Kriti Mehrotra
The brand of Lisa Frank Incorporated has always been instantly recognizable thanks to its over-the-top color palettes as well as designs. The truth is this entire organization was extremely popular throughout the 1980s and 1990s, only to now be back in the limelight owing to the trendy wave of nostalgia taking over the world. This has even resulted in Amazon’s Prime Video coming up with a documentary titled ‘Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story,’ leaving us all to wonder much more about the namesake and her career.
How Did Lisa Frank Earn Her Money?
It was likely when Lisa Frank was just a young girl that she first developed an interest in the world of arts as a result of her surroundings, only for it to continue expanding as the years passed. Her father was actually a collector, so she was essentially always around art before he even formally introduced her to the work of some renowned pop creators who ended up becoming her idols. Therefore, of course, this Cranbrook Kingswood Preparatory School 1972 graduate chose to pursue a Bachelor’s in the same field from the University of Arizona almost as soon as she was able.
According to reports, it was then that artist Lisa established her business. She had noticed there was an open market for children’s jewelry, so she took advantage of it by launching Sticky Fingers. The company actually started from the guest house in her family’s backyard, only to then achieve such success that it ended up evolving into and rebranding itself as Lisa Frank Inc. in 1979. Since then, the business has primarily been known for its school supplies and similar products, all of which feature the founder’s distinct cartoonish animals as well as rainbow-colored artwork on top.
Lisa’s most popular products have always included lunchboxes, sticker packets, and toys, yet she, as well as the market, was more than ready to have her spread her wings further by the 2010s. Thus, she came up with the idea of releasing a colorful clothing line in 2011 before partnering with Reebok around six years later to launch two limited editions of Reebok Classic Leather shoes. As if that’s not enough, she has since designed the logo for John Mayer’s 2019 Instagram television series ‘Current Mood,’ collaborated with Evite on a line of digital invitations, and even worked alongside Crocs in 2023 to establish a whole new range of original platform clogs.
Lisa Frank’s Net Worth
Since Lisa is known to be notoriously private about all aspects of her life, it’s unclear precisely how much money she has earned throughout her 45-year-long career as of writing. However, we do know she was an artist and a businesswoman, leading her own empire until 2019, only for one of her two sons to now serve among the company’s executives to carry on her legacy. As for her own standing, she is reportedly focusing more on the creative aspect of her profession these days, especially because that is what has always interested her and encouraged her to keep going, no matter what.
In fact, in a rare 2015 interview with Refinery 29, Lisa conceded, “I feel like I’m fortunate enough to live my passion. I don’t need to work, and on a bad day, I want to throw in the towel. In [the past] five years, I’ve probably quit 500 times. My true passion is art, so I don’t want to just put trash out there. If it’s junk, I won’t put my name on it. There’s a big commitment to making beautiful, quality work. Otherwise, I really don’t want to be involved. I mean, yes, it’s a business, but it’s more important that the art is beautiful.” So, of course, it’s evident she has managed to accumulate a lot of wealth over the years.
As per reports, Lisa Frank Inc. generated around $60 to $100 million per year in revenue during its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, just for this number to be roughly $7 million now, in the early 2020s. Furthermore, it’s imperative to note that during this founder’s 2005 divorce proceedings with her husband of 15 years, James Green, who also served as the company’s then-President and CEO, it was made public the organization has made an astounding $1 billion in profit since its establishment in 1979. Therefore, considering Lisa’s possible hefty number of shares in her namesake brand, her salary as its former lead designer, her expenses, and her potential savings, investments, assets, as well as liabilities, we believe her net worth to be in the range of $400 million.
Read More: Lisa Frank: Where is the Artist and Entrepreneur Now?
