How I Made Over $220M In Sales Creating Scrub Daddy | The Ground Up
On store shelves, customers might only see a bright yellow smile waiting to add some shine to the kitchen. But, behind the iconic ridges and gleaming eye holes are years of sweat and machine grime for Aaron Krause, 54, Scrub Daddy’s Founder and CEO.
Aaron's entrepreneurial journey started when he was just a kid living in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. At 10 years old, he created his first invention: A rope and pulley system to turn his bedroom light on and off from his bed so he didn't have to get up and do it.
From there, Aaron kept his innovative side going by washing cars in the neighborhood. After graduating from Syracuse University in 1992 with a psychology degree, he told his family that he was going to open his own car washing business. His family was shocked and upset with his career path, to say the least.
But Aaron knew he could make it work. Not only by washing cars, but to start inventing new products. In 1994, he invented his first big product, which was a buffing pad for polishing cars.
In 1995, Aaron sold his car washing business and turned his focus to a new venture: Dedication To Detail, a buffing pad manufacturer. A few years after creating his business, he received polyester urethane foam from German manufacturer FoamPartner, which became a key part of Scrub Daddy's material now known as FlexTexture. However, the buffing pads he was selling with this foam at this time did not sell well and he was forced to stop selling it due to low sales in the market.
On September 3, 2008, Dedication To Detail was bought out by multi-national manufacturer 3M. Aaron's sponges ended up sitting at the back of the Detail factory for five years until March 2011 when they found a new life. That foam became the material of the sponge for the Scrub Daddy, which he pitched on Shark Tank in October 2012. As soon as the episode aired, Aaron's life changed forever.
Since then, the company moved their headquarters to Pennsauken, New Jersey in 2021. Their newest facility features a television studio, a warehouse, a koi pond, and a store for customers to buy their products.
Today, Scrub Daddy has made over $220 million in sales for 2023. But, Aaron said his sponge empire is just getting started.
00:00 - This Is Scrub Daddy
00:30 - Meet The Scrub Daddy
01:24 - The Sponge Dynasty
02:22 - Aaron’s First Invention
03:07 - An Early Entrepreneur
04:05 - Creating The Buffing Pad
04:42 - Finding The Right Material & Securing A Patent
05:57 - Starting Dedication to Detail
07:07 - The New Life Of A Sponge
09:02 - Building A Company
10:12 - Spotting A Knock Off
10:22 - Pitching To His First Customers
10:39 - Leveraging The Press
10:57 - Scrub Daddy’s QVC Debut
12:07 - Feeling Inspired By Shark Tank
12:49 - The Road To Shark Tank
13:07 - Perfecting The Pitch
13:54 - Preparing To Swim With Sharks
14:25 - An Unexpected Change
14:49 - Robert Herjavec’s Herald For Retail
15:16 - Mark Cuban’s Cut And Run
15:26 - Withdrawing Mr. Wonderful
16:13 - Lori Greiner See’s A Gain
17:11 - Aaron’s Vindication
17:53 - A Deal for Scrub Daddy
18:07 - Reaching New Heights
18:46 - Aaron's Partnership With Lori
19:51 - Scrub Daddy Moves To Pennsauken
20:11 - Aaron's Business Vision
20:59 - Keeping Sustainability In Their Sights
22:12 - One Thing Aaron Would Change
22:42 - Scrub Daddy's Future
23:13 - The Krause's Family Lesson
24:19 - What Aaron's Learned
24:39 - Outro
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Пікірлер: 280
Thank you, Fortune, for sharing our story! We're just getting started ;)
@fortune
5 ай бұрын
We loved telling your story! Thanks for sharing it with us! 🧽
@ChezGrassboi
4 ай бұрын
Great story, hope this company evolves
@jond181
2 ай бұрын
Huge fan of scrub daddy !
@user-nw6mz7nc5k
2 ай бұрын
I love you Scrub Daddy!!! Best sponge ever!
@BS-my2ky
2 ай бұрын
can't believe I watched the entire thing. you're awesome aaron
the scrub daddy chain is cold af
@ironxfist6008
24 күн бұрын
and that embroidery on his shirt collar!!
@Z1ggo
15 күн бұрын
Ongod bro iced out 😭
He seems like such a great guy on top of everything.
