It’s been an exciting year for 9-year-old entrepreneur Gavin Batarse, founder of Glove Wrap, a product that helps break in and shape sports gloves.
Not only did he lose two of his baby teeth in one week, but he also made a reappearance on “Shark Tank” along with his dad Jon and sister Morgan, 12, in an episode that aired last month.
Since landing a $50,000 offer from celebrity investors and billionaire CEOs Mark Cuban and Michael Rubin last October, business has taken off for Glove Wrap.
“They only pick a handful of companies to feature each season, so that was really cool to be chosen,” Jon told the Business Journal.
Prior to Shark Tank, Glove Wrap had only $19,000 in sales, according to Gavin. In just 10 months, that number has increased tenfold to more than $200,000.
Glove Wrap, previously only available online in mom-and-pop shops, is now being sold on the shelves of 165 DICK’s Sporting Goods stores and all 34 Scheels across the country.
The company’s social media platforms have also garnered more attention after the TV appearance, growing from 30 million views to over 100 million.
Partnership with Two Sharks
Jon calls the partnership with Cuban and Rubin a “dream come true.”
“You literally have a nine-year-old kid who’s a partner with two incredible businessmen,” Jon said.
“For him and Morgan at their age to be learning so much has been really fun for us as a family.”
Every month, Gavin sends what he calls a “minute business update” to the sharks on financials, ideas and any questions he may have.
The product in July became the official glove wrap of Major League Baseball thanks to Rubin, who is the founder and CEO of sportswear retailer Fanatics.
Having the MLB endorse Glove Wrap means that it’ll be available in the MLB shop and display the official MLB Batterman logo on the packaging, which is “huge in terms of legitimacy,” Jon said.
In July, the family was invited to attend MLB All-Star Week in Dallas, where Gavin got to meet and hand out products to some of his favorite players including Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Jurickson Profar of the San Diego Padres.
They plan to continue rolling out Glove Wrap in more retail stores and raise awareness of the product.
“We’re going to lean into our flagship product as best we can and get a full year of partnership with MLB under our belts,” Jon said.
Family-Operated Business
Glove Wrap remains fully family operated out of their home in Tustin.
Gavin and Morgan still ship their own orders with help from their cousin, but on a larger scale, Jon said. Instead of individual packages, they’re now palletizing shipments for big retailers.
Jon said that Gavin often gets recognized as “the Glove Wrap kid” at baseball games and gets asked to have his photo taken.
“As their dad, I would be super careful if I saw it getting to their head at all, but it’s been really neat just to see how they’ve responded being totally normal and excited,” Jon said.
