Friends who appeared on Dragons’ Den have had the last laugh after turning down Peter Jones’ paltry offer and turning their firm into a multi-million pound business.
Jonny Pryn and Alex Somervell were told they were ‘about to make a big mistake’ by media tycoon Mr Jones, after bravely refusing his offer of £60,000 investment.
Appearing on the BBC show on Sunday, the pair turned down Jones’ demands for 20 per cent of the business, causing the other dragons to snigger in disbelief.
But Mr Pryn, 25, and Mr Somervell, 27, soon proved they had made the right decision, after their company One Third Stories rose in value to £2.6million.
Alex Somervell (left) and Jonny Pryn (right) were told they were ‘about to make a big mistake’ by media tycoon Mr Jones, after bravely refusing his offer of £60,000 investment
The best friends had presented their idea of children’s books which start in English and finish in French of Spanish, helping youngsters to learn foreign languages
Having decided to only offer 10 per cent of their London-based business to an investor, they flatly refused, causing Mr Jones (pictured) to accuse them of being ‘greedy’
The best friends had presented their idea of children’s books which start in English and finish in French of Spanish, helping youngsters to learn foreign languages.
Having decided to only offer 10 per cent of their London-based business to an investor, they flatly refused, causing Mr Jones to accuse them of being ‘greedy’.
A sniggering Deborah Meaden said: ‘It is naive, not greedy. It is guys, honestly.’
Mr Somervell told the Sun Online: ‘When Peter Jones made the offer we were tempted because he was the Dragon we really wanted.
‘We knew our business had a lot more potential than he gave us credit for – and we were confident enough to leave without a deal.
‘Afterwards we did wonder whether we’d done the right thing, but we know now we did for sure.’
A sniggering Deborah Meaden (shown middle) said: ‘It is naive, not greedy. It is guys, honestly’
Mr Pryn, 25, and Mr Somervell, 27, soon proved they had made the right decision, after their company One Third Stories rose in value to £2.6million