Hold Your Haunches - Shark Tank Update

Best friends and walking buddies Erin Bickley and Jenny Greer appeared on Shark Tank Season 5 seeking $75,000 for 20% equity in Hold Your Haunches, their innovative shapewear leggings designed to smooth and enhance the appearance of women's derrieres while addressing the lack of quality shapewear options in the market. The concept was born from their own frustrations in 2010 when they realized during their regular walks that their "bums were looking a bit too jiggly" and couldn't find decent shapewear solutions, prompting them to create their own line that combined fashion with function.

Hold Your Haunches featured a special compression layer underneath sleek black exterior leggings, promising to give women a great-looking bottom without the binding, sagging, and discomfort typically associated with traditional shapewear, while maintaining a stylish appearance suitable for both casual wear and dress-up occasions. The two entrepreneurs had built their business through online sales via Amazon, several major e-commerce sites specializing in shapewear, and approximately thirty small boutiques, though they were seeking shark investment to achieve mass distribution and reduce their production costs.

At the time of filming, the leggings cost $30 to manufacture in Asia, sold to retailers for $69, and retailed to consumers for $139, representing healthy margins but limited scale that prevented them from competing effectively with established shapewear brands that had access to larger manufacturing volumes and distribution networks.

The pitch initially faced harsh criticism from the male sharks, with Kevin O'Leary calling the product "false advertising" and "fraudulent," Robert Herjavec complaining the pants would be too hot, and Mark Cuban exiting because women's wear wasn't his expertise, leading Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner to call out the gender bias they observed whenever women's products were pitched. Despite the initial skepticism, Barbara and Lori recognized the market potential and made a joint offer of $75,000 for 40% equity plus a $100,000 line of credit to help fulfill purchase orders, which Erin and Jenny accepted after being assured they would gain access to major retail distribution networks.

The partnership proved initially successful beyond all expectations, with Hold Your Haunches selling $1.5 million in product within just six months of the show airing, leading to a follow-up update segment in Season 6 and requiring the company to move into a new facility to accommodate the explosive growth.

However, the long-term success proved challenging to sustain as the shapewear market became increasingly competitive with dozens of lower-priced compression pants flooding Amazon and other platforms, forcing the company to offer significant discounts (up to 60% off) while attempting to diversify into new products like bathing suits. By August 2021, Hold Your Haunches was no longer selling on Amazon, and despite generating approximately $1 million in annual revenue as of June 2022, the company ultimately ceased operations in January 2023 when their website went down and social media went dark, demonstrating how even successful Shark Tank companies can struggle against competitive pressures and market saturation in crowded categories.