Decorating trees was always a hassle during the holidays. Moreover, buying trees and storing the decorations always took most of the time. To solve this, Kurt Stange invented Easy Treezy Christmas Trees that were pre-decorated and easy to assemble.
These were artificial trees that required minimum effort to assemble and could be stored easily. Easy Treezy provides hassle-free and comfortable decorations for the holidays.
Kurt asked for $400,000 in exchange for 10% equity in the company. The sharks were hooked by the innovative product but were not confident in its success after getting the overview. Did the sharks bite on the bark? Find out in our Easy Treezy Shark Tank Update!
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Easy Treezy Net Worth
Kurt Stange asked for a $400k investment in exchange for 10% equity in his company. This meant he valued his company at $4 million. He did not secure a deal with any of the Sharks, so the company’s valuation remained at $4 million. After the show aired, Easy Treezy saw a big increase in website traffic, sales, and social media exposure. With an estimated 10% yearly growth rate (typical business growth), the current net worth of Easy Treezy is about $3 million.
Easy Treezy Shark Tank Update
What Happened To Easy Treezy After Shark Tank?
Easy Treezy wasn’t able to secure any investments from the Sharks. However, appearing on Shark Tank boosted its popularity. The company has a net worth of $3 million as of 2024 and has made $1.4 million in annual sales. Furthermore, his products are now sold in major retail locations like Kohls, Target, and Walmart. The Easy Treezy products are also available on their website as well as on their Amazon store. Aside from trees and wreaths, the company has expanded its collection to various holiday embellishments, custom displays and custom orders. Easy Treezy also offers rental services.
Did Easy Treezy Get a Deal On Shark Tank?
Kevin O’Leary wasn’t confident in the product. He commented that the prices were too high for the customers and backed off from the offer. Mark Cuban highlighted that the product had been selling more on the website rather than in the retail stores. He refused to invest in the company because Kurt didn’t know how to market the product. Barbara Corcoran declined the offer after hearing that Kurt had lost $8 million in a deal with Home Depot.
Lori Greiner refused to invest because the price range was too high for her. Robert Herjavec was interested in the business as it was aesthetically pleasing and provided ease. He offered $400,000 at 40% equity. However, Kurt made a counteroffer of $400,000 at a 25% stake in the company. But after seeing that Robert was firm in his decision, Kurt rejected the offer.
Shark(s) Name | Offer and Demand | Counteroffer | Accepted? |
Kevin O’Leary | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Mark Cuban | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Robert Herjavec | $400,000 for 40% equity | $400,000 for 25% equity | N/A |
Lori Griener | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Barbara Corcoran | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Founders Backstory
Kurt Stange belonged to a rural town in Wisconsin. There was a forest behind his house, and the family would go and cut the tree for Christmas. However, his mother was diagnosed with a disease named Scleroderma and passed away in 2009. The holidays were meaningful and special days for his mother. After her diagnosis, she wasn’t able to cut trees and decorate them. Hence, Kurt began to develop lightweight trees that a single person could carry. Moreover, the pre-decorated feature freed the customers from buying decorations and storing them.
Initial Pitch
Kurt was ready to secure hefty investments from the sharks for his innovative product. He introduced himself as a Chief Artificial Christmas tree farmer at Easy Treezy. Kurt began an engaging pitch where his team quickly assembled the product.
Kurt explained the features of the Easy Treezy Christmas trees. The trees were lightweight and could be assembled in under 10 minutes. It also had cone technology and an electromagnetic lighting system. The trees were pre-decorated, freeing the customers from the hassle of buying and storing decorations. Easy Treezy also offers various collections from natural to pre-decorated trees. Moreover, the trees were easy to store with their lay-flat technology. After the demonstration, Kurt asked for $400,000 in exchange for 10% stakes in his company
Queries About the Product
Barbara inquired about the prices of the trees on the display. Kurt explained that they ranged from $779 to $599 for fully decorated trees with minimal decorations. Mark Cuban questioned the availability of the product. Kurt revealed that the product was available at 210 retail stores across the US, including Big Box. He further explained that the trees could be retailed for $299 for the same size but different quality and decorations. The trees could be manufactured according to the retail demands.