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
Aarons the man
@ThePeacePlant
2 ай бұрын
Right, he seems like a very cool dude
@ngweso
Ай бұрын
The smiley face on the sponge reminds me of him fr. Seems like a smiley dude
I finally gave in and bought my first scrub daddy and I can honestly tell you I will never purchase a different sponge. He truly created an amazing product!
@Lemons19902010
13 күн бұрын
Same! I will gladly pay a bit more for a higher quality sponge!
@ninadelrey8
4 күн бұрын
I’ve been seeing this on Shark Tank clips for years and finally, I saw Scrub Daddy in my local store in Croatia. I immediately bought Scrub Daddy, dish thingy, Scrub Mommy for my grandma and soap dispenser. I hate washing dishes and Scrub Daddy made me wash more dishes in a day than in weeks. I am so happy for Aaron’s success. Truly inspiring story. Thank you for giving us the greatest sponge ever.
@angel8977
Сағат бұрын
I bought one accidentally lmao
This man is the COOLEST human being to exist I swear 😂 there needs to be a book about him
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
3 ай бұрын
hmmmm not a bad idea...
@Justin-uc8sc
2 ай бұрын
That’s a bold statement. There have been 120 billion humans to have ever existed, and you rank him as #1, when you haven’t even seen 99.99% of them?
@Commander_Shepard.
Ай бұрын
@@Justin-uc8sc Nah he's the coolest. It's not an opinion, it's factual.
This is what a company looks like when it's not the typical greedy and selfish snob.
@victorblock3421
24 күн бұрын
So most businesses are "typical greedy and selfish snob". Tell us about it.
@vinnymac7565
23 күн бұрын
@@victorblock3421 I did. You literally repeated it back.
@victorblock3421
23 күн бұрын
@@vinnymac7565 no you did not. Why are u a more on?
I love this for him. He seems like such a nice guy, and I never thought someone being excited about a sponge would make me excited about a sponge lol
What a wholesome, genuine guy. It feels like something from a different timeline. I don't know him, but I feel so proud of him lol
I live in europe, austria and I went to the drug store today and I was so happy to see scrub daddy on the shelves! Finally they are expanding to Europe. I have been waiting for this for so long! I bought 2
@dmgfoto4508
3 ай бұрын
How much did you pay for 2 Scrub Dady's and in what country are you in?
@lps2013luv
Ай бұрын
@@dmgfoto4508im in Croatia and I bought one like an hour ago and it was i thing 4 euros and something.
@aylovongary1862
Ай бұрын
SAME
@erwinsaputra3645
2 күн бұрын
it's even sold by ace hardware indonesia
The part at the end with his mother made me cry. You’re doing amazing Aaron, thank you for your awesome products!
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
3 ай бұрын
Thank you for your support!!
This is some authentic, true entrepreneurship story, not those randomly asking strangers how they become successful reels shit
I hate washing dishes so much, but when I tried the scrub daddy it truely helped me clean my apt.
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
Thats wassup! Thank you for the support :)
@kokkakurogers1520
4 ай бұрын
@@ScrubDaddyOfficial I love you btw 💛💛💛
The rise of the Scrub Daddy has been incredible so I love getting to know the background story of this innovative company, makes me appreciate their products even more!
It must be an insane feeling owning the biggest sponge company in the world. Aaron has really made an impact with his product. Godspeed, for the journy of Scrub Daddy continues forward!
Well done Aaron, very inspiring!
Aaron's journey from washing cars to making millions with Scrub Daddy proves that innovation can come from the most unexpected places! 💡💰
Just by watching his Shark Tank episode it's easy to tell that he's super smart. Now that I watch this, it all makes sense. I'm very happy for him and his company.
This whole business is a textbook example of inventions and entrepreneurship. I teach Spanish and at some point O teach a business module, and Scrub Daddy is a perfect case study to analyze and review. Its a teachers wet dream when it comes to lesson planning
I thought the scrub daddy was a scam, just another sponge, but it really is amazing and doesn't smell. Lasts almost a year, costs next to nothing and makes my life easier. It literally is an amazing product and he really deserves to be a millionaire
@warwagon
Ай бұрын
Mine will eventually start to smell, at which point I call it "Stinky Daddy". Then I bleached it, and it smells better again. Towards the end of the sponge's life it the face starts to sag,a at which point I name it "Creepy Daddy"
@blazinpyromaniac
Ай бұрын
They sell it for close to $5 at my local Walgreens. That much for just one sponge is way too much
@MrPotatoes97
Ай бұрын
@@blazinpyromaniac Oh no $5 a year on sponges 💀
@blazinpyromaniac
Ай бұрын
@@MrPotatoes97 LOL these sponges last 1-2 months at most
@Visethelegend
20 күн бұрын
@@blazinpyromaniacyeah and in a family of 4-5 it lasts like 3-4 weeks, if it lasted 2 months it would make sense for me to buy but a whole year? Yeah that’s bs
Listening to this while doing my dishes with a scrub daddy is such an experience. I’m so glad you make an orange Daddy as it’s my favorite color and makes me look forward to doing dishes as weird as that sounds😂. Aaron to you and the whole company I love your products I wish I could buy more!
