Mai Lieu is the Founder, CEO, and President of Crea Products Inc, a product development and advisory firm that encourages and conveys innovative and creative products that improve consumers’ quality of life.
She has more than 7 first-place international hairdressing awards as an inventor and entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in the beauty industry. She has lived and worked in the United States, Canada, China, and Europe.
Mai has advanced training from Vidal Sassoon, Toni & Guy, Sebastian, and Wella. In 2008, she was named one of the top four businesswomen in Cambridge’s Who’s Who, chosen from 500,000 businesses. In 2008 and 2009, she was nominated for Best New Product of the Year (by the Stevie Award for Women in business).
She has appeared on Home Shopping Network and sold out. Her success story has been featured in the best-selling book Law of Business Attraction, the Star-Bulletin, KITV, KHNL TV, Hawaii’s Business MidWeek, and on more than ten radio stations.
She is passionate about finding solutions and is committed to living a life full of inspiration, creativity, and passion. This inspires a way of being that enables others to realize their dreams.
Mai approaches Shark Tank with an offer of 10% in exchange for $200,000. She uses the CreaClips to trim her own bangs and hair as the Sharks look on, skeptical, until she finishes, demonstrating that the clips are flawless.
She then distributes samples of her other products, including CreaLash and CreaNails stencils. Kevin O’Leary, one of the Sharks, inquires about sales so far. Mai’s main product, CreaClips, has sold $500,000 in the last year. She has 30,000 YouTube subscribers and 20 million views. After her video went viral, he sold 150,000 units in a single week. The CreaClip costs $30. CreaNails and CreaLash cost $24.99. She gets a profit of 66%.
Robert Herjavec is transitioned by Mai’s story. His father was indeed a refugee, and he believes that “nothing I can ever do will be as difficult as what he did.” Robert believes he isn’t the best partner for Mai and departs.
Mark Cuban follows suit, claiming that he, too, is not the right partner. Kevin O’Leary remarks that hair products are clearly not a line he can promote. Barbara Corcoran and Lori Greiner are the only remaining Sharks.
The two shark ladies debate whether or not to make a deal. Barbara jokes that she’s willing to make an unusual offer in the Tank—a full-price offer… from Lori. Barbara says that she doesn’t “see room for an investor” in the product and, while she wishes Mae the best and hopes she succeeds, she’s not making an offer.
Lori is the last remaining Shark. She makes a $200,000 offer in exchange for a 25% stake. She believes that some engineering work is required. Mai responds with 20%, but Lori is only willing to meet her halfway, at 22.5 percent. Mai accepts the Shark deal and exits the Tank.
The deal with Lori never materialized, but the Shark Tank effect increased Crea Products’ sales by 5000%. Mai was featured as the model for Honokaa in a 2017 calendar, and she visited Canada on a speaking tour in August 2016. Mai’s business and online presence are still growing. Her self-help hair trimming and makeup application products enable her to support her parents, a dream she has always had.
The company is still in operation as of June 2022, with annual revenue of $3 million.
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