Mark probed about the profit margins, to which Kurt revealed that they had a 35% margin, which they would increase with the quantity. Robert was interested in the company’s backstory. Kurt explained that he belonged to a rural town in Wisconsin. They would cut down trees from the forest behind the house for Christmas. But after his mother’s death, he began to invent accessible trees.
Barbara queried about the sales. Kurt revealed that the company had made $605,000 in 2018 and made $2.2 million in the following year. Mark questioned the sales ratio from the retail stores and other platforms. Kurt disclosed that the retail stores made up to 15% of the sales while the website made 50%. The company also had an Amazon store. Mark probed into the initial investments. Kurt confessed that he had invested $500,000 by himself.
Kevin was sure that the product wouldn’t be able to make sales as the prices were too high. Kurt assured me that they had done the data collection and knew what the customers wanted. Lori inquired about the strategies used for website promotion. Kurt revealed that they had used Facebook and Instagram ads, but google ads gave a better outcome. Mark asked about the budget allocated for advertisem*nt, to which Kurt confirmed it was $120,000.
Shark’s Response and Final Deal
Kevin was confident the product wouldn’t be able to make sales. He predicted that no one would buy the product at such a high price. For this reason, he declined to invest. Mark seemed to be interested in the product but was disappointed by the low sales at the retail stores. He backed off from the offer and advised Kurt to polish his marketing skills. Kurt tried to convince him by recalling a deal with Home Depot for $8 million that was made verbally.
However after presenting the sample, they never heard back from them. Barbara was disappointed by how Kurt handled the $8 million deal with the Home Depot and refused to invest in the business. Lori declined the offer by stating the high price points as the reason. Robert was interested in the deal and offered $400,000 for 40% equity. Kurt countered by offering $400,000 for 25% equity. But, after seeing that Robert was absolute in his decision, Kurt declined the offer.
What Went Wrong With Easy Treezy On Shark Tank?
Pre-decorated and easy-to-assemble trees were convenient and innovative products. Sharks seemed to be hooked by the unique idea. However, after getting an in-depth analysis of the product, they were ready to give up the offer.
Sharks raised the main point of the price being too high. Kevin and Lori backed off from the offer by stating that the product wouldn’t be able to make sales with such high prices. Mark was dissatisfied with the sales ratio made by the retail stores and the website. He commented that Kurt was just implementing digital advertising skills. He pointed out that Kurt needed to hone his marketing skills. Barbara was disappointed by how Kurt had handled a potential deal. She declined the offer by stating that $8 million was a potential deal that he had been careless with.
Product Availability
The Easy Treezy Christmas Trees are available on the website. The product is available in major retail stores across the US, including Kohls, Target, and Walmart. The company also has an Amazon store. Aside from the website, the company has social media accounts to gain feedback and engage customers.
Conclusion
Easy Treezy’s innovative Christmas trees initially captured the Sharks’ interest. However, concerns over high prices, marketing skills, and past decisions led them to decline the deal. The appearance on Shark Tank significantly boosted Easy Treezy’s popularity. The company has since grown, with products available in major retail stores and online platforms. Easy Treezy’s success shows that even without a Shark deal, a strong product and determination can lead to substantial growth. Today, the company is thriving, offering a wide range of holiday decorations and custom services. It has a net worth of $3 million and annual sales of $1.4 million.
Saad
My name is Saad, and I’m a Civil engineer turned web developer and a passionate content writer. One of my favorite tv shows to watch is Shark Tank. The entire business aspect of the show and how everyone wants to be an entrepreneur resonates with my inner entrepreneur side as well. Writing for the show as well as being a fan, I love every second that I write for it. Read more About me.