Shae Thompson, a 29-year-old from Crosby, has turned an £18 business idea into a six-figure venture within months. Her brand GRIP, launched on TikTok Shop in March, has sold more than 5,000 slick-back brushes designed for Black and textured hair and secured a deal with LOOKFANTASTIC.
From Personal Frustration to Product Launch
The former social media manager, who spent years helping other businesses grow, created GRIP after struggling to find slick-back brushes suited to her naturally curly hair. As a mixed-race woman of Caribbean heritage, she found the category had seen little innovation and was largely designed with straight hair in mind. A conversation with the former CEO of Tangle Teezer sparked the idea of reimagining this everyday product.
Before launching, Shae gifted the brush to several celebrity hairstylists, with launch week coinciding with the MOBO Awards. Within three days, recipients including Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock had used the product, followed by a series of other high-profile creators.
Celebrity Recognition and Rapid Growth
Shae spotted Molly-Mae Hague at Tommy Fury's fight, wearing a slicked-back hairstyle, and joked to friends: "That's my brush." The next day, Molly-Mae's hairstylist messaged Shae to confirm he had used the GRIP brush to create her hairstyle.
Shae told the ECHO: "It was really scary to take the initial risk. Obviously, it was something I sat on for quite a long time, and it wasn't until I kind of found the courage one evening to sit with my partner, place that first stock order, and just have it arrive."
Building a Community on TikTok
Shae had already built an audience on her personal TikTok account before launching GRIP, and has since grown it to over 100,000 followers. She documented the process of creating GRIP, from product development and packaging to manufacturing and building the brand from scratch.
She said: "I built GRIP because I couldn't find a brush that worked for my hair - and TikTok Shop is what turned that idea into a real business. It helped me get GRIP in front of the right people at the right time, build a community and create momentum from day one."
TikTok Awards Recognition
Shae has been shortlisted for the TikTok Awards UK 2026, nominated for 'TikTok Shop Creator of the Year'. The awards recognise 79 creators across 13 categories. Voting is open in-app until Wednesday, November 18, ahead of the ceremony in London on Tuesday, December 1, where Tinie Tempah will perform.
She said: "I launched on TikTok Shop before even my website was ready, and so it's just amazing to have a bit of a full-circle moment. My family are super happy, and my sisters, who are a little bit younger, knew exactly what the TikTok Awards were and how big a deal it was."