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
Can't thank you enough for your support!!
@annberlin5811
3 ай бұрын
Did u see the halloween frankenstein scrub daddy?
@andy2641
2 ай бұрын
Yess i love orange, there’s not enough people like us 😔
Shark didnt do too badly. She basically spent 200k for tens of millions
This guy is an absolute inspiration. I live in Japan and I was finally able to buy scrub daddy (it was an 8 pack at costco) and I LOVE the sponge. It feels so good in the hand and cleans so well. I am also using one outside to clean and it got my daughter to clean because she loves the smiley face. My only little problem is that it doesn't produce enough suds compared to a soft sponge and I use more detergent but I am guessing they have a product in the line for that.
@TheAkiraFerrari
16 күн бұрын
They have scrub mommy for suds
I love this!! I didn’t realize how much work and dedication was put into the scrub daddy! I remember seeing it on shark tank too!!
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
Yup! Lot of work put into this company, but all worth it to make people smile :)
Sometimes people call me naive for "following my heart" as if it is somehow in opposition to following my head. My head truly believes that following your heart is the best way to find true success. Aaron Krause's heart wanted to keep washing cars. He is intelligent and educated, and his family wanted something different for him, but he followed his heart rather than his ego. And now he is not only financially successful but also clearly deeply proud of and passionate about his work. A true inspiration. Thank you for making the great documentary.
Some people have it, some don’t. This guy is a genius! very creative and love the energy! GO DADDY!!
@sajid1979
8 күн бұрын
I’ve bought one from Asda, UK
He really is the face of his company with that smile!!
This was very motivating thank you so much for filming it and making this video. I loved watching The Journey of Scrub Daddy become a success
This story has left such a smile on my face, well done Aaron. I’m a big fan from Australia 🇦🇺 use many of your products!! They are truly the best!!
The video is well put together! Makes me love my Scrub Daddy sponge more and more after learning the hardships and journey that Aaron went through. They deserve all the success!
Thank you for bringing Scrubb Daddy, best product i ever bought for kitchen !!!!
ok but that new guy who dose the shorts is a pure comedic genius
@Marshall1q.
2 ай бұрын
marketing genius
very informative video, i loved the graphics thank u fortune
That’s such a great example of determination & belief in your system. I would want to work at a company like that!
What a good guy. Deserves his success.
The guy is a visionary
Nicely edited! The Ceo also put his heart into telling his story. You deserve more subscribers!
I've been using scrub daddy since its shark tank feature. I love this product and all the variants you've added through the years. Great job!!
All the problems you go through become a huge part of the success you achieve.
I’m a simple gal, if I see any video about Mr.Aaron Krause talking about his unwavering passion for Scrub Daddy, I click 🙂↕️
Such a powerful reminder that what initially appears as setbacks can open doors to unexpected opportunities. Embracing change and staying adaptable is key to turning challenges into stepping stones for growth. 🌱
This was a really great video, deserves more attention
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
I'd have to give an unbiased agreement to that statement
This is amazing! And I love Scrub Daddy products, I’m a huge fan ❤thank you!
What a well made video!
Such a cool story. Well done for them both.
I ❤ this guy. Hard work, perseverance and smiling face anytime. Be brought that smile to Sponge as well. Positive people and happy people always win things.
Beyond inspiring - love it!❤
Absolutely The Best I Have Ever Seen. U So Down To Earth Guy. For U There is A Highway to Heaven. Big Things always happen With a Smile U Got It All. See U....
Love it!!!
What a great story. Such a down to earth guy!
It's really inspirational, For the people who lost their momentum to continue what they want to be ,because of doubt and criticism they experienced, Please be strong and don't give up, Revenge them with your success. Because at the end of the day You are the only one who can change it.
