Scouse fitness entrepreneur who moved Joe Wicks to tears reveals how Dragons’ Den has changed his life

A Scouse fitness entrepreneur who broke down in tears on BBC’s Dragons’ Den as he shared his story has revealed how securing investment on the show has changed his life.

In an emotional pitch to the panel of Dragons, screened in January, Joseph Keegan talked about reaching such a low that he no longer wanted to be here.

He explained how fitness had saved him, and inspiration from his late mum Mary had led him to create his BodyXcore wearable gym in a bag.

Celebrity guest, fitness coach Joe Wicks, was moved to hug Joseph before demonstrating the resistance equipment and giving it his seal of approval.

After a competition between Dragons, he left the Den with support from Joe Wicks, Peter Jones and Touker Suleyman and a whopping £105,000 investment.

That meant 40-year-old Joseph could cancel the sale of his house, after putting it on the market to fund his business, and focus on making his dream a reality.

Now just a couple of months after receiving the finance, he says he’s in regular contact with his expert mentors and preparing to take BodyXcore to the next level.

He explains: “After I recorded the show in July last year I went through about four months of due diligence to make sure I could back up everything I’d said in the Den. 

“Apparently that’s the point at which lots of deals don’t go through, but mine did and everything’s been fantastic for me since the show, it’s changed my life.

“I’ve been to see Joe, Touker and Peter, we email regularly and I work with their PAs virtually every day, looking at opportunities and discussing the next steps.”

For Joseph, who grew up in Croxteth and now lives in Kirkby, finding three experts who believe in his product has been incredible.

“Even though I had to give away a bigger share of my business than some other companies, I understand that if they’re bringing what they bring to the table it’s got to be worth it for them. 

“I know people in the Den negotiate with the Dragons but I always thought if I could just get one it would massively help so to get three was unbelievable.”

Dad-of-two Joseph first came up with the idea of BodyXcore in 2017 when his mental health hit rock bottom after the death of his mum, best friend and dad.

“Everything fell apart, I was broken. I was at the bottom and I couldn’t see a way of going forward. In all honesty I didn’t want to be here anymore. I was questioning everything because of the pain and sadness I was going through at that time. 

“I was doing my training and I asked for guidance from my mum, some kind of sign – and as I thought of her a dream came back to me. I remembered my mum giving me a netted bag on the bench and I was doing star jumps with something on my legs. 

“I had the stuff at home so I made the first prototype for my agility kit that night. I made it at first for myself, but after a while I tried to buy what I’d made and couldn’t find it anywhere. 

“I remembered from watching Dragons’ Den years ago them mentioning intellectual property so I got my designs and I started to get feedback on the prototype. Family members who are into fitness tried it, and I went to see professional boxing coaches, athletes, physiotherapists, and the response was amazing.

“I knew what training did for me, not just physically but mentally because it really helped push away negative feelings, so I thought I’d try and turn it into a business and make my mum happy.”

Electrician and keen boxer Joseph was offered investment to grow his idea in 2019 but that fell through in Covid so he ploughed everything he had into the business.

“I wanted to show my kids that if you want to achieve something in life you’ve got to give it everything so I sold my car and I put all the savings I had into it. The only thing I had left was the house so I put that up for sale.”

He already had everything packed into boxes ready to move when his application to Dragons’ Den was accepted.

The experience of being in the Den is one he’ll never forget. “I didn’t want to be too prepared so I just went in and honestly answered whatever questions they asked and I think they could see my passion and my determination,” he adds.

“We’re currently selling through the website, and because of the doors Joe, Peter and Touker have opened, we’re in discussion with sports retailers, TV channels, and there’s been interest from overseas.

“I feel so thankful that I didn’t listen when people told me to throw the towel in on this, that it wasn’t working or I didn’t have the experience. I just did what I believed in and nothing was stopping me.”

Find out more on BodyXcore here.

Read more features from The Guide Liverpool here.