LACROSSE PLAYER SCORES BIG IN BUSINESS Walter Villa @waltvsports
Prep player comes up short on ‘Shark Tank’
On her 15th birthday, Rachel Zietz took on five Sharks — and lived to tell about it.
Zietz, a sophomore lacrosse player at Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale), started every game as a defender and rarely came off the field this season.
There were tense moments, including a season-ending 10-9 overtime loss to American Heritage (Delray Beach) in the regional semifinals.
But no game can compare with the adrenaline rush she felt when she traveled to Culver City, Calif., and walked on to the set of ABC’s
Shark Tank to pitch her company, which manufactures what she says is a sturdier version of backyard lacrosse goals and rebounders and has amassed $1.5 million in sales in two-plus years.
The episode, taped in June, aired Friday. She did not find out until March that the segment would be selected to air.
“I thought, ‘This will be the scariest thing I will ever do. No meeting or public speaking will ever be as scary as this,’ ” she said this week. “But I also felt prepared. I had watched a lot of prior episodes, and I knew the questions the Sharks typically asked. When I watched the show, I would pause the DVR and see if I could answer those questions about my own business.”
In addition to that prep work, friends of Zietz’s father acted as Sharks, asking tough questions in a mock version of the show. When it was time for Shark Tank to begin, Zietz walked through the set’s double doors wearing her green No. 8 Pine Crest jersey and holding a lacrosse stick.
“Hi, Sharks,” she said confidently. “My name is Rachel Zietz, and my company is Gladiator Lacrosse.” Zietz explained that she was seeking a $100,000 investment in exchange for 15% equity in her company.
Zietz said she spent hundreds of dollars buying a lacrosse goal and rebounder, only to have them quickly rust and fall apart. Believing there were others like her who were let down by the available equipment and knowing that lacrosse is one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports, she set out to design and manufacture her own equipment.
She found the Gladiator Lacrosse domain name for $10, and off she went after participating as a seventh-grader in a program for young entrepreneurs in South Florida. Her company had $200,000 in sales in its first year. Ultimately, Zietz didn’t get a deal, but she impressed the Sharks.
“The fact that you are the brand — you play the game. It’s so credible,” venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary said. “When people look at which product to buy, they’re going to buy from a player.”
Zietz, who flew to California with parents Sam and Sheila — both also entrepreneurs — had to keep secret what happened when the show was taped June 24, 2015. Only her parents knew.
Friday, about 40 people — including teammates and coaches — watched the show at her house.
“Everyone squealed when her face was TV,” Pine Crest coach Eileen Pliske said. “We were all on the edge of our seats, because we didn’t know how it turned out.
“When she didn’t get a deal, everyone was shocked.”
Perhaps it was for the best. She got free publicity from being on the show, and her appearance has led to other media opportunities.
Better yet, she didn’t have to give away a piece of her company, which she started at age 12, taking a $30,000 loan from her parents, which she has since paid back.
Zietz says she hopes to dominate the $100 million lacrosse equipment market; she also sells Gladiator apparel. She employs a college student to fulfill orders and is a captain on her lacrosse team while pulling down a 4.59 grade-point average at Pine Crest.
As for her smooth performance on Shark Tank, Pliske said it wasn’t a surprise to those who know Zietz.
“She is poised in every situation,” Pliske said. “She doesn’t get frazzled on the field, and that’s what you want from a defender.”
With her academic acumen, her lacrosse prowess and the status she is building in the business world, Zietz can “write her own ticket” to college, Pliske said.
At age 4, Zietz started hanging around her dad’s office. She’d organize files and listen with fascination as he made business deals.
“My friends all say they want to come work for me,” Zietz said. “But I want to play lacrosse, too. I would love to play in college, as long as it’s at a school with a great business program.”