Happy for him and his hustle
Its a great story. I use his products and love them. I didn't realize how much behind the scenes work there was before shark tank. He worked his ass off and killed it. I love the story and i love that its made in the usa.
Great production and presentation 👍🏿
This shows us sometime success can be found in any field
this is such a wonderful story
The scrub daddy necklace is fire
Great story and a great product. Scrub Daddy is the only sponge product I buy now. Completely replaced all other scrubbing devices and sponges and turned it into one.
Fabulous video Fabulous Business and a Fabulous guy thank you for this insight into a marvellous business 👍👍👍
What a great story! Congratulations! I absolutely love these products!
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
Thank you for the support!
Great story!
This is my favorite sponge! I got one as an add on gift for my birthday. Best gift!
I bought my first scrub daddy last week, saw them in chemist warehouse. I love on Australia,was so excited!
what an inspiration honestly
Amazing story!
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
I'll say
Proud of you
Such a great story!!! Love that they sat in boxes for 5 years? WOW. 😮
I use my Scrub Daddy every day. One of my twin granddaughters loves to watch Aurikatariina cleaning videos and she uses so many of the Scrub Daddy products! They work so well.
Great Story!!
24:07 rockin the Bling Daddy chain. Dope af!
I love this guy. He gives off cool dad vibes.
I know everything about this is designed to get me to like the guy but he seems genuinely cool
What a great story, and I love that you can recycle the sponges back awesome!!
Such a great inspiration story in cleaning sector
I love these! I hate cleaning but these sponges make it easy for me.
Some of the best products ever!
I love scrub daddy products, I just wish there were more on the shelves over here in the UK
@ScrubDaddyOfficial
4 ай бұрын
Working hard to make more of our products available in the UK soon! Stay tuned :)
@oiputthatback7361
Ай бұрын
@@ScrubDaddyOfficialplease it would be great , I only heard of your company in the last week. I love to clean and I can’t wait.
@Pistonhammer
29 күн бұрын
@@ScrubDaddyOfficialThank you , am from the UK also , Scrub Daddy sponge litterly saved my life from a deep depression , due to a certain case of self-abandonment , i wasnt able or motivated enough to clean much , until i discovered the easy going cleaning sponge - Scrub Daddy and the miracle PowerPaste , it helped me get back on my feet and stay more focused on my daily house chores , only issue here is that i want Scrub Daddy to be as MUCH AVALIABLE here in the UK as it is in America , Thank you Aaron !!! You saved my life !!!
Much respect, Sir
So inspiring
Im so happy for him
it just shows that everything in life happens for a reason!
@tercial
13 күн бұрын
Amen
I love the eco side of this company. We should urge more companies to make the change quickly.
Thats tough😤
This is my favorite pitch in Shark Tank history. Aaron and @scrubdaddyofficial are legends (and from my neighboring town!) and I'd never heard any of this backstory about the episode. So good.
I wish I could go back in time in 2001 and relive all this years again having my present consciousness
Agree! I just got my first Scrub Mommies at Costco and am in love!
I love this product. I've never looked back
Tha fact I was actually looking to buy that sponge and I finally found it but on Youre KZread channel this sponge is amazing I kid you not 🔥🔥 one of the best sponges I’ve used ever no joke
Oh my gosh i freaking love these damn sponges they are awesome
This sponge really has made cleaning a lot more fun!
This is giving Billy Mays level greatness. I’m so happy for this guy🥳
What a nice guy and a good boss. !
I have several scrub daddy sponges and scrub mommy and the power paste I love them
I unironically love the scrub daddy lol. Have never bought a sponge since
Absolutely brilliant! You earned every cent
I love this sponge! Scrub Mommy! 🥰 Thank you, I love doing the dishes now! 😂 can you make different color choices for scrub mommy! 🥰
Hell yeah Aaron
I want that Scrub Daddy Claw Machine 🤣
I just bought a dish daddy kit (with brush and attachable scrub daddy heads) so I can FINALLY throw out my bf's gross old dish brush! I've been using Scrub Daddy for years, thanks to Auriikaterina's videos. Scrub Daddy helps put a smile on my face, and got me out of the lowest point in my life. I will always love Scrub Daddy!!!
I would say, what a man !
I was so happy to buy them in my country in Europe. I immediately bought 10 of them. Love the story❤🎉