LONDON, March 29,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonight on BBC1,
REMY founder Abeer
Iqbal, entered the Den, and despite intense grilling and no
investment, left with a six-figure job offer from Peter Jones.
Abeer's pitch began with the Dragon's keen to experience his
sleep-enhancing furniture. When Steven and Peter laid on his
hero 'The Pod', a reinvention of the beanbag, and under
REMY's best-selling 'The Lounger' weighted blankets, the dragons
closed their eyes and pretended to snore. Which was ironic, as
despite being told he'd enter the Den around 5pm, Abeer actually went in at 9.30pm, after the dragons had been receiving
pitches since early that day, which to Abeer's own admission
"wasn't easy". Deborah Meaden said,
"This might have been a fatal mistake to put your dragons to sleep
before we start the pitch" - recognising that it had been a long
day.
After 10+ years working in tech, helping multi-million pound
businesses grow their empire at software giants like Shopify, Abeer
experienced burn-out, which led him to develop REMY. Despite Abeer
telling the dragons that he left the high-pressure industry due to
stress and anxiety Peter Jones still
offered him a job back in the rat race with a six-figure sum (which
he still hasn't taken).
After leaving the Den, Abeer admitted feeling the "most anxious
ever" and that he "just wanted to get back to his wife for a
hug". Abeer shared, "I didn't sleep for days, replaying every
moment in my mind. I wanted to forget it." But it's not all bad, as
Abeer explains, "the anxiety I experienced from the Den gave me a
lightbulb moment and led me to create our most popular product yet
– The Hugger Pillow. I needed a hug, so I created one".
Abeer continues, "I returned the next day to collect my items
from the studio. I bumped into a fresh-faced Peter and Toukar in
the carpark, they both praised my experience, Peter once again
offered me a job and Toukar asked me to call him when I start the
next business."
The global 'sleep economy' is booming, projected to reach a
record high of $585 billion this
year. But Abeer felt he was unable to communicate this, "If I
could have my time again, I would focus on the industry of Rest and
Sleep rather than the specific products we were trying to innovate.
I don't think I articulated to the Dragon's the size of the
business opportunity that there is with REMY. In terms of what's
next, we are moving towards becoming a household name in rest and
sleep but offering products in multiple categories."
The Dragon that seemed to understand Abeer's passion for this
industry was Sara Davies, saying "I
actually fundamentally don't agree with what I've heard here. What
I see in front of me, yes he is great at the e-commerce side of
things but he gave up a career in corporate because he was
passionate about this area. And if there's one thing I know about
business it's that you will succeed when you pursue the thing you
are passionate about. I wouldn't discourage you to give up. Keep
doing it and good luck. I think you could sell anything".
You can watch Abeer Iqbal on
Dragons' Den on BBC iPlayer.
remysleep.com / @WEAREREMY
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2374872/REMY_Sleep_1.jpg
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sleep-interiors-brand-gets-job-offer-from-peter-jones-despite-not-securing-investment-in-dragons-den-302103201.html