CurlMix, Once a “Shark Tank” Standout, Now Fighting to Survive Due to Rising Costs and Tariffs [Video]

CurlMix co-founder Kim Lewis is calling on her community for help as her company faces possible closure.

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The Chicago entrepreneur says her natural haircare brand needs 20,000 new orders by December to survive after a difficult financial year, filled with tariff challenges and rising costs.

In an emotional Instagram video, Kim opened up about the issues she’s faced trying to keep the adored company running.

“This has been the most difficult year in business,” she said. “This year in business was harder than COVID, with tariffs and taxes and ingredient costs going up and shipping time slowing down.”

She added, “Cash is tighter, it’s hard to get inventory. Business is just harder to run, and funding has dried up. There’s no other place to get the money.”

She revealed that CurlMix has downsized drastically to survive. Despite the struggles, Kim hasn’t given up, launching the Protect CurlMix campaign. Now, she is encouraging supporters to purchase a $100 bundle that includes ten of the brand’s best-selling products or make a donation.

“If we get 20,000 orders in the next 60 days, we can stay alive and thrive,” she said. “We will have turned the business around, and we should be self-sufficient after that. I just need help one last time.”

CurlMix has had major highs since its start. Kim and her husband, Tim, turned down a $400,000 offer on “Shark Tank” in 2019, choosing instead to raise $1.2 million independently in 2020. They later launched crowdfunding campaigns that brought in millions more, including $5.7 million in 2024 from over 9,000 investors.

Sadly, Kim says it hasn’t been enough.

“Our crowdfund that we raised last year was not enough. We needed four times what we actually raised, and we didn’t get it,” she admitted.

Determined to keep the brand moving, Kim revealed her family has put in their own money and borrowed from mentors to assist the dire situation.