Whatever Happened To SweepEasy Broom And Scraper After Shark Tank Season 2?

As anyone who's looked after children can attest, food, stickers, Play-Doh, and more will inevitably end up on the floor. More often than not, messes go unnoticed and eventually get stuck to the floor. Stay-at-home dad Shane Pannell knew exactly how frustrating and back-straining it could be to use a putty knife or butter knife to scrape gunk off the floor. "With a 9-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 2-year-old, the list of chores are endless," said Pannell. That's why he invented the SweepEasy "scrape and go" broom. "When someone comes across something like this dried-up oatmeal or yogurt or cereal on the floor, you simply scrape, sweep, and go."

This new take on an age-old cleaning tool allows you to extend a scraper blade from your broom and gently lift those stuck-on messes, then effortlessly whisk them away. The plastic scraper can even remove bandaids, tape, and stickers, and can be detached and swapped out with a metal version for even more heavy-duty clean-up. Keeping up with his busy family hadn't given founder and father, Pannell, much time to focus on his company, so he decided to brave the Shark Tank in season 2 (available on Hulu). Here's what happened on the episode and SweepEasy's journey after the show.

Shane Pannell introduced himself to the sharks and asked for $40,000 in exchange for 25% equity in SweepEasy. His patent was still pending, and he hadn't yet sold any brooms, but schools, hospitals, kitchens, janitorial supply companies, and more had already expressed great interest in the product. It didn't take long for the sharks to start a tussle over where Pannel should focus his efforts. 

Kevin O'Leary, who pushed for patents and licensing, offered $40,000 for 20%. Kevin Harrington interjected, stating that Pannell should go after both licensing and direct-to-consumer business and later offering $50,000 for 25%. O'Leary raised his offer to $50,000 for 20% if Pannell would "Stop listening to these guys." Daymond John jumped in the fight, "I'm bringing $75,000 for 33%, but we'll create an entire company." Robert Hajervac wanted to come in from a licensing angle too, joining with O'Leary to offer $80,000 for 25%. Then Harrington and John teamed up, offering $80,000 for 25% with more focus on TV infomercials and product placement. Pannell wanted to call his wife and confirm what was best for his family, but the sharks bit at him viciously and insulted his masculinity. Eventually, he committed to the deal with Harrington and John. "To have them be that excited about my product, it felt good," concluded Pannell, "And it'll allow my wife to stay home with the kids, so for that I am truly blessed and excited." 

Although he agreed to a deal with Daymond John and Kevin Harrington on the show, Shane Pannell's deal with the sharks was never actually finalized. Apparently, this isn't uncommon for Shark Tank contestants. While deals on the show are sensationalized and dramatized, about 43% of deals are never formally completed. At first, Pannell struggled to get his idea off the ground without the help of the shark, but he eventually found his footing. The episode aired in 2011, and by 2018, Pannell wrote on the company's Facebook page, "The SweepEasy is officially here! We appreciate your support and patience during our long seven-year process. But we couldn't be more thrilled with our final product and can't wait to share it with all of you!"

The SweepEasy had started selling online through Pannell's website and was even sold briefly on Amazon. In 2018, SweepEasy was also featured in Real Simple magazine and a handful of local news media outlets, boosting its publicity. While Pannell's company gained some notoriety from his appearance on Shark Tank, it seems that the Shark Tank effect wasn't a major factor in his business' slow-growing success.

As far as we can tell, SweepEasy is still in business, although they aren't nearly as active as they were back in 2018. The company website states that they are seeking retail, wholesale, and supply partners to help them get the SweepEasy onto shelves and into the hands of people who need them. Although Pannell never closed on a Shark Tank deal, his business seems to have continued success on its own. Some sources claim that SweepEasy earns an impressive $1 million in annual revenue today. 

The SweepEasy website is still operational, and you can still buy the product through their online storefront. It even comes in three trendy colors, green, orange, and blue! For a short time, SweepEasy also sold a compatible enclosed dustpan with wheels. Unfortunately, the special broom is no longer sold on Amazon. While they seem to still be selling the product, SweepEasy's social media pages have been very quiet since 2018, leading some potential customers and media outlets to speculate about the company's business status. 

Even though the Shark Tank deal didn't close, many considered Shane Pannell's episode appearance to be a sweeping success. He gained the attention of nearly every shark and walked away with an offer way above his original asking price. From a personal standpoint, many viewers could relate to the struggle of the stay-at-home dad and appreciated his knack for smart home-cleaning hacks. But what happened to the busy father of three after the episode, and where is he headed next? 

It's difficult to determine what Pannell's next big move will be, but he is still listed as the president of SweepEasy, LLC on his LinkedIn profile. Perhaps as his children continue to grow and eventually fly the nest, he'll find more time to pour into SweepEasy, promote the brand on social media, and generate new innovative products for his loyal fans. Who knows; more fashionable colors, a handheld version, or a creative vacuum-scraper may be on the horizon!