Struggling businessman scores after Dragons Den appearance
Wednesday 8th April 2009
A struggling entrepreneur who was on the brink of bankruptcy could pocket millions thanks to the expert advice of a top businessman from Dragons' Den.
Giles Bury, 46, of Alexandra Road in Kings Langley appeared on the online version of Dragons' Den to ask for £49,000 for 20 per cent of his company Qwikgoals.com to help market his product – a pair of 6ft high portable goalposts.
Despite receiving the infamous ‘I’m out’ verdict from both of the show’s judges Mr Bury’s fortunes were to take a turn.
Mr Giles, a father-of-one, said: “During my pitch I was very nervous on my left was Shaf Rasul, worth £100 million and on my right, Julie Meyerthe head of an investment company. My mouth was so dry I could hardly speak.
“Shaf quickly worked out that my business was insolvent and it was only a matter of time before I was bankrupt. I was so keen to work with him because of his obvious business acumen that I even offered 90 per cent of my business to him for the £49,000 investment.”
He added: “I was devastated when he said no. After my pitch and filming had stopped, Shaf approached me and said ‘You’re in a mess aren’t you?’ He then gave me his number and said to me to call him on Monday and he would help me out. I couldn’t believe it!”
Mr Rasul quickly got to work on the doomed business establishing a new website, a promotion campaign and liaising with high profile retailers.
Scotland’s richest Asian said: “We have worked tirelessly since we met, thrashing out ideas and getting Giles’ business into the best shape of its life and as a result we are negotiating a licensing contract for a new product that Giles has developed.
“This contract is worth more than £1million. We have essentially turned Qwikgoals.com around in two weeks into a potentially multi-million pound business.”
Mr Bury said: “It’s a dream come true. I have lost count of the number of sleepless nights I’ve had since I launched the product.
“To say am delighted is a huge understatement. I was so grateful to Shaf that I offered to pay him but he refused to accept a single penny, even though he has been travelling all over the country on my behalf negotiating deals. He simply smiled at me and said ‘It’s all about doing the deal!’”