Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert’s business is indeed turning heads. What started as a problem-solving idea for young athletes and professionals has turned into an $850k empire. The fast-growing sports venture hasn’t just caught the attention of customers, but also Shark Tank, the show that’s hot among aspiring entrepreneurs. Now, the burning question is: Did the former Packers QB accept the tempting offer?

“We had to respectfully decline further steps because we aren’t looking for funding, but what an honor to be considered for the show,” he wrote on X. “I’ve been a fan for a long time and love what they do. ❤️”

Despite his appreciation for the opportunity, Benkert’s response clarified he’s focusing on building his football brand his own way. After retiring from the NFL, the former quarterback didn’t wait long to work on his brainchild. Having meaningful professional experience from multiple teams, he observed a simple yet frustrating problem. Many footballs available straight from the box were tough for kids to throw and catch, were often of the wrong size with the laces and leather feeling cheap. 

To solve this grip problem, the 30-year-old founded The Dime Lab with Matt Blakely. It began as a side hustle but then took center stage in Benkert and Blakely’s careers over the past year. Now, it’s a full-time business that has gained a reputation for producing footballs with better grip, durability, and overall feel. The brand’s goal is simple: make backyard football more fun and accessible for everyone. Safe to say, the efforts paid off.

Since launching in July last year, The Dime Lab has sold over 17,000 products by early April 2025. The figure resulted in around $850,000 in gross sales, according to Business Insider. 75% of the revenue comes from selling footballs, with The Dime leading the category. It’s a khaki-colored leather ball built for grip and weather resistance. With 390,000 YouTube subscribers and 325,000 Instagram followers, Kurt Benkert leverages his social media presence to promote his business.

The player’s feed is filled with quarterback tips and training content, which has helped him build credibility among customers.

“I knew I’d be able to sell it through my social media, through YouTube, TikTok, all that, as long as it was good quality,” the former quarterback said, “Once it caught fire, that’s when Matt and I decided, ‘what do we want to do with this? Do we want this to just be a side hustle, or do we want to really go for it?'”

The superstar of the company, though, is a leather khaki ball, The Dime, that is built for better grip and weather resistance. With the product targeting mainly high school and college athletes, 4,500 units were sold till April of this year, totaling to $273,000 in sales.

Apart from this, the company also sells four more balls in varying colors and sizes, some for junior and youth players and others for high school and college athletes. It also has a product made specifically for wet conditions, named the Water Football.

What’s more, Benkert also makes use of his own football knowledge to cater to customers. The company not only sells training guides and materials. Benkert also wrote a book on insights, an e-book that is among the top five sold products with $120,000 in sales at The Dime Lab.

“I knew that if we had the right football paired with the teaching videos, I could make these teaching videos and also sell a product,” Benkert said.

With the trajectory Benkert’s company has taken, no wonder an offer from Shark Tank seemed lackluster.