Charlotte Trecartin

In fall 2020, Trecartin, then 21, was a full-time business undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in chemistry and exercise science. During virtual classes she thought of hanging her hair tie from her water bottle, which led to the idea of a stick-on water bottle hook; she then sketched designs, researched materials, made prototypes and began the patent process.⁠[1]

During her senior year she and her friends prototyped designs using resin and 3D printers and refined them based on customer feedback, going through many pivots in the early stages.⁠[2]

In summer 2021 she sold coupon booklets door to door to fund the patent and prototypes, with support from 36Squared, a Chicago nonprofit business incubator, and later from The Gallery and the Illinois SBDC. CharCharms launched its first collection on September 24, 2021.⁠[1]

Shortly after graduating, she hired a TikTok coach for $400 a month; posting three times a day grew the brand’s account to 80,000 followers and drew the attention of retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target.⁠[3]

The business started in a family basement, moved into a roughly 400-square-foot warehouse in early 2024 and later into a 9,000-square-foot warehouse and office; at one point more than 40 people worked in the warehouse. Retail partners included Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, Palmetto Moon, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target, along with more than a dozen independent boutiques; Target launched the products online and in stores on September 1, 2024.⁠[1]

She said the business brought in $6.5 million in revenue in 2024, but declined to share profit figures.⁠[3]

On November 20, 2024, she spoke as founder and CEO of CharCharms at the “Family Dinner” event of The Garage, Northwestern University’s entrepreneurship hub, describing how the brand grew from an idea into a multimillion-dollar company.⁠[2]

In late January 2025 she appeared on ABCABCABC (American Broadcasting Company) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It grew out of NBC’s Blue radio network, took its name after becoming independent in 1943, developed into a national television network after merging with United Paramount Theatres in 1953, was acquired by Capital Cities in 1985, and has been owned by The Walt Disney Company since 1996. With CBS and NBC it is one of the three traditional U.S. broadcast networks, and it is one of the five networks that rotate in the White House television pool.Open the full entry’s Shark Tank seeking $300,000 for 10% of the company. Kevin O’LearyKevin O’LearyKevin O’Leary is a Canadian entrepreneur, investor and television personality, publicly known as Mr. Wonderful. He founded software business SoftKey and became widely known through Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank. His activities span venture investment, financial products and consumer brands.Open the full entry questioned how distinctive the products were and offered $300,000 for 25%; Daymond JohnDaymond JohnDaymond John is an American entrepreneur, investor and television personality. He founded and serves as CEO of streetwear brand FUBU and brand strategy consultancy The Shark Group. An original investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, which premiered in 2009, he was appointed a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship in 2015 and founded Black Entrepreneurs Day in 2020.Open the full entry offered $300,000 for 20%; guest Shark Kendra ScottKendra ScottKendra Scott is an American jewelry designer, entrepreneur and author who founded her namesake brand in 2002 and serves as executive chair and chief visionary officer. She established a foundation supporting women and young people, supports women’s entrepreneurial education, and appears on ABC’s Shark Tank. She has been interviewed by School of Hard Knocks.Open the full entry and Lori GreinerLori GreinerLori Greiner is an American entrepreneur, inventor and investor who founded consumer-products company For Your Ease Only, worked extensively in television shopping and became an investor on ABC’s Shark Tank. Her work spans household organization, consumer-product investments, publishing and television production.Open the full entry declined to invest, and Mark CubanMark CubanMark Cuban is an American entrepreneur and investor whose early work in computer systems and internet audio and video expanded into sports, film, venture investment and pharmaceuticals. He was the Dallas Mavericks’ controlling owner and a longstanding investor on Shark Tank, and co-founded Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company.Open the full entry dropped out, calling the two offers “predatory.”⁠[3]

She countered at 12.5%; O’Leary came down to 20% and John to 17.5%, both above the 15% maximum she was willing to give, and she left without a deal. Sales rose in the four days after the episode aired, and she said: “I would do it again.”⁠[3]

On September 23, 2026, the YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel Hard Knocks Business published the long video “Asking Shark Tank Millionaires How To Make Your First $1,000,000!” and the short video “$10 MILLION from water bottle charms,” both featuring an interview with her; the short video’s description calls her the founder of CharCharms and WallCandy. In the video she said the company was “north of 10 million” that year and that she made her first million at 23, adding that it felt more frightening than triumphant.⁠[4][5][5][5]

In the video she recalled trying out for Shark Tank three times before being selected, and spending one to two hours a day for several months preparing her financials and pitch. She also said friends were skeptical when she first had the idea of accessorizing water bottles in college, and that after the brand went viral on TikTok it sold hundreds of thousands of charms and accessories before getting into Dick’s, Target and Walmart.⁠[5][5][5][5]

She said street interviews are the most effective content format for product businesses and that she was using the same organic-content approach again to launch her new brand WallCandy.⁠[5][5]

She advised founders aiming for their first million to make sure it is a profitable million, because an unprofitable million does not matter (video at 05:45).⁠[5]

For founders who want to appear on Shark Tank, she advised having a strong story, real sales and a personality that comes through on camera (video at 06:37).⁠[5]

She said getting into major retailers comes down to cold outreach, and that she mainly contacted buyers on LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry (video at 07:46).⁠[5]

To find a manufacturer, she suggested contacting the top 20 or so manufacturers on AlibabaAlibabaAlibaba is a technology group focused on commerce, cloud computing, and AI. Founded in 1999 by 18 people led by Jack Ma, it received a major investment from Yahoo in 2005.Open the full entry, comparing quotes, communication and understanding of the brief before choosing a long-term partner, and visiting the factories in China once a relationship is established (video at 09:14).⁠[5]

CharCharms: Official website: https://charcharms.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[6][1]