They spent so long trying to get onto “Shark Tank,” when a producer finally emailed them, they thought it was fake.
It was definitely real and their dream of appearing on season 17 of the hit ABC entrepreneurship show comes to fruition when it airs tonight at 10pm ET/9pm CT.
Polish immigrant sisters, Joanna Serra and Barbara Kent, grew up in Hamtramck near Detroit and now live in Romeo, Michigan.
The teacher and combat veteran duo founded Fundraiser Blankets and pitched it to the panel of sharks which featured Barbara Corcoran, Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daniel Lubetzky and the debut of Joanna and Chip Gaines.
“We had 6 Sharks instead of five. It was very cool,” Joanna Serra told MLive who says this appearance on the show is years in the making.
“We applied a few years in a row and went to an open call, but it just never went anywhere. Finally, this March we got an email from a producer. I thought it was fake. After researching and discovering it was real, we went through a very lengthy, in-depth process to get on the show.”
Fundraiser Blankets offers custom logo blankets starting at $10.50 each with free shipping. Schools and teams can then choose to sell them for any price they wish.
“We do all of the work with them,” added Serra. “We do the designs and create a custom web page for them, or they have an option to order blankets in bulk and sell them in person on hand.”
Serra says she and Kent were in the Tank with the Sharks for about an hour. It has been edited down to about 10 minutes and they will see it for the first time when it airs tomorrow night on ABC.
“When you watch it on the TV, it’s such a different experience. There’s no music when you walk in. It’s dead silent. And they’re sitting further away than you think, so you are kind of yelling.”
Serra says there are two different blanket ordering options with one being made in the U.S.A.
“We have an expedited option where we partnered with four facilities in the U.S. and the blankets can be at your doorstep in two weeks. We also have an import option which takes a little longer at a lower cost. About 70% of our sales are printed in the USA.”
Serra says she can’t wait to watch tonight’s show and the whole experience has been surreal.
“The whole thing has been one big dream, I can’t even believe it happened.”
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