Business told it ‘won’t make any money’ on Dragons’ Den went on to be worth £70 million

While some business pitches get those Dragons in that big empty room all excited and trying to outsell each other, others have them all shaking their fire-breathing heads.

Ok, well, obviously they don’t breathe fire but sometimes there words are so savage they might as well be.

But although the investors on Dragons’ Den might be the top dogs with plenty of experience behind them, they’re not always right.

From one business being slammed as ‘pathetic’ but going on to make millions a year, to this one which was told it ‘won’t make any money’ and yet ending up worth £7 0million.

Back in 2007, Shaun Pulfrey left the Den with no investments after his prototype awkwardly broke in his hand.

James Caan branded the whole thing a ‘waste of time’.

And yet you’ll be surprised to know that Pulfrey is the guy behind the very well known Tangle Teezer brand.

Yep, you know, those brushes that every other girl and your mum seems to use. Even celebrities love them.

BBC

But during the Dragons’ Den pitch, an unimpressed Deborah Meaden told the bloke the ‘horse brush’ wouldn’t be a success with Peter Jones calling it a ‘hair-brained’ pitch.

Duncan Bannatyne was also convinced the brushes ‘won’t make any money’.

Pulfrey had gone into the den hoping for a Dragon to take 15 percent of the business for £80,000 but left without it.

He’d already funnelled £98,000 of his savings and even re-mortgaged his London flat to fund Tangle Teezer

But as anyone whose ever been shopping for a hairbrush will know, it clearly worked out in the end.

BBC

It’s an absolute global sensation with celebrities like Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss and even the Princess of Wales being known to use a Tangle Teezer.

In the first year of the business, 35,000 of the items were sold by Boots and in 2016, the business was valued at a mega £200 million.

Proving the Dragons completely wrong, Pulfrey went on to sell the majority of his shares for a huge £70 million in 2021.

He told The Times: “I’m incredibly excited for the future and the new opportunities it will present for our iconic and much-loved brand, including continuing to bring even more new product innovation, which is the heartbeat of the brand.”

With the likes of Cara Delevinge, Salma Hayek and Kim Kardashian also known to use a Tangle Teezer, the business could be one of Dragons’ Den’s most successful ever rejects. Now that’s a title to have.

Topics: Business, Dragons Den, TV and Film, Money

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_