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THE DUBLIN BUSINESSMAN who broke down in tears before winning a €45,000 investment on Dragons’ Den has won deals to supply his watches to three more Premier League teams – and now has his sights set on selling his products at one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Jason O’Reilly’s appearance on the show last March led to an investment which saw his company start producing sports watches for Manchester United and Liverpool before the end of last year – and even more clubs are now selling his wares.
His company Pride Watches is now producing watches for Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal – meaning it now supplies products for all four of the English teams in next season’s Champions League – and has other top clubs lined up to accept supplies.
The Man Utd and Liverpool watches, which went on sale last autumn, have proven so popular that Ryanair has added them to its in-flight store – meaning Irish fans of the sides can buy one of the €10 watches while on their way to Old Trafford or Anfield.
England is not the limit of his ambitions, however, with Jason now eyeing up a lucrative pitch at the biggest sporting event in the world next year – the FIFA World Cup in Brazil – hoping to have products on sale in the colours of each participating nation.
The former bricklayer’s company is already producing its watches in the colours of the 32 GAA county teams, but has diversified into other silicone products that aren’t just sports watches.
The company is now manufacturing silicone-based iPhone covers, carrying the official logo of the Dublin GAA teams – and even full-length stickers with the Dubs’ crest designed for wheelie bins.
The development is a fitting one – the idea for a business selling watches with coloured straps came to O’Reilly in a flash while in Croke Park at a Dubs match.
“We also had the pleasure of mentoring a few of the applicants from this year’s Dragons’ Den,” O’Reilly told TheJournal.ie – saying the acts included a hip-hop duo Eamon & Jodie, who won a €15,000 investment from all five dragons.
The act – which go by the name JE Syllable – are “the next biggest rap/hip-hop band to come out of Ireland,” O’Reilly said.
“We are really confident that they are ready to get their big break.”
(YouTube: allaboutbizire)
O’Reilly has also sought to nurture other start-up businesses through the Cork-based Selr8r programme, where he acts as a mentor alongside his Dragons’ Den investor O’Sullivan, and other judges Bobby Kerr and Gavin Duffy.
It’s all a big jump from the pitch to investors Niall O’Farrell and Sean O’Sullivan, which took place only 16 months ago – when money was so tight that O’Reilly couldn’t afford the petrol to drive from his home in Cavan to the Dragons Den set in Rathfarnham.
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What a nice man. Well done
Well done to him. Great to see.
Brilliant! Excellent product by a great team. Now if the state would get out of the way and give small businesses total tax breaks and let market driven rents run their course we’d be in a roll. Unfortunately our state has become so parasitic, talent and endeavour is pushed abroad.
Good on him , great to see someone doing well for themselves .
Best of luck to him
Delighted to see him doing so well! Great news.
Delighted for him and long may his success continue.
Absolutely brilliant idea! They could turn into worldwide thing!
Fair play to him … A good news story for a change
I heard the Man Utd ones are 9 mins slow.
Must be Fergie time…
TIME i bought one
Oh WATCH out — red thumbs about
A good news story. Fair play to him. I’d say the guy that pulled out on him at the last minute must be kicking himself.
All made in china, not exactly supporting jobs
There’s always a begrudger!!! Fair play to him and well done. It’s great to see someone doing well.
No, he’s doing the right thing and supporting his family.
They put all they had into this including the family car. Not his fault we don’t have the capacity to support his ideas here.
Absolutely delighted for them.
There are still jobs in sales, marketing etc. etc. You can’t manufacture €10 branded watches this side of the world and make a profit!
Suitable username , your just a bitter begrudging nobody.
fair play to him for every person that wishes him well theres a thousand that want him to fail wish him the best we should all learn from the man
What a horrible racist comment. And linking your name back to a twitter timeline is so clever.
Fair play to Jason for having the initiative and courage to try something. Hope your company is as successful.
Why would anyone want him to fail,unless of course you are a deadbeat yourself.
did try I would have to sell the watch for 20 euro if made in Ireland
Also the factory there made in was audited by nike no cheap labour been there 4 times
Thanks for you comment
jason
I have made a comment on this at the bottom of this page ,,don’t know why it went to the bottom
jason
Fair play to you, your an absolute inspiration.
Can any 1 tell me where u can buy the Liverpool watches.
through the website
Pridewatches.com
Thanks joe
This uplifting story should be an example to people that its the positive approach that is far better and more productive for those involved,than the negative ones of constant whinging and the blame game,all it takes is some real backbone and determination,and of course some hard cash.
Thanks Richard ,,,,jason
Just bought three Kerry watches after reading this article …… gonna send them to friends in the US. Nice concept.
thanks for your support mike ill send you also 3 free irish watches as well
Good for him.it’s nice to see a good news story every now and then
Is Sylabelle a wind up?
Where can you get them and the iPhone covers – can’t seem to find a website
hi denise pridewatch.com thanks for your support and if you order 1 ill send you a dub watch as well
jason
WELL DONE HOPE IT GROWS AN GROWS FOR U. NICE TO HAVE A GOOD NEWS STORY . WHERE CAN U BUY THE WATCHES
pridewatch.com and what ever watch you buy ill send you a free irish watch
jason
Having watched the original Dragons Den programme and been so impressed with the original pitch I am so delighted to see the see the success achieved. Running our own business this is inspirational. It would do this country well to show this to clip to every single person on a Monday morning and tell them to get off their arses, stop moaning and get on with it. This is what this makes this bloody country great – people like Jason who can take the pain, fight the fight and know that whatever is thrown at them does not matter. Show this to your kids – best lesson in life they will ever learn……………….
Thank for all the comments if you would like to see my pitch go on to you tube Jason oreilly dd
I work abroad for most of the year and will definitely be getting at least one of these before I leave again!
Brilliant idea, best of luck with it. Any jobs?? :)
I have just ordered an iPhone Dublin cover from pridewatches.com for my husband, we have been looking for a while for a nice one and couldn’t find one until today. I can’t wait to surprise him with it.
Best of luck with your venture.
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