From flogging second hand gear to Marvel movies - West Midlands' firm's rags-to-riches tale

A West Midlands company that satarted off selling second-hand sports gear now finds itself in Hollywood circles. It all began with pop-up stalls at student events, where Ewan Jones and George Dyer sold sportswear.

Now, they've built a £3.5 million-turnover business, Safejawz, crafting mouthguards with connections to Marvel and YouTuber KSI. Now both aged 35, they're on a mission to prove that mouthguards can be as entertaining as they are protective.

From its modest start, university pals Ewan and George found their niche in jazzing up the typically dull safety kit, leading to their current success with an 11-person team nestled in the Black Country, operating from Aldridge offices and studios.

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Ewan, who was raised in various UK towns and now resides in Cheltenham, chose criminology at the University of Manchester, inspired by Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills Cop films, eyeing a future in policing or law.

He crossed paths with Erdington-born George, a business and management student, and post-graduation in 2010, the housemates contemplated a joint venture, reports Business Live.

"It kind of happened slowly. We were selling second-hand sports equipment we would pick up from wholesalers at pop-up events at university and the initial ambition was to have a bricks and mortar sports shop," he explained.

"We didn't have the capital for that so we had an online sports shop but we realised we couldn't compete with the likes of Sports Direct so had to be more niche. There were a couple of products we honed in on that were selling quite well - one was whistles and the other was mouthguards."

"Not only was it something a big portion of the population needed to wear for sport but the sector had also been stagnant for so long. They hadn't changed in years - they were uninspiring, boring and had become that product you had to have because you were told to by your coach or mum."

"We really thought we could make it something people actually wanted to wear so that's when we brought out the designs."

To fund development and conduct market research, the duo set up a website called The Mouthguard Shop, selling competitor products in order to learn what customers did and did not like.

They eventually launched their own mouthguards on that site and it became the best seller which told them they were onto a business winner.

Ewan says it took a while to gain traction in the market which he mainly attributes to a lack of capital as the pair have remained staunchly self-funded since day one.

That self-funding came via a string of "side hustles and night jobs" which included George working in bars and on construction sites while Ewan was doing shifts as a pub doorman, on-call firefighter and even a best man for hire.

Safejawz, a standalone business established in 2014, had a significant breakthrough three years later when the co-founders were able to focus full-time on the venture.

Drawing from their personal experiences in rugby and boxing, they developed the mouthguards, going through 120 different versions of their chemical compound before settling on the final mix.

The designs by Safejawz include vibrant colours, fangs, gold teeth, and even a simple, single-colour product. Unlike some brands, these guards can be remoulded, which is especially beneficial as children's teeth develop and mature.

Earlier this year, they secured a game-changing deal becoming an official licensee of film titan Marvel, allowing them to feature superhero graphics on their mouthguards such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and Hulk.

This partnership is also expected to gain from the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine film, set to hit UK cinemas in late July.

Ewan explained that the relationship began with a speculative email sent three years ago, which was initially met with a response stating they were too small for Marvel to collaborate with.

"About a year later, we heard from a licensing account manager saying the company was planning to do more in sports and they felt the link made a lot of sense if we still wanted to explore it," Ewan revealed.

"They sent us a presentation about how it could look - it was an amazing experience to actually be pitched by Disney (Marvel's owner)."

"That was about two years ago so it's been a long process with lots of due diligence related to finance, intellectual property and legal but it has now finally gone to market. It's a really exciting thing to see it come to life and they've said we could move into other products with the licence."

Since their launch, they've sold over a million units and have attracted celebrity fans including England rugby player Joe Marler and Brum's own MMA fighter Leon Edwards.

However, it was a diamond-studded piece for YouTuber KSI that really catapulted the company into the national media spotlight.

Created for his match against Love Island star Tommy Fury last October, the mouthguard boasted over 100 diamonds, 24-carat gold leaf, and KSI's soft drink brand logo prominently displayed on the front.

The time and craftsmanship invested in this piece resulted in a hefty market value of £40,000, sparking interest from several affluent individuals about commissioning their own pieces.

"It's crossed our minds that there could be an elite concierge mouthguard service to add to the business model at some point," Ewan said.

The firm generates approximately 40 per cent of its revenue in the UK and an equal share in the US, with the residual 20 per cent won across other international markets. This global acumen earned the company a King's Awards for Enterprise in the International Trade category earlier this year.

Presently, turnover is clocked at £3.5 million, but there are forecasts of striking £5.5 million in upcoming financial results, with targets set to surpass £10 million in the ensuing years - an ambition buoyed by a listing with high street giant Sports Direct.

Contemplating the future, Ewan observes that the local and international mouthguard market still brims with huge growth opportunities thus keeping the firm exclusively concentrated on this line, instead of pursuing consumers with a slew of new offerings.

In conclusion he stated: "The licensing route is definitely something we're looking more at now whereas it was never really a thing for us."

"We're open minded to expanding this side of the business but Marvel is going to be a really good test of how that can go."

"Fun shouldn't be a dirty word. Just because something's safe and protective, doesn't mean you can't have a laugh with it and we have lots more plans to come."