.
"We have 37 locations here in Houston and we process over 6 million garments a year," Nesbit said. "To start from using plastic and not using plastic is a challenge, so we will be rolling this product out over the next year or so."
It goes from hamper to duffle to hanging garment bag, thus helping to reduce the estimated 300 million pounds of plastic used by the dry cleaning industry every year.
"It was an important idea and one we realized we really needed to bring to market," Nigrosh said.
The Green Garmento is now a multi-million dollar business, being used in a thousand dry cleaners across the U.S. and 20 countries.
"It's just one of those things, you lose a couple night's of sleep and you say I have to do this," Nigrosh said.
So what's Nigrosh's advice to others who think they may have a great idea?
1. Have a plan. She says she was forced to do so when she appeared on Shark Tank.
2. Do it with someone. Start your business with someone. She teamed up with her husband.
3. Pick your passion. You must be passionate about your idea.
Nigrosh really believes this garment bag can help the environment.
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