A stylist who's novel hairbrush idea was knocked back by Dragon's Den has gone on to make him £30million.
Shaun Pulfrey was 45-years-old when he pitched his idea, the Tangle Teezer, to the dragons.
His lightbulb moment, a brush that could tame hair without pulling or breaking ends, came to him four years previously while sitting in his London flat.
The stylist from, Grimsby in North Eat Linconshire, had been in hairdressing for two decades and was determined to take action after the brainwave moment, the Mirror reports.
Shaun, now 59, said: "I had been working in salons for decades and was always looking for a quick and easy way to detangle hair without tugging and pulling.
“I had a lightbulb moment in 2003 when I was 41."
He wanted to create a hairbrush that was both handle-free and detangling - even in wet hair.
The hairdresser spent the following months and years at the British Library reading up about plastic modelling and patenting in between his shifts.
He used £98,000 worth of savings, the majority of which was spent purchasing patents, and started creating products in his London flat.
“My two-bedroom flat in Brixton quickly became both my warehouse and distribution centre,” he said.
By 2007, Tangle Teezer had come to life – the hair brush that could revolutionise haircare.
Shaun applied to go on Dragon’s Den.
“Dragon’s Den came about from a close friend of mine who was constantly trying to persuade me to apply for the show.
“Two weeks later after an audition at White City and numerous phone calls, I was standing in the Den in Pinewood Studios being ripped apart by five Dragons,” he recalled.
“Although I wasn’t successful I got a 15 minute commercial from it, what more could you want?"
The business went viral after the show was broadcast, despite the dragon’s completely snubbing it.
“The evening it aired, my website crashed from so many people registering their interest. From then onwards, I really knew I was on to something.
“Everyone wanted to buy the Tangle Teezer Original, it was surreal,” he said.
“Being rejected on Dragon's Den didn’t put me off,” he said. “If anything, it added fuel to the fire."
Shaun’s career took a new turn after that point. He went from a professional colourist to an entrepreneur – and one that had high hopes to take on the entire world of hair styling.
In 2007, he re-mortgaged his South London flat to get an extra six months’ funding.
“Later that year, my hard work paid off with our cult classic, the Original Detangler, launching and getting stocked in Boots and high profile salon chains such as Toni & Guy and Regis."
His flat became his warehouse: “I even had an assembly line in the kitchen," Shaun said.
“Through 2007, sales were taking off in the UK and that’s when we started exporting worldwide.”
In 2010 he launched the pocket-friendly Original Detangler, called the Compact Styler and a kids hairbrush called the Magic Flower Pot.
The company also won a Queen’s Award and has featured in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list three times.
But there have been many obstacles on his journey to success.
“Looking back, I was incredibly naïve,” Shaun said.
“But in hindsight, I think a little naivety in relation to retail and consumer habits actually helped me.
“Most people with more experience in retail would have probably laughed and said a handle-less detangling hairbrush… good luck with that.”
Today, he works full time as the founder of Tangle Teezer and heads up innovation and development.
“The business has recently launched a range of detangling sprays and I’m really excited about the prospect of expanding the brand beyond hairbrushes,” Shaun said.
They have a team of 50 who work around the clock at their very own warehouse in Croydon.
Sales are also thriving.
“In 2020 our turnover was just short of £30million, growing by around 8% which was pretty good as we coped with the pandemic,” he explained.
Shaun said online retailers like Amazon, and Look Fantastic, helped to offset declines in more traditional retail which was more impacted by Covid.
“That said, we do expect to report much stronger sales growth in 2021.”
Today the business has partnerships with Superdrug and John Lewis, as well as being sold online.
The hairbrushes sell for between £8 and £14 and Victoria Beckham, Kiera Knightley and Cara Delevingne, are amongst fans.
“Recently The Wet Detangler appeared in a Little Mix music video,” he said.
But while Tangle Teezer is cracking the UK, Britain accounts for just 20 per cent of its clientele with demand soaring in America and Asia.
Shaun says the secret to success is to never give up.
“It was my sheer determination, following my true passion for hair, and building a fantastic team around me that has led Tangle Teezer to flourish.
“I started off life as the son of a fisherman in Grimsby and so never in my life thought I'd start a multi-million pound international business.
"Many years on it’s just nice to be able to treat my family and friends.
"I also support a number of charities including the Princes’ Trust that give young people, like me in the 70s, a second chance."
Shaun's latest #PowerToBeMe campaign celebrates inclusivity.
"The Pride campaign is a series of videos from the LGBTQIA+ community about how hair is so integral to self-expression, identity and can play a vital role in people’s ‘coming out’.
"Campaigns like this are so important to me to ensure that, as a company, our inclusive approach to everything we do shines through, loud and proud."
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