The Gronkowski brothers are among the most popular families in the NFL. The 3rd oldest, Chris Gronkowski, former NFL fullback, is doing it big in his business too. On The Dual Threat podcast, Chris (Gronkowski) spoke with Brandon Guttman II. We asked him about his entrepreneurial venture Ice Shaker. If you didn’t get it, he went to Shark Tank in 2017 and secured a deal, after which his brand’s popularity skyrocketed. In the EssentiallySports Exclusive interview, we asked him what you all were wondering, his inspiration to start the company, and he revealed it.

When we asked Chris about his motive to start Ice Breaker, his reply was, “100% man, I was in the gym at Lifetime Fitness, Collierville location, it’s about a hundred degrees out. I had a plastic shaker bottle. I kept, I was actually bench pressing, I was doing incline bench and every time I put the bottle down, I’d make this ring on the ground from all the sweat that was pouring off the plastic bottle. Took a sip of it in between one of my sets and I was like, man, this is warm already. It tastes awful, smells terrible, you know, sweating everywhere.” A spoiled workout set everything in motion. That’s amazing. Exercising is a part of life to build that physique for the battle in the biggest football league. Water is necessary for hydration. And that’s what Chris also wanted, cold water to quench thirst.

Chris then told us that he started searching for a good insulated water bottle. Explaining how the journey culminated in the founding of the company, the fullback said, “There’s gotta be an insulated bottle out there. So that day I went home, I was like, I’m going to buy an insulated bottle I could actually mix and blend and shake powders with and there’s just nothing out there. So it was like the aha moment. I’m going to do this myself. I’m going to make the best shaker bottle that I can” The ex-NFL star made one of the best bottles out there, which has made more than $3 million in sales. However, all this wouldn’t have been possible without the perfect design.

In the EssentiallySports FanCast talk, we asked him what went behind designing the bottle. The fullback told us about different angles that were in his mind,” (I wanted a bottle) that can keep my drinks cold, mix, blend powders and really a bottle that I can use all day every day because I was using multiple cups, multiple bottles throughout the day and I just wanted one. So that was it, man.” He had learned business strategies while working in his family business. Hence, he knew that the only way to build a sustainable business is to make a good product.

So he did what we expect from an NFL star with an entrepreneurial mindset. He focused on making the best bottle. His detailed answer was, “It was the design work I was doing on the ground from all these circles, I was kind of like, what am I doing? There’s got to be something better out there. Let’s create the best shaker bottle that I can.” While we hope you all have the answer now, let’s explore how his brand has performed after his deal on Shark Tank.

Chris Gronkowski’s business boomed after Shark Tank

Chris Gronkowski was a happy man after going to ABC’s Shark Tank in 2017. He had anticipated that his product would be a hit among all people (travelers & office workers). However, he was looking for a chance to market it. That’s when he decided to go to Shark Tank. His brothers, including 4-time Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski accompanied him, and their pitch was fantastic.

Rarely do all 5 judges want to invest in a company. But he got an offer from all of them. His original ask was $100,000 for a 10% stake. He secured a deal with Mark Cuban and guest shark Alex Rodriguez for $150,000 in exchange for 15% equity. The company valued at $1 million tripled its valuation within one year. 7 years later, Ice Shaker remains a hit. Chris has now introduced bottles in different colors and sizes.

In EssentiallySports Exclusive, we try to bring out what you, the fans, want to know about these athletes. Hope you got an idea of how the mind of multi-millionaire athlete Chris Gronkowski works. Check out our YouTube channel to watch more episodes of EssentiallySports x BG12 Show. Stay connected for more!