Shark Tank Success Story | How Billie Asmus Got Joanna Gaines to Say "Yes"

Billie Asmus was tired of plastic paint liners, half-used trays drying out overnight, and trying to save paint with foil and plastic bags, so she started messing around in her basement to see if she could make something better. That curiosity turned into a reusable paint tray, a lot of Google searches, a year of prototyping and manufacturing, and eventually a moment standing in the Shark Tank longer than expected, fighting for the right partners. In this conversation, Billie walks through what it actually looked like to build the RePaint Tray from scratch, what surprised her most about running a product-based business, and how listening to everyday painters shaped both the product and the community that grew around it.Billie Asmus is the founder of RePaint Studios and the creator of the RePaint Tray, a reusable paint tray designed to make painting less wasteful and easier to pick back up. She comes from a furniture flipping and marketing background and built the product by testing it herself and listening closely to the people using it.Connect with RePaint Studios:WebsiteIGTikTokFacebookCreative Finds:Zibra Edger Series Brush - use code BANTER10 for 10% offIn this episode, we discuss:The $50 basement prototype that proved the idea was worth chasingWhat no one warns you about when you start manufacturing a physical productWhy Billie stayed in the Shark Tank longer than expected, and how she decided who to fight forThe design choices that came from real painter feedback, not trendsHow a paint tray unexpectedly helped people return to painting againWhat it looks like when a product becomes a communityWelcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.Connect with Zibra: WebsiteInstagramTikTokFacebook YouTubeBlog