Lerin Lockwood lights up whenever she recalls the day in 2011 that ended badly. Then a high school art teacher and softball coach in Marble Falls, outside Austin, she was playing catch before a game when a softball slammed into Lockwood’s glove and she felt a sharp sting on her ring finger.
“When I pulled off the glove, I realized my engagement ring was flattened,” Lockwood says. “I’d lost a diamond out in left field, too. I dreaded telling my fiancé.”
Determined never again to damage or lose her jewelry, Lockwood, a member of Pedernales Electric Cooperative, invented a solution. The Lion Latch, which she named after her favorite animal, is a round, two-piece container just big enough to safely store a piece of jewelry. It uses a carabiner ring to secure the lid and attach to larger items, such as key rings, backpacks or water bottles.
Her softball story has since become one of many testimonials for Lion Latch, the business Lockwood launched in 2015. Ten years later, her startup company has grown from developing prototypes of her mini container to marketing thousands of patented Lion Latches made of unbreakable polycarbonate plastic.
As the CEO of her own company, Lockwood manages three part-time employees at the Lion Latch headquarters, located in a small commercial building in Burnet.
As for her treasured ring, she did get it repaired. She did marry her fiancé, Trent Lockwood. And she did become an entrepreneur intent on perfecting her product and learning how to run a business.
“My first ones weren’t big enough,” Lockwood recalls. “So I enlarged it to hold my husband’s collegiate ring and wedding band. After that, people started asking me for their own Lion Latch. I’d say, ‘I’m just a teacher. I can’t afford to manufacture these.’ ”
Then she learned about Kickstarter. Through the online funding platform, she raised $14,500 in presales, which covered production costs of her first Lion Latches. “I went to all the local gyms and stood on the back of parade floats, handing out my Kickstarter fliers,” she says. “My Burnet County community helped me create the Lion Latch. And they’ve supported me ever since.”
For the next three years, Lockwood focused on teaching and coaching. In the meantime, she sold Lion Latches online and packaged orders in her living room. When jewelry stores called, she learned how to wholesale. To broaden her customer base, she went to trade shows.
Her first break happened at Atlanta’s AmericasMart, where she connected with Good Morning America. That led to a Lion Latch clip on The View in 2019. Then Lockwood appeared live on GMA. More than 8,000 orders poured in. To meet demand, Lockwood hired some of her high school seniors to help with shipping.
The next year, a big dream came true when she pitched her invention to potential investors on Shark Tank, the business reality TV series. She didn’t get a deal, but thousands of orders flooded her website.
Wanting to free up more time for her company and family, Lockwood quit teaching in May 2021. At home, she and Trent have two children, Bowie and Thorn. She continued to run Lion Latch out of her living room. Then TikTok came calling in March 2023.
“They wanted me to be one of their first shops with TikTok Shop,” she says of the social media app that shares user-created videos. “They boosted my Lion Latch videos in return for helping them to build the platform. My sales went through the roof—like 1,200 orders a day!”
So she moved her business into the commercial space and bought a printer that enables customers to special-order Lion Latches imprinted with their logo or message—or animal prints, sports emblems and other themes.
Along the way, Lockwood has wanted to pull her hair out on occasion. For example, lots of trial and error went into finding U.S.-based manufacturers. Copycat ring holders have also been a headache. Patents, she discovered, are difficult to protect.
She’s learned a lot. Her top advice to entrepreneurs: Grow slowly.
“Don’t be in too big of a hurry to grow your business,” she says. “When you rush decisions, mistakes can be made, and you’ll lose both time and money.”
Lockwood says she loves inspiring people. “If you have an idea, you can do it!” she says, flashing one of her bright smiles. “It’s just going to take a lot of grit. And patience.”
