Aces of Trades: R. Riveter handbag company flourishes after being on 'Shark Tank'

Drew Bracken
·3 min read
Lisa Bradley, a Granville resident, is the CEO of R. Riveter, a handbag company that appeared on "Shark Tank" and combines the skills and interests of a team of workers across the country.
Lisa Bradley, a Granville resident, is the CEO of R. Riveter, a handbag company that appeared on "Shark Tank" and combines the skills and interests of a team of workers across the country.
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GRANVILLE — She married a military man, and that gave her a winning idea.

“I grew up as a very energetic, happy and optimistic kid,” Lisa Bradley said. “My parents were entrepreneurs, and I grew up knowing the ups and downs and long hours of owning and running your own business. My parents raised my sister and I to be self-sufficient and I always knew I’d start my own business, but after I met my husband and we started the pattern of many military moves, I started to wonder if that would be possible.”

Today, Bradley, a Granville resident, is cofounder and CEO of R. Riveter, a one-of-a-kind handbag company that has garnered the support of investor Mark Cuban of TV's "Shark Tank."

“I’m the CEO of a complicated and rewarding manufacturing process,” she explained. “Our entire business model revolves around giving remote work to women who need a form of income that’s flexible and mobile.”

“How do we find our girl gang to hire?” she asked. “Women who are wives of military, civil servants or who are redefining themselves and are in need of flexible income, apply to become a Riveter. They are then certified in crafting a specific part or piece of a bag. They complete their parts in their home office, basement, attic, kids’ playroom — wherever works for them.

"As they complete their pieces, they stamp their unique-to-them RR I.D. number on each and ship them to our finishing facility where another Riveter will fully construct the bag. When all is said and done, the bag is quality-controlled, packaged and sent to customers nationwide, or to either of our shops.”

The name R. Riveter came from World War II icon Rosie the Riveter.

“The company,” Bradley said, “perfectly encapsulates Rosie’s ‘We can do it’ attitude and empowerment of women in the workplace. As a company founded by women, we owe it to those who came before us and those who will come after to continue acting as positive agents of change. In turn, these steady income opportunities can provide ease of mind for our military families and help them be as focused as possible on their mission at hand.”

Bradley grew up in Columbus, Montana, graduated from high school there in 2003, then attended the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, on a track scholarship. In Bismarck, she met Jason Bradley.

Each R. Riveter product is labeled with the identification numbers of the employees who blended their skills and vision.
Each R. Riveter product is labeled with the identification numbers of the employees who blended their skills and vision.

The two married and spent the next six years at four Army duty stations. Along the way, Bradley earned her MBA and launched R. Riveter with her friend, Cameron Cruse. After appearing on the TV show "Shark Tank" in 2016 and receiving an initial investment from Cuban, the brand took off.

According to Bradley, with Cuban’s support and expertise, the business saw financial growth and increased its customer following. The team has since grown to 80 Riveters, including 35 remote Riveters and 45 employees.

“Lisa isn’t your typical CEO,” said Sara Exel, the Ohio-based creative director of R. Riveter. “Like Rosie, she’s willing to get dirty, pull her sleeves up, stop whatever she’s doing, pivot and be hands-on to make it work! That inspires me to do my best every day and to always give 110%.”

“Knowing that thousands of capable, inspiring spouses were in our shoes,” Bradley said, “we wanted to create an outlet for others and somehow provide the security and self-reliance of a full-time job that would be as mobile and as flexible as the military lifestyle demands. We knew we wanted to help military spouses, well before we knew we could make one-of-a kind purses. Cameron and I decided to use the skills we had, both with graduate education and a bias for action, to make our own jobs.

“For every person who has felt the need to, or been forced to, start over, this company was created for them,” she concluded. “It’s living proof anything is possible with hard work, persistence, and dedication.”

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821.

For more information

To contact R. Riveter, go to www.rriveter.com.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Aces of Trades: Lisa Bradley's R. Riveter handbag company flourishes