ABC
Trey Brown and Sherell Peterson are entrepreneurs who took their company Spergo to the sharks on “Shark Tank” to see if they could get one of the sharks to invest in their company during the November 5, 2021 episode of the hit ABC show.
The episode synopsis revealed, “A kidpreneur from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, showcases his love of design and passion for his community with his trendy clothing brand that he hopes will inspire youth all over the world.”
The entrepreneurs pitched their company to OG sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec and Daymond John.
Here’s what you need to know about Spergo on “Shark Tank:”
1. Spergo Founder Trey Brown Is a 15-Year-Old With A Mission
Trey Brown is a 15-year-old entrepreneur from a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who founded his clothing like Spergo when he was 12-years-old, his website revealed. At that point, Trey was becoming more aware of the violence that was taking place in his community. He founded Spergo to attempt to inspire his peers to stay out of trouble and follow their dreams.
He used the money he received for his birthday to buy and design 16 t-shirts. One week later, he’d sold all 16 t-shirts. He officially launched Spergo on Martin Luther King Day in 2018. Spergo’s website revealed that over the course of just 18 months, Trey has sold 30,000 pieces of merchandise and grossed more than $200,000 in sales for several months in a row.
In an interview with Philly magazine, Trey said, “Kids are being killed; kids are killing kids. I created SPERGO to give myself and my friends another option. SPERGO keeps me busy and off the streets. This year, I was able to hire four of my friends and my brother at the Odunde Festival, and it felt so good to give them an opportunity to make money while doing something positive.”
2. Celebrities Are Fans of Spergo
Spergo didn’t just catch on in Trey Brown’s community. It also garnered the attention of a number of high-profile celebrities. Spergo’s website revealed that “Meek Mill, Tierra Whack, Da Baby, Sean Combs, Eric Thomas, Shaquille O’Neil, Charles Barkley, Grant Hill, GHerbo and Ed Mylett can be found sporting SPERGO gear or encouraging the young mogul on social media.”
Brown spoke about his mentors in an interview with Philly magazine, saying, “I have mentors all over the world, some that I have met in person and some that I haven’t. Some people that I look up to are Diddy, Jay-Z, Daymond John, Ed Mylett, Grant Cardone, and Steve Jobs. They’ve had major success, and I study them and what they have done to be successful.”
He went on to reveal that he also listens to podcasts and audiobooks in an effort to learn something new every day.
3. He Reinvests 100% of His Earnings
Brown built Spergo into a thriving business by reinvesting 100% of his earnings to grow his business. He revealed in an interview with Philly mag, “I started SPERGO with $178, which was part of my birthday money. I asked my mom if I could start a clothing line, and she said, ‘Yes, we will research it.'”
Brown went on to reveal that he dove into his burgeoning business with enthusiasm. He told the outlet, “But I took the initiative to reach out to some local people for help. A guy named Nehemiah Davis sent me about five hours of courses that he created on how to start a T-shirt business in 30 days… We bought blank t-shirts and got them printed. As soon as we got them, I went to local shops to sell them.”
Brown sold the t-shirts for $20 each. He took that money, made 32 more shirts, sold them and so on, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. By the time he turned 13, he’d sold $40,000 worth of t-shirts.
Spergo is expanding far beyond Philadelphia. Trey told the outlet, “I just shipped clothing to the Netherlands and France. A couple of weeks ago DaBaby had on SPERGO for three days straight. That was one of my most proud moments to see DaBaby — a number one platinum artist — wearing our Leo sweatsuit, our flex jacket, our durag, and our unisex crewneck.”
4. Diddy Surprised Him on ‘Ellen’
In 2020, Diddy surprised Trey Brown in a segment on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show. In the video, he reveals that the name Spergo is a combination of Sports + Hero + Go because, in his words, “I’m always on the go.”
He also revealed that he was given Diddy’s number at one point and so he decided to FaceTime him. Diddy then posted a pic with Brown decked out in Spergo clothes on his Instagram. In the video, Diddy surprises Brown as he’s talking about how inspired he is by the rapper.
Diddy spoke about how Brown FaceTimed him every day and he was blown away by “his tenacity, his focus, by the quality of his clothing. Diddy then presented him with what he called a Black Excellence Entrepreneurial Award and gave him a messenger bag filled with $25,000 in cash.
Brown used that $25,000 to open his first brick-and-mortar store, the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed.
5. Trey Brown’s Mom was Able to Retire Thanks to Spergo’s Revenue
Trey Brown revealed that he started Spergo so that kids like him, who grew up struggling and moving from rental home to rental home in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Philadelphia, would be inspired to find their own way out to a better life, the Philadelphia Inquirer revealed.
Eight months after he started Spergo, Brown, his mom and his younger brother were able to move into a much better neighborhood. A year into his business, Trey needed help so his mom retired from her job as a third grade teacher to help out, the outlet reported.
“I retired my Mom at 13 years old!” he said. But it’s not like Trey’s mom Sherell is sitting at home eating bonbons. She is Spergo’s COO handling media requests, contracts and transportation, the outlet revealed. She also accompanies him into the “Shark Tank” to pitch Spergo to the sharks.