Building impressive sandcastles is tough and time-consuming. Traditional sand toys often lead to boring, simple structures that don’t spark much excitement. The wet sand gets stuck in the traditional bucket, and the castles aren’t even good to look at.
To fix this, Kevin and Lori Lane created Create a Castle. They’re a set of innovative sand molds that split open and stack on top of each other. These kits let people make their castles quickly and easily. The main product includes different pieces, such as a big cylinder for the base, special shapes for fancy details, and even a tool to cut out windows.
The product impressed the Sharks, but was it enough? Did the Lanes manage to make the Sharks invest in their sandcastle business? Find out in our Create a Castle Shark Tank Update!
Create a Castle Net Worth Shark Tank Update 2025
Kevin and Lori Lane asked for a $350,000 investment in exchange for 10% equity in their company. This meant they valued their company at $3.5 million. They made a deal with Kendra Scott for $350,000 in exchange for 20% of their company. This new deal valued their company at $1.75 million. After the show aired, Create a Castle saw a big increase in website traffic, sales, and social media exposure. They also made over $2 million in sales and expanded into new markets. With an estimated 10% yearly growth rate (typical business growth), the current net worth of Create a Castle is about $2.44 million.
Create a Castle took off after their appearance on Shark Tank. The company has maintained a strong presence in the market, with sales reaching upwards of $2 million. According to their website, they’re currently in 32 different locations across the United States. They’ve also launched their product in Australia, which is currently in one store at the moment.
Mark Cuban didn’t want to invest because he thought the company was chasing sales instead of profits. Kevin O’Leary suggested they should raise prices by 30% and only sell on their own website to make more money. Lori Greiner liked the product and its price.
She usually went for things lots of people could buy. But this time, she didn’t feel it was right for her to invest. Daymond and Kendra both offered deals to the Lanes. But in the end, they chose Kendra’s offer. Keep reading our Create a Castle update to see what happens next!
| Shark(s) Name | Offer and Demand | Counteroffer | Accepted? |
| Kevin O’Leary | Out | N/A | N/A |
| Kendra Scott | $350,000 for a 20% stake in the business | $350,000 for a 15% stake in the business | Yes ($350,000 for a 20% stake in the business) |
| Mark Cuban | Out | N/A | N/A |
| Daymond John | $350,000 for a 25% stake in the business | N/A | N/A |
| Lori Greiner | Out | N/A | N/A |
Create a Castle Shark Tank Pitch
Kevin and Lori Lane, a married couple from New Milford, Connecticut, came up with an idea to make better sandcastles at the beach. They noticed that regular sand buckets didn’t work well, and the output of the castles wasn’t impressive. So, they invented Create A Castle.
Their new kit had special molds that made it easier to build impressive sandcastles quickly. The Lanes worked hard to turn their idea into a business. They even got patents to protect their design and started selling their product. The Lanes received positive feedback from customers and the community.
Kevin and Lori Lane presented their product, Create A Castle, to the Sharks. They showed off their sandcastle-making ki,t which used a split mold design to make building sandcastles easier. The Lanes asked for $350,000 for 10% of their company.
They told the Sharks how their product worked and highlighted its unique features. The product had stackable molds and window cutters, which helped make sand castles stand out. The founders also talked about their business performance. They’d made $600,000 in sales the previous year but lost money due to high shipping costs.
In the forthcoming year, they were expected to make $3 million. This was the result of landing deals with Costco Canada and Sam’s Club. But, their profit margins were tight, especially with big retailers. The Lanes were looking for investment to buy more inventory. They also needed help scaling their business, including exploring licensing opportunities.
Kevin O’Leary was interested in the patent’s strength. Many toy manufacturers could replicate it and put the Lanes out of business. The Lanes explained that their patent covered a wide range of sizes. When the Sharks asked about their pricing, they shared that their small kit sold for $10, while the pro kit retailed at $50.
The production cost for the pro kit was $9.45. The Sharks were pleased with the decent profit margins. The Lanes reported $600,000 in sales the previous year, but they’d lost $100,000. This was mainly due to high shipping costs during COVID-19. But, they were projecting $3 million in sales for the upcoming year, thanks to their deals with Costco Canada and Sam’s Club.
Mark Cuban dug deeper into their profit margins as big retailers wouldn’t give them a higher margin. The Lanes said they were expected to make about $300,000 this year, with margins between 27% and 32% for big retailers. These numbers weren’t impressive and didn’t allow any wiggle room.
Kevin pointed out issues like co-op advertising, markdowns, and return policies. Mark strongly suggested to The Lanes that chasing sales instead of profits could be risky, especially in uncertain times.. The Sharks advised that the founders should focus on profitability rather than pursue big box stores.
Mark Cuban didn’t want to invest because he was concerned about the company’s focus on sales rather than profitability. He felt that pursuing deals with big retailers would require more cash and potentially harm the business. For those reasons, he didn’t invest in The Lanes Company.
Kevin O’Leary didn’t invest because he believed the business model wasn’t fully developed yet. He thought the company needed to adjust its strategy by:
- Eliminating lower-priced products
- Increasing prices significantly
- and selling exclusively through their own website to improve profitability.
For those reasons, O’Leary chose not to invest.
Lori Greiner chose not to invest, even though she liked the product and its price point. She appreciated the company’s approach to creating affordable products for a wide market. But, she didn’t feel it was the right investment opportunity for her personal portfolio at that time. For those reasons, Lori didn’t invest in the company.
Kendra was highly interested in investing in the company. She offered the $350,000, but in exchange, she wanted 20% equity and not the 10% asked by the owners. Before they could respond, Daymond also jumped in, because he was interested in the licensing option. He gave them an offer of $350,000, but in exchange wanted 25% of their business.
The founders momentarily discussed, but countered Kendra with 15% equity instead. She rejected outright and stayed with her original 20%. After much discussion, they chose Kendra. The Lanes struck a deal with her and left Shark Tank with Kendra as their main investor.
Product Availability
The Create a Castle products are available for purchase from their official website. They can also be found in other stores online, such as Amazon and Walmart. You can also find them in retail stores like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco (including Costco Canada), Target, Barnes & Noble and Dick’s Sporting Goods. They have also increased their product catalogs to 21 items. Some of them are:
- Create A Castle Buildmaster™ Indoor Activity Starter Kit Bundle
- Create A Castle Buildmaster™ Castlemagic Indoor Sand/Snow
- Create Castle Flags and more!
Conclusion
Create a Castle had a shaky start while appearing on the Shark Tank. Despite criticisms of its profitability, the company has expanded its product line with the help of Kendra Scott. It has made the sales to cross $2 million. The company has also expanded to Australia and multiple locations in the United States. Create a Castle’s Journey shows how a simple idea can evolve into a successful business with proper investment and strategy.

My name is Saad, and I’m a Civil engineer turned web developer and a passionate content writer. One of my favorite tv shows to watch is Shark Tank. The entire business aspect of the show and how everyone wants to be an entrepreneur resonates with my inner entrepreneur side as well. Writing for the show as well as being a fan, I love every second that I write for it. Read more About me.








