Shae Thompson, a 29-year-old from Liverpool, has built a hairbrush business that generates up to £1,500 a day after turning a lifelong beauty struggle into a TikTok Shop brand called GRIP. Since officially launching in March 2026, the business has grown quickly enough to be on track to pass six figures in sales within six months, Thompson told This is Money.
The idea came after Thompson pulled her 27-year-old hairbrush from her bag in front of friends, who reacted with horror and asked why she was carrying a "dog brush." Thompson, who is mixed black, white and Caribbean, said it was the same brush she had used daily since childhood, and only then did she realise how much of a staple item it was for her.
Slicked-back hair became known as the "clean girl aesthetic" in 2022, with celebrities including Hailey Bieber, Lizzo and members of the Kardashian family adopting the style. Thompson said finding a brush suited to different hair types was harder, and when she searched big brands for a similar product she found nothing. The nearest alternative was a black hair shop 45 minutes away.
From idea to launch
Thompson began searching for a slicked-back brush in August 2024, while working as a social media manager. She worked with a supplier to design one, and chose to sell through TikTok Shop rather than build her own website "because it seemed like a great marketing avenue for the business," given the audience she had already built through her job.
It took five rounds of sampling, and five brushes tested, before a market-ready design emerged in December 2025, with a wooden handle, boar bristles and nylon. Initial samples cost around £200, and Thompson placed a first order of 1,000 brushes to sell at £17.99 each.
Celebrity hairstylists drive exposure
To build awareness ahead of launch, Thompson gifted brushes to as many celebrity hairstylists as possible. "It was crazy from week one and I don't want to say lucky, because it took a lot of hard work, but prior to launch, when my stock landed, I started gifting the brush to as many celebrity hairstylists as possible," she said. "They're on set every day, they're probably going to use the brush frequently and they're going to create content for me. So it was a bit of a nifty way in order to get some content in as well as exposure and connections in the industry."
The launch week coincided with the Mobo Awards and the Brit Awards, widening its reach. That week, Samie Elishi, winner of Love Island All Stars, contacted Thompson after her stylist used the brush on her. The brush has since been used by stylists working with Molly-Mae Hague, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Ella Thomas, and has been endorsed by Andrew Fitzsimons, whose past clients include Kim Kardashian and Madonna. Beauty entrepreneur P.Louise has also reviewed it.
Breaking even and building revenue
GRIP broke even within a month of its March 2026 launch, taking more than £10,000 in sales and recovering start-up costs of £4,000 that covered sampling, stock, packaging and branding. Thompson funded the business herself from her freelance social media earnings, without dipping into savings or taking outside investment.
One of her early milestones was passing £5,000 a week in revenue. On its best days the business now sells more than 100 brushes, with sales topping £1,500; on a steady day it sells around 30 to 40. About 77 per cent of revenue comes through TikTok Shop, and the brand has reached 8.8 million organic views without any paid advertising.
Thompson said TikTok Shop actively supports sellers with promotions. "TikTok will tell you to do things like a little flash sale," she said. "They'll say, 'I think you should do this sale. If you can't afford to right now, kind of let us know', and they sometimes can subsidise the cost for you. So you as a seller don't lose out on any of your profit."
A one-woman operation
Thompson runs the business alone, with occasional help from her family, who assist with packaging; she jokes that her father acts as "warehouse manager." She also has freelance support for PR and paid advertising. Stock is stored in her own two-bedroom flat, with the largest restock so far totalling 5,000 brushes.
The hours are "endless," Thompson said. "You don't really switch off. I'll be checking sales until midnight." Her customers are mostly women styling slicked-back looks, along with mothers buying for daughters, gymnasts, female footballers and cabin crew.
Going full-time
Thompson continued freelancing alongside the business until around July 2026, when demand grew too much to manage alongside her other work. "It was literally a case of can I afford to quit now?" she said. "In terms of are my bills paid and is everything covered? And it was like, yeah, OK. And that's when it felt right for me." She did not disclose her current salary.
Her advice to anyone starting a business is to listen to their audience and build a product that meets their needs. "You need to have a genuine passion for it and you need to just be really genuine," she said, adding that she has brought her audience along on the journey, from the day a delivery lorry arrived outside her flat to the brand's later success.
"Nothing was rushed and no corners were cut," she said. "We've only launched six months ago. I have no intention of just churning something out for the sake of it. Everything's going to take time and effort to make sure that it's right."
