A MAN who failed his GCSEs and set up a multimillion pound beauty empire with just £500 to his name turned down £80,000 from Dragon’s Den.
Brendan McDowell, from Co Down, Northern Ireland, now rubs shoulders with Love Island icons – and even starred in his own reality show.
After flunking at school, the youngster studied for a qualification in construction – a far cry from the industry in which he would later find success.
Then, at age 20, he kick started his career as a salesman and quickly discovered his talent, rapidly climbing up the ranks.
A year later his father sadly passed away, but the business tycoon previously opened up about how the tragedy inspired him to found his own company.
With just £500 in 2012, the determined entrepreneur created BPerfect Cosmetics.
The much-loved brand has garnered international recognition with products flying off the shelves in more than 100 countries.
Brendan told the Belfast Telegraph: “My dad, who was also Brendan McDowell, was a digger driver and had always wanted to have his own business.
“He only started his own business with his own digger when he was 40 and then he passed away at 43. That pushed me to want to start earlier.”
Starting BReal Cosmetics
While he was a salesman, Brendan made his way to London tradeshows and picked up make-up products which he later sold on to his friends.
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He soon discovered eyebrow kits were the main player, and sold 100 of them in two weeks at various markets.
After realising his potential, the young man decided he should be raking in cash from his own beauty products instead.
Brendan worked tirelessly with manufacturing companies and factories creating his top-selling eyebrow kit.
With cash flowing in for several years from stalls and bridal events, the business owner started promoting his product in shops.
Rejecting £80,000 from Dragons’ Den
Brendan made the move to showcase his brand on Dragon’ Den to garner more attention.
His products impressed the hard-to-please dragons and he was quickly made a tempting proposal.
But, viewers went wild for the entrepreneur after he turned down a £80,000 offer in a shock move.
Afterwards, Brendan shared he felt it “would be losing creative control” over his brand.
He also confessed he “didn’t need the money” as business was already boombing.
“It was great exposure, though, and if I had to go back I would still do it again,” Brendan admitted.
At the same time, beauty blogging was becoming a rising sensation, which the BReal Cosmetics creator jumped on.
Celebrity support
Brendan’s company now amasses international support – and celebrities love it too.
Former Love Islander Belle Hassan, who famously dumped All Stars’ Anton Danyluk in season five, previously endorsed the products.
“I was blown away by the quality of the Clientele Collection, the pigmentation of the colours and the range of tones,” she raved.
And, Brendan joined together with iconic ex-islander Ekin-Su Culculoglu while filming for his own TV show.
The pair worked together in 2023 to launch a new collection from BReal Cosmetics.
The glitzy event featured in the first episode of Made Up on BBC Three.
Brendan previously told Sunday Life: “It was amazing to have her here. She said ‘Lime-rick’ and it went viral. Everybody was talking about it.
“She’s a really nice girl, really hard-working, and the three days we were together we got to build a good rapport.
“The response to the show has been amazing. People said exactly what we wanted to hear. We can’t wait to watch the rest.”
The 10-part docuseries revealed the behind-the-scenes of running BReal Cosmetics.
Brendan said at the time: “I hope it inspires and encourages other people to get stuck into careers and see from a young age that they can make things happen.”
It comes as other people have turned down offers from Dragons’ Den and gone on to find huge success.
Fellow entrepreneur Chika Russell rejected five proposals from the dragons – and now she has a £10million business.
Nearly a decade on from walking away from the £30,000 investment in return for a share of 25 per cent, her company – Chika’s Food – has flourished.
Meanwhile, other Dragons’ Den pitches that have been rejected by the business tycoons also go on and make millions.
A £70million idea was laughed at by the dragons – but now the helpful product is bought by famous celebrities worldwide.
Shaun Pulfrey, from Grimsby, walked away empty handed after his Tangle Teezer pitch was rejected on the show in 2007.
But, the entrepreneur trusted his expertise, having worked at high end salons, and went on to sell most of his shares for an eye-watering £70million in 2021 to Mayfair Equity Partners.
Meanwhile, Rachel Watkyn, 52, is was ignored after presenting her ‘Tiny Box Company’, which makes environmentally-friendly and recycled packaging, to the panel.
She was even called “pathetic” for the multimillion pound idea.
Her company now makes over 1,500 products for nearly 200,000 customers.
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Plus, a homeless man who bounced in and out of jail now runs a multi-million pound company – despite being rejected on Dragon’s Den.
Ben Pearson went from living on the streets, struggling with his mental health and weighing 30 stone – to becoming an entrepreneur with a successful empire promoted by Harvey Price.
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Summer Raemason
