A swimming instructor who was rejected on Dragons' Den now sells his product across the globe.
Kevin Moseley, who is originally from Skelmersdale but now lives in Portugal, started his career in the swimming world by becoming an instructor. He first got the idea for his product SwimFin, a child's buoyancy aid shaped like a shark fin, when teaching children under his instruction.
Speaking to the ECHO, the 58-year-old said: "I created what at the time was called Sharky and I just got two old kickboards, put them together in the shape of a fin that I would tie to my back, disappear under the water and just have the tip of the fin breaking the surface. Kids were screaming hysterically. They loved it."
READ MORE: Nan issues update about Strep A patient Camila Rose Burns
However, the moment Kevin realised he could turn 'Sharky' into a fully fledged product was when a four-year-old boy who was struggling in the water tried it on and started swimming "instantly."
Kevin said he looked into patenting the product, however it was too expensive. Then in 2006, the now 58-year-old saw BBC's programme Dragons' Den was looking for applicants and he decided to apply.
He said: "This was a Sunday evening and the applications for the next series were to close Monday morning, nine o'clock. So I stayed up literally all night putting some kind of a business plan together. I mean, what did I know? I was a swimming instructor at the time.
"What did I know about manufacturing, legal affairs, distribution, marketing, sales, the whole supply chain? So the application went in Monday morning. I got a phone call on the Tuesday afternoon saying, 'we like it, can you come in for an audition?'
"I went over to Manchester BBC studios and did a mock set up. They told me, 'well, normally we interview all the candidates first and we select what we think will be good, but we like what you've got, you seem confident', this, that and the other. [The producers asked] 'can you be ready in three months?'
"And I thought, 'oh my god, where do I go?' I had to look at patents, trademarks, finding a manufacturer, doing research."
Thanks to his connections in the swimming world, Kevin asked Olympic swimmer Mark Foster if he would endorse SwimFin which he agreed to and also appeared alongside Kevin on the show. However, it did not go well.
Dragon Theo Paphitis said Mark was an "idiot" for backing the product and Kevin faced "ridicule" from the others.
He said: "So basically they just threw a load of abuse at me. They called Mark Foster an idiot to endorse a man, me, and recommend a product that [they said] is 'going to kill somebody'. [They said] 'it's a ridiculous idea, it'll never work. Goodbye".
Kevin said Peter Jones offered 25% for half the money, but the other Dragons did not back the product. However, Kevin decided to go it alone with the backing of his wife Nicky.
He re-mortgaged his house, cashed in his savings, got heavily into debt with the bank and even sold his swim school business. Kevin registered worldwide patents and started Swimfin Ltd from the garage of their home in Burscough with just one employee.
Since its launch, Kevin's business has gone from strength to strength and SwimFin is sold around the world. In its first year of trading, SwimFin has become an international sensation with orders flooding in from 47 countries and sales topping 70,000.
It has also had the backing from Olympians, Paralympians and even royalty.
He said: "It just snowballed and within a couple of years we hit 70 countries where orders were coming in from all over the world. It's taken me around the world.
"I do seminars, I've done lectures, I've done exhibitions. I've met royalty, I've met celebrities. You know, I'm just a swimming instructor from Skem. It's life changing.
"So today, we export to, we've lost count to be honest. The last time we checked it was 140 countries. So I think there's only 197 in the world."
Kevin has also been awarded an MBE for services to international trade and his four decades in the aquatic industry, including his charity work.
SwimFin costs £31.99 and Kevin said it's a "single piece of kit that replaces so much other apparatus". A child wears it on their back and it works as a streamlined self-adjusting buoyancy aid.
The more submerged SwimFin is when it is worn, the more support it is giving. This means when the child is vertical, doggy paddling through the water, SwimFin will be almost completely submerged and therefore giving maximum support.
As the child’s body position becomes more horizontal, SwimFin comes out of the water giving less support. This means the child is swimming more for themselves with less and less assistance.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT:
Share your Elf on the Shelf ideas in our photo competition
Most and least deprived areas in Merseyside mapped
'The cold snaps your face' - the reality of sleeping rough in a brutal Liverpool winter
Paedophile handed phone over to police and said 'it's all on there'
Sunday Times best schools in North West as two in Merseyside included
