January 15, 2015 (Vancouver, BC) – Since Chris Guillemet, Boris Martin and fellow shareholder, franchise owner, and Canadian Olympic gold medalist, Simon Whitfield, stepped into the Dragons’ Den to pitch their mobile bike repair business Velofix, they had to keep all results confidential until after their episode aired late last year, and now Velofix shares the details of what really happens after striking a deal with a dragon – see official release below and read more about Velofix here.
Find out for yourself and watch the episode here.
Velofix Inks deal with a Dragon
Vancouver entrepreneurs’ complete financing deal with Dragon Jim Treliving
Velofix co-founder Chris Guillemet states, “We were really excited after our on air deal was done with Jim Treliving (Chairman and Owner of Boston Pizza International) as we felt our business could use his experience and expertise in franchising. We knew the handshake deal on air was really just the beginning of the process.” After a vigorous 4 month due diligence process taking place after the March filming at the CBC studio in Toronto, Jim Treliving and his partner George Melville did sign over a cheque making them the newest shareholders and business partners in Velofix Holdings Ltd.
“Overall it was an amazing experience for us, we have been working on this venture since 2012 and when we completed the deal it really felt like all of the hard work we have been putting in over these years was being rewarded” Guillemet shared, “to have them as business partners is a huge win for us. They have been down this road before and will help us to execute our ambitious growth strategy.”
When asked about the deal Mr. Treliving states “the idea behind Velofix is simple but brilliant. It allows people to repair their bikes conveniently at their home or office saving them time and allowing them to get back on their bike and spend more time riding.” Treliving plans to play an active role with Velofix supporting them with their expansion throughout Canada and into the United States and also serving on their board of directors. “It’s a partnership we are really excited about and see a ton of potential to transform the industry” says Treliving.
Velofix has invested the time and resources to set up a proprietary back end system which integrates GPS enabled booking, inventory management, payment and invoicing and much more. From a franchisees perspective this makes it easier for them to spend their time in their territory, operating their truck maximizing efficiency and profitability. In the coming year Treliving and Velofix plan to continue to focus on selling franchises and building the Velofix brand.