Wendy Hoffmeister is in the business of spreading cheer. She left her job as a labor and delivery nurse manager to go full time into making gnomes. Yes, gnomes — the stubby creatures with fluffy beards and hats bigger than they are.
Hoffmeister and her team of four employees make decorative gnomes for holidays and special occasions. The gnomes are all handmade. The team sells an average of 60 gnomes per day and can make as many as 150 per day, she said. They work out of Hoffmeister's home in Charlotte.
Hoffmeister made her first gnome in late 2019, at first replicating a YouTube video with a rice-filled sock. The design has since evolved. The base is now a cardboard or styrofoam cone, and she has an injection mold to make her signature boots. Hoffmeister created an Etsy online shop to sell them. By early 2020, she had managed to sell more than 100 in a month.
"You can make a gnome out of any idea pretty much," Hoffmeister said. "I listed it one day, and it sold the next day. So, then I made some more and they sold, and then it's just continued on from there."
Prices range from $30 to $40 per gnome.
The business reached a pivotal moment in 2021. Hoffmeister landed a $200,000 deal with Daymond John on ABC's "Shark Tank," a show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas for funding. John, a nationally known entrepreneur, will have 30% equity in the company.
Hoffmeister said she applied one night after having a few glasses of wine. She didn't tell anyone or think about it anymore until the show contacted her a couple of months later. There are many steps before getting on TV, including a five-minute video pitch, applications and due diligence. She said roughly 40,000 entrepreneurs apply to "Shark Tank" every year; only about 90 make it on air. For her, it was a "once-in-a-lifetime, surreal experience."
Hoffmeister flew to Los Angeles with her daughter in July, having just relocated here from California to be closer to family. She didn't know if her clips made the cut until three weeks before the Dec. 10 air date.
Entrepreneurs have two minutes to pitch their business without stopping.
"I usually don't have a problem speaking in front of people," Hoffmeister said. "But it's different when you walk onto that and you stand on the carpet in front of them. It's a little nerve-wracking. They don't do any retakes."
Hoffmeister said she hadn't considered partnering with John, thinking about Barbara Corcoran or Mark Cuban instead. However, she knew he was the right pick after his reaction to a fishing-themed gnome. Hoffmeister said she thinks her customers are reaching for something positive in today's world.
There are many avenues for where the business can go, Hoffmeister said. She is considering using the funding for a new space to make the gnomes, similar to the one she had in California. There could also be retail locations for customers to design their own gnomes. Other ideas include licensing for sports logos and characters or make-your-own-gnome kits.
She said startup founders need to be OK with setbacks. Life is short, as further emphasized by the pandemic.
"I sleep four hours a night, I get up, and I really love it. I just love to keep busy and keep working hard," Hoffmeister said. "I didn't think this would be my path, so I just don't know what the future holds, but I'm happy."
