From Playwright to Queen of QVC: The Rise of Lori Greiner as a Successful Entrepreneur and Investor

Lori Greiner is a renowned entrepreneur and investor who has built a successful career through her inventions, product marketing, and investment strategies. Born on December 9, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois, Greiner graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a major in communications and journalism. While pursuing her passion for playwriting, she began making and selling costume jewelry, which led to her first major success with a plastic earring organizer that she invented in 1996. This product was sold by J.C. Penney’s during the holiday season and allowed her to pay off a $300,000 loan, ultimately generating her first million dollars. Greiner joined "Shark Tank" in 2012 and has invested nearly $10 million in deals on the show, with her investments collectively generating over $1 billion in retail sales. Some of her most successful investments include Scrub Daddy, Simply Fit Board, Squatty Potty, Readerrest, Screenmend, Sleep Styler, and Hold Your Haunches. She holds the record for the show’s biggest success, selling 2 million of the Scrub Daddy in one day on QVC. Greiner also has a 90% success rate on the products she launches and has invested in 10 of the top 20 most successful companies on "Shark Tank" to date. She earns $5 million from her business and $50,000 per episode of "Shark Tank." Apart from her work on "Shark Tank," Greiner has hosted her own show "Clever and Unique Creations by Lori Greiner" from 2000 to 2020. During her tenure at QVC, she created and put forth more than 700 items to market and has more than 110 U.S. and international patents. The items range in price from $16 to $300. She also owns a TV production company called Good Place Entertainment to bring feel-good videos to the public. Greiner's inventions have been a major contributor to her success. By the end of the 1990s, her creations from the For Your Ease Only Brand yielded more than $10 million in revenue. Twenty years later, it had achieved more than $350 million from product sales. She has gone on to invent and patent more than 300 products related to jewelry, cosmetic organization, household goods, travel, and electronics. Her products have appeared as one of Oprah’s favorite things, as well as in many magazines and best-of lists. In addition to her professional achievements, Greiner is married to Dan and is known for her successful real estate investments as well. Her personal life and professional endeavors have contributed to her overall success as a shrewd investor and entrepreneur.