By Eric Stann
Jan. 22, 2025
Contact: Eric Stann, 573-882-3346, StannE@missouri.edu
Lindsay Mullenger, BS BA ’10, is jumping head-first into the “Shark Tank” — ABC’s business-themed reality television show — with an entrepreneurial dream: making a deal to secure funding with one of the world’s savviest investors.
On Friday, January 24, Mullenger makes a pitch to the “sharks” about her startup online retail business, Petite Keep. The episode airs at 7 p.m. CST.
“Being on ‘Shark Tank’ is truly a surreal and exhilarating experience,” she said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share Petite Keep's story with such a wide audience. As an entrepreneur, you dream about moments like this — where you can showcase your passion, your hard work and the potential of your business to some of the most influential investors in the world. It’s a mix of excitement, gratitude and nerves, but ultimately, it’s an incredible platform to highlight the brand we’ve built and the customers we serve every day. I feel so honored to represent the hard work of my team, my family and the customers who have supported us on this journey.”
Crafted with love and filled with memories
Founded in January 2020, Petite Keep develops trunks to help people store their treasured memories from weddings, births and other major life events in style.
Petite Keep’s touches, including custom embroidery and luxe hardware, set each heirloom piece apart. The quality and style of her products ensure that cherished memories stay safe for generations.
"Our customers have brought us into some of the most important moments of their lives,” she said. “They're bringing us into these very pivotal moments, and we want to bring them solutions that deliver on protecting these memories.”
Mullenger first developed the idea for her small business in 2018. At the time, she was looking for a special way to hold some items for her oldest daughter, who was 18 months old then.
"I was looking for a nice keepsake box,” she said. “I'm not an overly sentimental person, but I do like to keep a couple nice things, and I like to have them organized in a place. I couldn't find anything that was elevated to the aesthetic I wanted for the room.”
What started as a side project during free time on nights and weekends quickly grew. After the company produced six figures in revenue during its first year, Mullenger realized a greater opportunity was available to her. So, she left her corporate job in 2021 and focused her attention full-time on growing her small business.
Initially, Mullenger and her husband worked with her parents and fellow Tigers, Mike Durbin, BA ’82, and Dorothy “Dotti” (Heiman) Durbin, BS HES ’82, to create the products from their homes. But they quickly outgrew that business model, and Mullenger moved her growing operations to a nearby warehouse in the greater St. Louis area.
With her prior experience working with large commercial box store buyers in the consumer packaged goods industry, Mullenger said the opportunity to connect directly to her customers through her online business has been valuable.
"The direct-to-consumer space is a really special space, because you own that relationship with your customers,” she said. “I'm able to speak to them and hear why they're coming to us and why they're returning to us.”
A legacy of Tigers
Mullenger — whose brother, Nicholas Durbin BS ChE ’15, completes the current family legacy at Mizzou — admits she wasn’t sold on coming to Mizzou as a legacy student. Then, when she was a senior at Kirkwood High School in St. Louis, she met Mary Beth Marrs, an associate teaching professor at Trulaske.
At the time, Marrs had just started as director of the Cornell Leadership Program (CLP) at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business. Mullenger took a leap of faith, enrolling at Mizzou. She would go on to attend CLP’s first Tigers on Wall Street corporate trip in 2008.
“Lindsay had an insatiable curiosity about everything that was only matched by her optimism and determination,” Marrs said at the time. “She’s absolutely fearless, and Lindsay was a joy to have in class. I am confident these attributes will ensure her success as an entrepreneur.”
Marrs’ words continue to ring true today as Mullenger faces the sharks.
“The University of Missouri played a pivotal role in shaping my career and leadership journey,” Mullenger said. “Through my experience at Mizzou, particularly as a part of the Cornell Leadership Program, I gained not only a solid foundation in business principles but also a deeper understanding of the value of hard work, integrity and resilience. The hands-on learning opportunities and the mentorship I received there prepared me for real-world challenges and helped me develop a strategic mindset.”
Mullenger said Mizzou also gave her the chance to network and build relationships with peers and professors who challenged and inspired her.
“The lessons I learned there — both in and out of the classroom — have stayed with me throughout my career, from my time at Procter & Gamble to leading my own company today,” she said. “I’ll always be grateful for the role Mizzou played in shaping the person and professional I am today.”
