Remember those long, weird months in 2020 when we were all stuck inside, desperately looking for anything to break the monotony?
Most of us baked banana bread or started a podcast that lasted exactly three episodes. David McGranaghan and Julian Miller, on the other hand, accidentally built a company that’s now on track to pull in millions. And yeah, they’re married to each other. Sometimes life really is stranger—and sweeter—than fiction.
When Family Parties Become Your Full-Time Job
Picture this: Christmas at one of their family homes. As former actors, David and Julian were always the designated “entertainers.” If the vibe started dipping after dinner, guess who everyone looked at? Exactly. So they started inventing ridiculous games to keep everyone laughing.
One of those games involved grabbing cardboard bananas with giant plastic monkey tails strapped around your waist. Sounds completely absurd, right? It is. And that absurdity turned out to be pure gold.
Fast-forward to 2020. With theaters dark and film sets shut down, the couple suddenly had time on their hands. The family kept asking, “Where can we buy that banana game?” Instead of brushing it off, they thought—why not actually sell it?
The Game That Started Everything
They launched It’s Bananas in late 2020. The rules are gloriously simple: strap on the monkey tail, try to collect banana cards faster than everyone else, and try not to look completely ridiculous while doing it. Spoiler: you will look ridiculous. That’s the entire point.
Selling primarily through Amazon and their own site, the game exploded. Within twelve months they were closing in on one million dollars in sales. Let that sink in for a second. A game born from holiday boredom, built by two out-of-work actors, almost hit seven figures in its very first year.
“The entertainment was always on our shoulders at family gatherings. When both families kept asking for the games, we realized we might actually be onto something real.”
– Julian Miller
From Side Hustle to “We Just Quit Our Day Jobs”
Most side hustles stay side hustles. Maybe they make a few thousand dollars a year and give you bragging rights at dinner parties. This one? It demanded to become the main event.
By the time they walked onto the Shark Tank stage, their company—McMiller—had already sold more than 650,000 units across five different games. Total revenue? North of $12.5 million. Projected 2025 numbers? Over $5 million in sales with roughly $750,000 in profit.
And here’s the part that makes accountants smile: their landed cost per game is around three bucks, while retail price sits at $23.99. Do the math. Those are the kind of margins that make investors lean forward in their chairs.
- One flagship game carrying the majority of sales
- Four additional titles launched successfully
- Strong organic word-of-mouth from family gatherings to bachelorette parties
- Almost zero paid advertising in the beginning
The Shark Tank Moment Everyone Talked About
They asked for $200,000 in exchange for 5% of the company. That’s a clean $4 million valuation. Daymond John practically laughed them out of the room at first—“You’re never going to get a deal with that valuation.” Famous last words.
Then the numbers came out. Jaws dropped. Suddenly it wasn’t laughter anymore; it was a full-on bidding war.
Kevin O’Leary warned about the classic “one-hit-wonder” risk in the toy industry. Fair point. Barbara Corcoran and Daymond both threw out offers. Then Daniel Lubetzky—who happens to be close personal friends with the CEOs of Hasbro and Mattel—jumped in with connections that could open every major retail door in the country.
In the end they shook hands on stage with Lubetzky: $200,000 for 9% plus a $0.99 royalty until the investment was paid back. A $2.2 million valuation. Not bad for a couple of actors who started with some cardboard and plastic tails.
Here’s the plot twist, though—after filming, the business exploded even harder. Major retail chains started placing huge orders. The couple ultimately decided not to close the Shark deal because they simply didn’t need the money anymore. Sometimes the best outcome is walking away with your equity intact.
What Makes Their Story So Relatable (and Inspiring)
Look, I’ve watched hundreds of entrepreneur stories over the years. What gets me about David and Julian isn’t just the money—though $12.5 million is nothing to sneeze at. It’s that they built something genuinely fun while strengthening their marriage at the same time.
Running a business with your spouse sounds like a recipe for disaster to a lot of people. Late nights, money stress, creative disagreements—it could tear couples apart. Yet here they are, five years in, still visibly in love and laughing through investor negotiations like it’s just another family party.
Maybe that’s the secret sauce. When you create joy for other families, it’s hard for that same joy not to spill over into your own relationship.
Lessons Every Couple (and Entrepreneur) Can Take Away
- Pay attention to what people ask for repeatedly. Both families begging to buy the games was the market research they never paid for.
- Start small and simple. Cardboard bananas and a $3 cost of goods beats over-engineered electronics every time.
- Protect the relationship first. They’ve spoken openly about setting boundaries and keeping date nights sacred even when Amazon orders were flooding in.
- Know when to say no to a deal. Walking away from Shark money because the business outgrew the terms? That takes guts.
- Fun is a legitimate business moat. In a world full of screen fatigue, people desperately want offline laughter.
Honestly, in my experience covering couple entrepreneurs, the ones who make it big while staying married tend to share one trait: they never let the business become bigger than the relationship that started it. David and Julian seem to understand that on a bone-deep level.
So next time you’re at a family gathering and someone suggests a silly game, maybe lean in a little closer. You never know—your million-dollar idea might be hiding inside a plastic monkey tail.
Because if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the best businesses aren’t born in boardrooms. They’re born around folding tables covered in wrapping paper, with cousins laughing so hard they can barely stand up.
And occasionally, just occasionally, those moments turn into something that changes your life forever.
