The local entrepreneur behind Boca-based Sealed by Santa may soon see her holiday wishes come true.
Sealed by Santa lets customers send children personalized letters from Santa that are printed on gold parchment and marked with an official North Pole Postmark and wax seal. The company also offers video messages from the man in red, a "Nice List" certificate, and evidence kits to prove that Santa stopped by.
Sarah Blain, who founded the business 11 years ago, recently pitched Sealed by Santa to investors on ABC's hit series "Shark Tank." The episode is set to premiere Friday, Dec. 9, at 9 p.m.
A Christmas enthusiast, Blain started Sealed by Santa after selling her first business, a graphic T-shirt company. As interest declined in graphic tees, she looked to start a new endeavor centered on something that wasn't simply "trendy."
"I love Christmas and was excited to start a business around my favorite holiday," she said. "Now being a mom, this has been a great business to be able to do both."
More than 100,000 children (including Blain's own daughters, Sienna, 6, and Milan, 4) have since received Sealed by Santa letters at Christmastime.
The single "momtrepreneur" lives in Delray Beach with her two daughters and previously lived in Boca Raton, where she also attended Florida Atlantic University. When she got the news that she would be on "Shark Tank," Blain says she was having a bad day, but the timely opportunity was an automatic pick-me-up.
"It was the best news I could have received that day, and I was literally overjoyed with happiness."
Blain pitched The Sharks to help fund Sealed by Santa's expansion with letters from other fictional figures, more polished videos, and boosted marketing efforts—in exchange for a 25 percent stake in the company.
Though the results of the episode have been kept under wraps, Sealed by Santa now offers letters from the Easter Bunny and a summer letter from Santa to remind children halfway to Christmas that they should strive to stay on the Nice List.
Blain also has a "partnership" with the Tooth Fairy planned to launch in 2017.
Photos courtesy Sealed by Santa
The local entrepreneur behind Boca-based Sealed by Santa may soon see her holiday wishes come true. Sarah Blain, who founded the business 11 years ago, had the chance to pitch Sealed by Santa to investors on "Shark Tank," and the episode will air this week. It premieres Friday, Dec. 9 on ABC at 9 p.m.