I Want To Draw A Cat For You - Shark Tank Update

Sometimes the most absurd business concepts become the most memorable success stories, and Steve Gadlin's entrance into the Shark Tank perfectly exemplified this paradox with his delightfully ridiculous custom cat-drawing service that somehow managed to capture hearts and open wallets across America. Gadlin, a Chicago writer and television host, was never trying to build a Fortune 500 company – he simply loved the idea of drawing badly but joyfully rendered cats for complete strangers and charging a small fee for the privilege.

The premise was spectacularly simple: customers could describe any cat in any scenario imaginable – their own pet, a celebrity cat, a cat flying a spaceship, a cat with a tiny hat attending a business meeting – for approximately $9.95, and Gadlin would hand-draw their vision in his distinctively quirky, childlike style, then mail the original drawing directly to the customer. His pitch began with an infectious musical performance complete with original lyrics and enthusiastic dance moves that had Mark Cuban visibly bobbing along in his seat, followed by his charmingly self-aware acknowledgment that audiences were probably wondering how this particular person had made it through the Shark Tank casting process.

His business model was refreshingly straightforward: customers paid about $10, described their desired cat in the order form, and received a handmade drawing within a month. Gadlin claimed he could produce approximately 1,000 drawings per week if demand warranted – a commitment that, while sounding simple, represented an extraordinary output for a single artist working by hand.

The numbers from the first year were modest but entirely genuine: 1,200 drawings sold generating just over $9,000 in total revenue. But Gadlin's expansion plans included greeting cards, novelty merchandise, and digital products that could leverage his rapidly growing internet following and brand recognition.

His presentation showcased something the Sharks rarely saw: a founder who was authentically enthusiastic about a genuinely ridiculous thing, and building a business on pure creative joy rather than market analysis.

Mark Cuban's investment of $25,000 for 33% equity – more than double Gadlin's original $10,000 ask, reflecting Cuban's genuine enthusiasm for the concept – launched one of Shark Tank's most unlikely and endearing success stories. The partnership proved that sometimes the best businesses are built on pure, unalloyed joy rather than sophisticated financial modeling or technology moats.

Cuban honored one of the deal's most charming secondary terms: he personally drew one out of every 1,000 cats that Gadlin received, creating a collaborative element that delighted customers and generated ongoing press coverage that money could not have bought. The post-show surge was dramatic and immediate.

Orders flooded in from viewers who found the concept irresistible – a hand-drawn cat from a real human being for under $10 was exactly the kind of genuine, personal artifact that resonated in an increasingly automated consumer culture. Gadlin drew an astounding 18,794 custom cats over the following four years, a volume that required him to hire assistants and implement a formal production process to manage what had begun as a one-man artistic enterprise.

The drawing marathon eventually took a physical toll – Gadlin developed severe writer's cramp and needed both help and rest – but the business generated enough revenue to fully repay Cuban's investment and fund the expansion into merchandise that Gadlin had originally pitched. Greeting cards, prints, and branded products extended the commercial reach of the cat-drawing brand.

Gadlin announced a pause in operations in 2015 to focus on his television show 'Steve Gadlin's Star Makers,' but discovered that the pull of the cat-drawing world was stronger than he expected. He relaunched the service in 2021 at the same $9.95 price point it had always occupied, and by 2023 had completed over 21,000 total cat drawings, a quiet milestone for a business that the Sharks had been told to take seriously and actually did.

September 2026 update: The official I Want To Draw A Cat For You gallery includes Cat #22,528, posted on December 23, 2025, nearly 14 years after Steve Gadlin's January 2012 Shark Tank appearance. The entry provides dated evidence that the cat-drawing project continued long after the pitch.

Its number identifies a gallery drawing; it does not establish 22,528 paid orders, current revenue, or uninterrupted operations.